Microalgae have been used commercially since the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in the Far East for human health foods and in the United States for wastewater treatment. Initial attempts to produce bulk chemicals such as biofuels from microalgae were not successful, despite commercially favorable conditions during the 1970s oil crisis. However, research initiatives at this time, many using extremophilic microalgae and cyanobacteria (e.g., Dunaliella and Spirulina), did solve many problems and clearly identified biomass productivity and harvesting as the two main constraints stopping microalgae producing bulk chemicals, such as biofuels, on a large scale. In response to the growing unease around global warming, induced by anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, microalgae were again suggested as a carbon neutral process to produce biofuels. This recent phase of microalgae biofuels research can be thought to have started around 2007, when a very highly cited review by Chisti was published. Since 2007, a large body of scientific publications have appeared on all aspects of microalgae biotechnology, but with a clear emphasis on neutral lipid (triacylglycerol) synthesis and the use of neutral lipids as precursors for biodiesel production. In this review, the key research on microalgal biotechnology that took place prior to 2007 will be summarized and then the research trends post 2007 will be examined emphasizing the research into producing biodiesel from microalgae.

自1950年代和1960年代以来，微藻已在商业上使用，特别是在远东用作人类健康食品，在美国则用于废水处理。尽管在1970年代石油危机期间商业条件有利，但最初尝试从微藻类生产诸如生物燃料之类的散装化学品的工作并未取得成功。但是，目前的研究计划很多都使用了极端的微藻和蓝细菌（例如杜氏藻和螺旋藻），确实解决了许多问题，并清楚地确定了生物质生产率和收成，这是阻止微藻产生大量化学物质（例如生物燃料）的两个主要限制因素。规模大。对人为CO ₂引起的全球变暖周围日益增加的不安再次建议将微藻排放作为碳中和过程来生产生物燃料。微藻生物燃料研究的这一最新阶段可以被认为始于2007年左右，当时Chisti发表了一篇被高度评价的评论。自2007年以来，有关微藻生物技术各个方面的大量科学出版物出现了，但明确强调了中性脂质（三酰基甘油）的合成以及中性脂质作为生物柴油生产前体的用途。在这篇综述中，将总结在2007年之前进行的微藻生物技术的关键研究，然后将考察2007年以后的研究趋势，重点是从微藻生产生物柴油的研究。