Optimization of growth operational conditions for CO2 biofixation by native Synechocystis sp.

BACKGROUND: A fundamental step in assessing the viability of a CO₂ biofixation system based on microalgae is to identify the maximum CO₂ biofixation yield that can be achieved for this microorganism when it is cultivated under optimum operational growth conditions. Response surface methodology was applied to determine optimum culture conditions for CO₂ biofixation by a recently isolated freshwater cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. The strain was cultivated in a 1 L bubble column photobioreactor, in semicontinuous mode. RESULTS: Statistical analysis showed that temperature (from 22 to 39 °C), pH (from 7.2 to 8.8) and light intensity (from 928 to 2272 µE m^?2 s^?1), in addition to some of their interactions, had a significant effect on CO₂ biofixation. An optimum CO₂ biofixation rate of 2.07 gCO₂ L^?1culture day^?1 was found within the experimental region, at an average light intensity 686 µE m^?2 s^?1, pH 7.2 and temperature 35.3 °C. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, it is concluded that Synechocystis sp. presents a good tolerance to both high temperature and light intensity, characteristics which facilitate its application in outdoor CO₂ biofixation systems. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Optimization of CO2 Biofixation by Chlorella vulgaris Using a Tubular Photobioreactor

The effects of various CO₂ concentrations in CO₂ bioconversion by cultivation of microalga Chlorella vulgaris were investigated using a vertical tubular photobioreactor. The response surface technique with central composite design was applied to model the CO₂ biofixation rate, the specific growth rate (SGR), and the biomass productivity of C. vulgaris as function of CO₂ concentration and cultivation time. The developed nonlinear model was employed to determine the optimum CO₂ concentration in an air‐CO₂ mixture and the cultivation time for maximum CO₂ biofixation, SGR, and microalgae biomass productivity. In addition, a multiple responses optimization method was also applied to determine the maximum CO₂ uptake rate, the SGR, and the biomass productivity, simultaneously. The predicted optimum values agreed well with the experimental data.     

Growth kinetics and lipid production using Chlorella vulgaris in a circulating loop photobioreactor

BACKGROUND: Compared with agriculture, microalgae culture promises to be a novel way of producing lipids for both food consumption and transportation fuel (biodiesel) purposes while using a minimal amount of land area. A circulating loop photobioreactor has been used to study the growth kinetics and lipid yield of Chlorella vulgaris growing on carbon dioxide as the sole source of carbon. RESULTS: Because of high photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) fluxes, C. vulgaris was observed to grow in exponential mode. The highest growth rate achieved was 0.049 h^?1 at the optimum growth conditions of 71.8 mW L^?1 PAR density, 10% CO₂ (v/v) in air and with an applied 8 h dark phase. The microalgae was observed to grow in a Monod fashion with a PAR density saturation coefficient of 2.8 mW L^?1. Light intensity showed the potential to significantly increase lipid yield, which reached a maximum of 30% (by mass) of cell dry weight. CONCLUSION: The circulating loop photobioreactor is a low‐cost bioreactor technology capable of culturing photosynthetic microalgae at high PAR densities and with uniform mixing and lighting. C. vulgaris is able to grow exponentially in this bioreactor and produce lipids at concentrations up to 30% by cell dry weight. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of cultivation mode on microalgal growth and CO2 fixation

The biofixation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) by marine microalgae cultivation has been regarded as one of the potential to diminish the greenhouse effect and produce the biomass. To compare and select the high efficiency cultivation mode, the effect of two different cultivation modes on the performances of growth and CO₂ biofixation from air for energy marine microalgae Chlorella sp. was determined in this work. In one mode the microalga was cultivated using static (open) method and in the other mode it was cultivated using aerated (closed) method. It was found that, under the experimental conditions, the specific growth rate and CO₂ fixation rate of the aerated (closed) cultivation were 0.5121 (d⁻¹) and 1.3784 g CO₂/l d, and are 1.78 and 5.39 times that of the static (open) cultivation, respectively. In addition, the effects of pH value and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of the culture medium were analyzed and compared in two cultivation modes. The result indicates the aerated (closed) mode can effectively enhance the performance on microalgal growth and CO₂ biofixation.     

