Global Progress in Microalgae Harvesting Technologies: A Bibliometric Assessment of Efficiency, Costs, and Bioproduct Potential

Research into microalgae as a feedstock for bioproducts is rising due to its advantages over traditional feedstocks. This paper reviews global scientific literature from the last decade, covering 370 papers on microalgae harvesting. Through rigorous bibliometric analysis of Scopus data, we track the technological evolution and emerging trends, examining co-authorship, co-occurrence or bibliographic coupling between keywords, countries, journals, and institutions. Our findings transcend quantitative data, providing a critical evaluation of separation techniques such as membrane filtration, dissolved air flotation, and bio-flocculation. The study highlights that combined harvesting methods are crucial for overcoming economic barriers, potentially reducing the energy burden that currently accounts for up to 50% of production costs. Furthermore, we identify a growing trend in integrating harvesting with wastewater treatment, pointing towards a circular economy. This work provides a roadmap for future research, focusing on scalability and the impact of harvesting on biomass quality for biofuels and high-value bioproducts.