Marine Macro- and Microalgae: An Overview

The marine environment accounts for most of the biodiversity on our planet, while offering a huge potential for the benefit and wellbeing of mankind. Its extensive resources already constitute the basis of many economic activities – but many more are expected in coming years. This book covers current knowledge on uses of marine algae to obtain bulk and fine chemicals, coupled with optimization of the underlying production and purification processes. Major gaps and potential opportunities in this field are discussed in a critical manner.

The currrent trends pertaining to marine macro- and microalgae are explained in a simple and understandable writing style. This book covers a wide variety of topics, and as such it will be appropriate as both student text and reference for advances researchers in the field.

F. Xavier Malcata has a PhD in Chemical Engineering, with Minor in Food Science, Biochemistry and Statistics, from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA. Full Professor at Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal. Principal Investigator at LEPABE – Laboratory of Process Engineering, Biotechnology and Energy – responsible for research line PHOTOBEAM: PHOTO-Bioprocess Engineering with Aquatic Microorganisms. Main research interests focused on marine bioengineering – toward synthesis and extraction of added-value functional metabolites (with pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food applications), via novel designs of photobioreactors and sensors for microalga-mediated processes. Author of 400+ scientific papers in top-ranking scientific journals, with 12,000+ cites by the peers.

Isabel Sousa Pinto has a PhD in Marine Biology (phycology) on ecophysiology and cultivation of seaweeds, from the UC Santa Barbara USA. Associate Professor, University of Porto and Director of Coastal Biodiversity Laboratory at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR-UP). Her main research has been on biodiversity and ecology of rocky shore and reefs and particularly on the seaweed flora as well as on algal ecophysiology, cultivation and use. She is also working on the science-policy- society interfaces and on promoting ocean literacy.

A. Catarina Guedes has a PhD in Biotechnology – specialty Microbiology (2010) from the Portuguese Catholic University. Researcher in Algal Biotechnology at CIIMAR/UP - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, since 2011. Main research interests focused on algal biotechnology – namely production, extraction and characterization of added-value functional metabolites from micro- and macroalgae, with pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food/feed applications. Author of more than 20 research papers in scientific journals, co-authored 14 book chapters in internationally published books and c. 30 communications in scientific meetings.