Multiobjective optimization of microalgae (Chlorella sp.) growth in a photobioreactor using Box‐Behnken design approach

This study investigates a parameter optimization approach to maximize the specific growth rate of the Chlorella vulgaris microalgae species, its biomass productivity, and CO₂ capture rate. For this purpose, the Box‐Behnken experimental design technique is applied with temperature, nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, and light‐dark cycle per day, as the growth controlling parameters. For each response, a quadratic model is developed separately describing the algal specific growth rate, biomass productivity, and CO₂ capture rate, respectively. The maximum specific growth rate of 0.84 d^?1 is obtained at 25 °C, with a nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 3.4:1, and light‐dark cycles of 24/0 h. Maximum biomass productivity of 147.3 mg L^?1 d^?1 is found at 30 °C, with a nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 3:1, and light‐dark cycles of 12/12 h. In addition, the maximum CO₂ capture rate of 159.5 mg L^?1 d^?1 is also obtained at 30 °C, with a nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 4:1, and light‐dark cycles of 23/1 h. Finally, a multi‐response optimization method is applied to maximize the specific growth rate, biomass productivity, and CO₂ capture rate, simultaneously. The optimal set of 30 °C, a nitrogen to phosphorus ratio 3:1, and light‐dark cycles 16/8 h, provide the maximum specific growth rate of 0.66 per day, biomass productivity of 147.6 mg L^?1 d^?1, and CO₂ capture rate of 141.7 mg L^?1 d^?1.

     

Development of gas recycling photobioreactor system for microalgal carbon dioxide fixation

A gas recycling photobioreactor was developed to achieve high CO₂ conversion, in whichChlorella vulgaris was cultivated under various light intensities. The light intensity affected the algal growth and the CO₂ concentration in the exit gas. However, the final cell density was independent of light intensity and was limited by nitrate concentration in the medium. In the linear growth phase, the CO₂ concentration in the exit gas ranged 4.6 to 6.0 % (v/v) when 20 % (v/v) CO₂ balanced with 80 % (v/v) N₂ was introduced into the photobioreactor. The gas recycling photobioreactor developed in this work was claimed to be a useful system for microalgal CO₂ fixation.     

Enhancement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorella vulgaris</Emphasis> cell density: Shake flask and bench-top photobioreactor studies to identify and control limiting factors

Low cell density is a major bottleneck in any microalgal bioprocess that prevents the large scale exploitation of this potential bioresource from commercialization of commodities like biofuels. Control of factors limiting growth is the key to enhancing cell density. Factors limiting photoautotrophic growth of C. vulgaris were identified and controlled to a possible extent. Limiting CO₂-transfer rate, light attenuation, scarcity of nutrients, and high pH compounded to retard growth gradually in the basal medium. Analysis of the maximum feasible CO₂ mass-transfer rate and CO₂ fixation rates enabled the assessment of CO₂-limited growth without on-line estimation of dissolved CO₂. Growth (1.4×10⁸ cells mL^?1, 12.6 g dry wt L^?1) was extensively enhanced when limiting factors were staved in a customized 250mL stirred-tank photobioreactor. Scaling the culture 8 times with constant k _L a (volumetric mass-transfer coefficient) and Re _i (impeller Reynolds number) resulted in reduction of biomass titer by 80% because of light attenuation.     

Identification of naturally isolated Southern Louisiana's algal strains and the effect of higher CO2 content on fatty acid profiles for biodiesel production

