Milking of Diatoms: A Realistic Approach to Serve the Biorefinery Concept

Abstract

The algae-based biodiesel industry is moving forward with time, but the production cost is still a limiting step in the process. Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic, photosynthetic microorganisms having a siliceous cell wall. They are known as the source of diafuel (fuel from diatoms), and their application in the sustainable energy field is the current hot topic. High-value compounds in these unicellular cells make them crucial for biorefinery. The robustness of the diatoms cell wall makes extracting the valuable compounds unprofitable. High-end instruments like ultrasonication, high-pressure pretreatment and chemical treatments are needed to extract beneficial compounds from the cells. Due to the production cost, economic pressure is a significant barrier to diafuel industrialization. Different approaches to milk diatoms for diafuel and other intracellular compounds are discussed in the current chapter. The new emerging tool for successful milking is nanotechnology. The interdisciplinary interaction of diatoms and nanoparticles can develop future tools for nano-biorefinery. The present chapter sheds light on the need for process development for milking diatoms and the potential of available processes in this direction. © 2025 Scrivener Publishing LLC.