Biological Approaches to Carbon Sequestration and Bioenergy Production

Addressing the urgent challenge of climate change requires significant reductions in global greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies are vital in mitigating GHGs emissions. CCU revolves around the capture of carbon and transforming it into value-added products. There are various strategies to capture/sequester carbon and they can be physical, chemical or biological. Physical methods include carbon sequestration into oceans and soil and stored as geological formations. Chemical methods mainly include the storage of carbon in bicarbonate form. The major drawbacks of physical and chemical methods include risk to the environment and its expansiveness. Biological methods overcome these drawbacks. This review explores various biological carbon sequestration technologies specifically focused on biofuel production from plants, algae, and bacteria. This review also gives an insight into current technological advances in bioenergy production and upgrading.