BACKGROUND: Microalgae, with both high biomass productivity and oil content, are regarded as attractive candidates for the production of alternative biodiesel as well as for CO₂ biofixation. In the present study, four microalgal strains native to southeastern Louisiana's waters were isolated and identified to evaluate their potential for the production of biodiesel. Selected strains were identified through genomic DNA in sequencing of either 16S rRNA or 18S rRNA genes followed by lipid and fatty acid content characterization and quantification. RESULTS: High correlation was found with known nucleotide sequence identities at 98% with Sellaphora pupula, and 99% with Synechococcus sp., Chlorella sorokiniana, Scenedesmus abundans, and Chlorella vulgaris (control). The fatty acid profiles of these organisms changed when using 5% CO₂ aeration. Total fatty acids (TFA) decreased from 20.63 to 17.62, 54.83 to 24.4, and 29.82 to 23.99 g kg^?1 in Synechococcus sp., Sellaphora pupula and Chlorella sorokiniana, respectively. TFA increased from 14.14 to 31.49 and 15.14 to 47.52 g kg^?1 dry biomass in Scenedesmus abundans and Chlorella vulgaris (control), respectively. CONCLUSION: Chlorella sorokiniana, with a lower C18:3 and the highest biomass yield at 5% CO₂ aeration, was found to be the best candidate for biodiesel production. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

A tubular bioreactor for photosynthetic production of biomass from carbon dioxide: Design and performance

A theory of photobioreactor design is developed. A photobioreactor was constructed in the form of a loop made from 52 m of glass tubing of 1 cm bore; the loop covered about 0.5 m². The culture was illuminated with mercury halide lamps to reproduce sunlight. Computer control was used to maintain constant biomass concentration. The influence of radiation on the reactor temperature is quantitatively predicted. An air lift system was preferred to a liquid pump for culture recycle. The energy required for culture recycle in the loop with Reynolds number 2000 was 0.6 W m^?2. The CO₂ gas/liquid transfer rate achieved was sufficient to meet the maximum possible demand with solar irradiation. The O₂ gas/liquid transfer rate was sufficient to meet the maximum respiration demand at night. The maximum algal biomass concentration achieved exceeded 20 g dry weight litre^?1. A biomass concentration of 8 g dry weight litre^?1 was found to be convenient for normal operation. The maximum uptake of light in the available wavelength range (400–700 nm) was 38 W m^?2, this corresponds to utilisation of solar irradiation up to 89 W m^?2. Below the maximum light uptake rate the efficiency of storage of light energy in the biomass corresponded to 16.6% of solar energy.     

Optimization of Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Chlorella vulgaris Cultivated in a Membrane‐Photobioreactor

In this paper, an enclosed membrane‐photobioreactor was designed to remove CO₂ using Chlorella vulgaris. The performances of four reactors, which included the presented novel bioreactor, a draft tube airlift photobioreactor, a bubble column and a membrane contactor, were compared. The effects of the gas flow rate, light intensity, quality of the inner light source, and the characteristics of membrane module on CO₂ fixation were investigated. The results showed that the rate of CO₂ fixation in the membrane‐photobioreactor was 0.95–5.40 times higher than that in the other three conventional reactors under the optimal operating conditions     

Degradation of Pentachlorophenol by Microalgae

A microalga (VT-1) was isolated from pentachlorophenol (PCP) treated water. Its growth and PCP tolerance was compared with two known strains of Chlorella and it was found to be more tolerant with an IC₅₀ (24–25 mg dm⁻³) value twice that of C. vulgaris. The ability of VT-1 to degrade PCP was tested using uniformly labelled PCP, and ¹⁴CO₂ was released, indicating mineralisation. ¹⁴CO₂ was not released in the presence of the other microalgae and only occurred in the light. Release was also stimulated by the presence of glucose in the light. © 1997 SCI.     

