Microalgae are considered to be the future promising sources of biofuels and bio products. The algal carbohydrates can be fermented to bioethanol after pretreatment process. Efficient pretreatment of the biomass is one of the major requirements for commercialization of the algal based biofuels. In present study the microalga, M. aeruginsa was used for pretreatment optimization and bioethanol production. Treatment of algal biomass with CaO before acid and/or enzymatic hydrolysis enhanced the degradation of algal cells. Monomeric sugars yield was increased more than twice when biomass was pretreated with CaO. Similarly, an increase was noted in the amount of fermentable sugars when biomass was subjected to invertase saccharification after acid or lysozyme pretreatment. Highest yield of fermentable sugars (16 mM/ml) in the centrifuged algal juice was obtained. 4 Different microorganisms’ species were used individually and in combination for converting centrifuged algal juice to bioethanol. Comparatively higher yield of bioethanol (60 mM/ml) was obtained when the fermenter microorganisms were used in combination. The results demonstrated that M. arginase biomass can be efficiently pretreated to get higher yield of fermentable sugars for enhanced yield of bioethanol production.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13568-016-0320-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Microcystis aeruginosa, a freshwater microalga, is capable of producing and accumulating different types of sugars in its biomass which make it a good feedstock for bioethanol production. Present study aims to investigate the effect of different factors increasing growth rate and carbohydrates productivity of M. aeruginosa. MF media (modified BG11 media) and additional ingredients such as aminolevulinic acid (2 mM), lysine (2.28 mM), alanine (1 mM), and Naphthalene acetic acid (1 mM) as cytokine promoted M. aeruginosa growth and sugar contents. Salmonella showed growth-assisting effect on M. aeruginosa. Enhanced growth rate and carbohydrates contents were observed in M. aeruginosa culture grown at 25°C under red LED light of 90 μmolm−2s−1 intensity. More greenish and carbohydrates rich M. aeruginosa biomass was prepared (final OD660 nm = 2.21 and sugar contents 10.39 mM/mL) as compared to control (maximum OD660 nm = 1.4 and sugar contents 3 mM/mL). The final algae biomass was converted to algae juice through a specific pretreatment method. The resulted algae Juice was used as a substrate in fermentation process. Highest yield of bioethanol (50 mM/mL) was detected when Brettanomyces custersainus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Pichia stipitis were used in combinations for fermentation process as compared to their individual fermentation. The results indicated the influence of different factors on the growth rate and carbohydrates productivity of M. aeruginosa and its feasibility as a feedstock for fermentative ethanol production.

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Bacteria are among the most common causes of severe diseases in both plants and animals. Salmonella spp. has deleterious effects and is the cause of various transmittable diseases. Because of strains resistivity, side effects and high prices of synthetic antibiotics, it has become essential to explore safe and economical natural sources of antibiotics. In this study, growth inhibitory effects of natural antibiotics present in crude extracts of Galla rhois, Thujae semen, Paeonia japonica, and Armeniacae semen were investigated both in vivo and iv vitro. Ethanol extracts of the above-mentioned plants were prepared and tested against seven serovars of Salmonella and Escherichia coli by disc diffusion method. In addition, the antibacterial effects of the plant extracts were determined in vivo using ducks as model animals. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed using blood and fecal samples of control, infected, and treated groups of the ducks to determine the gene expression levels of the bacteria. Our results confirmed that the Galla rhois ethanol extract had the highest antibacterial activity among the plant extracts when they were used individually. However, the Galla rhois, Thujae semen, and P. japonica ethanol extracts showed stronger antibacterial effects against all the bacterial species used when the extracts were combined at a ratio of 3:3:2, respectively.