Biological constraints in algal biotechnology

Torzillo, Giuseppe; Pushparaj, Benjamin; Masojídek, Jiří; Vonshak, Avigad

doi:10.1007/bf02949277

Cited by 97 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…19 Growth of microalgae in WW has been studied under various physiochemical conditions such as light, temperature, pH, CO 2 concentration, and nutrients, but the use of WW for the production of algal-based biofuel has not been explored extensively yet. 20,21 Thus, the scope of this study was to identify an algal strain that efficiently remediates municipal WW and can be used for biofuel production. there seems little hope for the restoration of Delhi"s water body.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phycoremediation of municipal wastewater by microalgae to produce biofuel

Singh

Sharma

Farooqi

et al. 2017

International Journal of Phytoremediation

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Municipal wastewater (WW), if not properly remediated, poses a threat to the environment and human health by carrying significant loads of nutrients and pathogens. These contaminants pollute rivers, lakes and natural reservoirs where they cause eutrophication and pathogenmediated diseases. However, the high nutrient content of WW makes it an ideal environment for remediation with microalgae that require high nutrient concentrations for growth and are not susceptible to toxins and pathogens. Given that an appropriate algal strain is used for remediation, the incurred biomass can be refined for the production of biofuel. Four microalgal species (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella sp., Parachlorella kessleri-I and Nannochloropsis gaditana) were screened for efficient phycoremediation of municipal WW and potential use for biodiesel production. Among the four strains tested, P. kessleri-I showed the highest growth rate and biomass production in 100% WW. It efficiently removed all major nutrients with a removal rate of up to 98% for phosphate after ten days of growth in 100% ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 2 municipal WW collected from Delhi. The growth of P. kessleri-I in WW resulted in a 50% increase of biomass and a 115% increase of lipid content in comparison to growth in control media. The FAME and fuel properties of lipids isolated from cells grown in WW complied with international standards. The present study provides evidence that the green alga P. kessleri-I effectively remediates municipal WW and can be used to produce biodiesel.

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Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phycoremediation of municipal wastewater by microalgae to produce biofuel

Singh

Sharma

Farooqi

et al. 2017

International Journal of Phytoremediation

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“…, which is about 1/10 of the maximum light intensity outdoors in summer (Torzillo et al 2003). ) was found for PAR .…”

Section: Lightmentioning

confidence: 88%

High Density Outdoor Microalgal Culture

Doucha

Lívanský

2013

Algal Biorefineries

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Despite the common use of open raceway pond technology for algae production, the system has many serious drawbacks resulting in low productivities and relatively high production costs. The key to higher yields and a cheaper product rests with the lowering of culture volume by decreasing the thickness of the algal layer exposed to the light. The higher the culture surface-to-volume ratio (S/V), the higher the culture density and the lower the cost of handling and harvesting. Basic parameters (light, temperature, mixing, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nutrition) affecting algal productivity in thin-layer (TL) photobioreactor have been assessed. In a low volume of vigorously mixed culture, utilization of light energy and algal yields are increased. Production costs are reduced to about one fifth (20 %) compared to raceways ponds. Keywords

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“…Thus, at high algal cell concentrations, almost all the available light is absorbed by a thin top layer of cells, leaving the rest in the dark (mutual shading). However, most algae get light saturated at about 20% of solar light intensities (Goldman 1979;Toreillo et al 2003), hence, while the cells below the surface of the culture may be light limited, the cells in the top layer may face the opposite problems of light saturation and inhibition. The problem can be overcome by reducing the light path length of algae culture system to increase light penetration and increasing cell density to a point at which mutual shading minimizes the photoinhibition of algal cells.…”

Section: Environmental Conditions For Microalgae Biomass Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microalgae as second generation biofuel. A review

Singh¹,

Dhar²

2011

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

155

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Microalgae are autotrophic microorganisms having extremely high photosynthetic efficiency and are valued as rich source of lipids, hydrocarbons, and other complex oils for biodiesel besides being an invaluable source of bioethanol, biomethane, and biohydrogen. Biodiesel produced from oilseed crops such as jatropha and soy have lower yields per unit land area and threaten food security. Indeed, microalgae have higher oil yields amounting to about 40 times more oil per unit area of land in comparison to terrestrial oilseed crops such as soy and canola. Further, microalgae production does not require arable land for cultivation. Biofuel is regarded as a proven clean energy source and several entrepreneurs are attempting to commercialize this renewable source. Technology for producing and using biofuel has been known for several years and is frequently modified and upgraded. In view of this, a review is presented on microalgae as second generation biofuel. Microalgal farming for biomass production is the biggest challenge and opportunity for the biofuel industry. These are considered to be more efficient in converting solar energy into chemical energy and are amongst the most efficient photosynthetic plants on earth. Microalgae have simple cellular structure, a lipid-rich composition, and a rapid rate of reproduction. Many microalgal strains can be grown in saltwater and other harsh conditions. Some autotrophic microalgae can also be converted to heterotrophic ones to accumulate high quality oils using organic carbon. However, there are several technical challenges that need to be addressed to make microalgal biofuel profitable. The efficiency of microalgal biomass production is highly influenced by environmental conditions, e.g., light of proper intensity and wavelength, temperature, CO 2 concentration, nutrient composition, salinities and mixing conditions, and by the choice of cultivation systems: open versus closed pond systems, photobioreactors. Currently, microalgae for commercial purpose are grown mostly in open circular/elongated "raceway" ponds which generally have low yields and high production costs. However, a hybrid system combining closed photobioreactor and open pond is a better option. The biggest hurdle in commercialization of microalgal biofuel is the high cost and energy requirement for the microalgal biomass production, particularly agitation, harvesting, and drying of biomass. In order to conserve energy and reduce costs, algae are often harvested in a two-step process involving flocculation followed by centrifugation, filtration, or micro-straining to get a solid concentration. However, the major bottlenecks in algal biodiesel production within the cell can be identified and handled by adopting a system approach involving transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Research and developments in the field of new materials and advanced designs for cultivation in closed bioreactors, use of waste water for biomass production, screening of efficient strains, high-value coproduct strategy,...

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Biological constraints in algal biotechnology

Cited by 97 publications

References 47 publications

Phycoremediation of municipal wastewater by microalgae to produce biofuel

Phycoremediation of municipal wastewater by microalgae to produce biofuel

High Density Outdoor Microalgal Culture

Microalgae as second generation biofuel. A review

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