Abstract:Alginic acid/alginate is a very important industrial raw material.Due to its advantages of nontoxicity，anti-oxidation and high biocompatibility，it is widely used in various fields.In recent years，the domestic alginic acid industry has developed rapidly，but there are still deficiencies in production and application，which need to be strengthened and improved.The principles，advantages and disadvantages of alginic acid，alginate extraction methods，including water extraction，enzymatic hydrolysis，chemical methods，and ultrasonic-assisted extraction were reviewed.The application situation of acid，alginate in the fields of medicine and daily chemical industry was introduced in order to provide references and suggestions for the production and application of alginic acid，alginate.