Application of IoT-Based Intelligent Systems in Microalgae Biofuel Production

The transition to the production of sustainable and green energy, such as algal biofuels, has required the prioritization of scaling technologies to improve the overall technological economy of the process. The world today is facing many challenges, such as climate and global change, where we are facing the needs of people who are related to energy and raw materials, and at the same time, we need to keep a more secure border for our world. The focus is now on developing and adopting digitization and automation technologies in the algae sector to meet the desired production scale and optimize operating parameters. It was also discussed how future technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) application to automation and smart agriculture, can significantly improve commercial algal production. Biomanufacturing is advancing in parallel with the fourth industrial revolution that focuses on the production of big data using smart software, artificial intelligence, innovative modeling, robotics, three-dimensional (3D) printing and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, microalgae culture, which requires accurate monitoring, control, and prediction of microalgae biomass growth, has not yet been integrated into IoT and AI technology as it is still in its infancy. This work focuses on the microalgae-based biofuel production process and IoT implementation toward the future of smart agriculture.