The energy sector faces significant challenges globally, including increasing air pollution, rising energy demands, and fluctuating crude oil prices. In response, researchers have turned their attention to third-generation biofuels derived from algae due to their numerous advantages over first (crop-based) and second-generation (petro crop-based) biofuels. Microalgae offer faster growth rates, shorter regeneration times, the potential to utilize waste lands for cultivation, and scalability. However, challenges such as maintaining biomass yield while increasing lipid synthesis persist. To address this challenge, researchers are employing metabolomic strategies to target the lipid production pathway in microalgae. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various metabolomic approaches, including gene editing techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9, RNA interference (RNAi), zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), aimed at enhancing lipid synthesis while maintaining biomass yield in microalgae. Additionally, the review discusses major challenges and the future potential of microalgal-based biofuels.

中文翻译：

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微藻生物柴油作为可持续的绿色能源替代品：代谢组学方法


能源行业在全球范围内面临着重大挑战，包括空气污染加剧、能源需求上升以及原油价格波动。为此，研究人员将注意力转向从藻类中提取的第三代生物燃料，因为它们比第一代（基于农作物）和第二代（基于石油作物）生物燃料具有众多优势。微藻具有更快的生长速度、更短的再生时间、利用荒地进行种植的潜力以及可扩展性。然而，在增加脂质合成的同时保持生物量产量等挑战仍然存在。为了应对这一挑战，研究人员正在采用代谢组学策略来针对微藻中的脂质生产途径。本综述全面概述了各种代谢组学方法，包括旨在增强脂质合成的基因编辑技术，如 CRISPR-Cas9、RNA 干扰 (RNAi)、锌指核酸酶 (ZFN) 和转录激活子样效应核酸酶 (TALEN)同时保持微藻的生物量产量。此外，该评论还讨论了基于微藻的生物燃料的主要挑战和未来潜力。