Past, current, and future research on microalga-derived biodiesel: a critical review and bibliometric analysis

Microalga-derived biodiesel plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of biodiesel in recent years. Literature related to microalga-derived biodiesel had an increasing trend with the expanding research outputs. Based on the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-Expanded) of the Web of Science, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to characterize the body of knowledge on microalga-derived biodiesel between 1993 and 2016. From the 30 most frequently used author keywords, the following research hotspots are extracted: lipid preparation from different microalga species, microalga-derived lipid and environmental applications, lipid-producing microalgae cultivation, microalgae growth reactor, and microalga harvest and lipid extraction. Other keywords, i.e., microalga mixotrophic cultivation, symbiotic system between microalga and other oleaginous yeast, microalga genetic engineering, and other applications of lipid-producing microalga are future focal points of research.Graphical abstract