Milking Diatoms for Sustainable Energy: Biochemical Engineering versus Gasoline-Secreting Diatom Solar Panels

Abstract

In the face of increasing CO 2 emissions from conventional energy (gasoline), and the anticipated scarcity of crude oil, a worldwide effort is underway for cost-effective renewable alternative energy sources. Here, we review a simple line of reasoning: (a) geologists claim that much crude oil comes from diatoms; (b) diatoms do indeed make oil; (c) agriculturists claim that diatoms could make 10-200 times as much oil per hectare as oil seeds; and (d) therefore, sustainable energy could be made from diatoms. In this communication, we propose ways of harvesting oil from diatoms, using biochemical engineering and also a new solar panel approach that utilizes genomically modifiable aspects of diatom biology, offering the prospect of "milking" diatoms for sustainable energy by altering them to actively secrete oil products. Secretion by and milking of diatoms may provide a way around the puzzle of how to make algae that both grow quickly and have a very high oil content.

Fatty acid production in genetically modified cyanobacteria

“…As Ramachandra et al said, "We do not harvest milk from cows by grinding them up and extracting the milk. Instead, we let them secrete the milk at their own pace, and selectively breed cattle and alter their environment to maximize the rate of milk secretion" (8).…”

Highly Efficient Transformation of the DiatomPhaeodactylum tricornutumby Multi-Pulse Electroporation

“…3,4) Both for basic biological research and for commercial exploitation of diatoms, an efficient genetic transformation system is very important. Transformation of ditoms has been reported for several diatom species, including pennate diatoms Phaeodactylum tricornutum, [5][6][7][8] Cylindrotheca fusiformis, 9,10) and Navicula saprophila, and centric diatoms Cyclothella cryptica, 11) Thalassiosira pseudonana, 12) and Chaetoceros sp.…”

A Framework to Report the Production of Renewable Diesel from Algae

“…4 The production of renewable diesel from algal oil that is secreted into the growth medium is a relatively new approach. *In this process, the algal culture often consists of genetically modified organisms [68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76] Fig . 3 The production of renewable diesel by thermochemical conversion of algal biomass contains several production steps, and many thermochemical conversion processes exist.…”