Biodiesel production from Stichococcus strains at laboratory scale

BACKGROUND: This paper reports the results of an experimental campaign of autotrophic cultures of Stichococcus strains aiming at selecting the most promising strain for biofuel production. The strain selected—S. bacillaris 158/11—was cultivated in 1 L lab‐scale bubble column photobioreactors under fed‐batch and semi‐continuous conditions. A Bold basal medium supplemented with NaNO₃ as nitrogen source was adopted. Tests were carried out at 23 °C, 140 µE m^?2 s^?1, and air flow rate ranging between 0.4 and 4 vvm. Cultures were characterized in terms of pH, concentration of total nitrogen, total organic carbon, total inorganic carbon, biomass, lipid fraction and methyl‐ester distribution of transesterified lipids. RESULTS: S. bacillaris 158/11 proved to be the best strain to produce biodiesel. Methyl‐ester distribution was characterized by a large fraction of methyl palmitate, methyl linolenate, methyl linoleate, and methyl oleate along with phytol. The process photosynthetic efficiency—fraction of available light stored as chemical energy ‐ was about 1.5%. Specific biomass productivity was ～60 mg_DM L^?1 day^?1 under the semi‐continuous conditions tested. Total lipid productivity was 14 mg L^?1 day^?1 at a dilution rate of 0.050 L day^?1. CONCLUSION: S. bacillaris 158/11 is a potential strain for massive microalgae cultures for biofuel production. Higher biomass/total‐lipid productivity could be obtained in sunlight. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of light quality on the accumulation of oil in a mixed culture of Chlorella sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND: Chlorella strains rather than terrestrial oil crops having higher oil content and shorter generation time have been considered as promising candidates for alternative biodiesel. Since the influence of light quality on oil formation of microalgae in either monoculture or mixed culture has been shown to be either inconsistent or ambiguous, a light‐emitting diode (LED) photo‐bioreactor with different light sources and intensities was used in this study to investigate a cost‐effective lipid production process. RESULTS: The oil accumulation in a mixed culture of Chlorella sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was higher than that in the monoculture under the different light sources used. Results of the influence of light quality on the mixed culture indicated that the optimal light wavelength and intensity for biomass formation was red LED light at 1000 lux, whereas the optimum for oil formation was blue LED light at 1000 lux. A novel two‐stage LED photo‐bioreactor was thus proposed and the highest P_max and productivity in this study were obtained as 261 mg L^?1 and 8.16 mg L^?1 h^?1, respectively. CONCLUSION: A novel two‐stage LED photo‐bioreactor using a mixed culture to optimize microalgal oil production was proposed and successfully demonstrated in this study. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Pyrolysis of microalgae biomass over carbonate catalysts

Microalgae are seen as potential biomass to be used in a biorefinery concept. Several technologies can be used to convert microalgal biomass, but pyrolysis is viewed as a unique pathway to obtain valuable chemicals distributed in three phases: liquid (bio-oil), gas (bio-gas) and solid (bio-char). The liquid phase, bio-oil, usually presents higher heating value than raw biomass, but acidity and oxygen content are major drawbacks. In situ catalyzed pyrolysis can help to decrease the oxygen content and acidity of pyrolytic bio-oils. Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus were pyrolyzed in a fixed-bed reactor using commercial carbonate catalysts (Li₂CO₃, Na₂CO₃, K₂CO₃, MgCO₃, SrCO₃ and MnCO₃). The catalysis pyrolysis temperature (375 °C) was selected from thermal degradation profiles obtained using thermogravimetry under nitrogen flow and corresponds to the maximum degradation rate for both microalgae. In spite of similar volatile and fixed carbon contents, microalgae performed differentially during pyrolysis mainly due to the different contents of carbohydrates, oils and proteins. Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus showed bio-oil yield in the range 26–38 and 28–50 wt%, respectively. Only sodium carbonate was able to decrease the bio-char yield, confirming that carbonate catalysts prompt simultaneously gasification and carbonization reactions. Fourier transform infrared spectra of produced bio-oils showed a net decrease of acidity, associated with carbonyl species when carbonate catalysts were used. Bio-char morphology, for both microalgae, showed evidence of melting and resolidification of cell structures, which might be due to the lower melting points of the pyrolysis products obtained from proteins and lipids. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Algal Cultivation Using Wastewater Nutrients

Chlorella vulgaris was cultivated in wastewater discharged from a steel-making plant with the aim of developing an economically feasible system to remove ammonia from wastewater and CO₂ from flue gas simultaneously. Since no phosphorus compounds existed in wastewater, external phosphate (15·3–46·0 g m⁻³) was added to the wastewater. After adaptation to 5% (v/v) CO₂, the growth of C. vulgaris was significantly improved at a typical concentration of CO₂ in flue gas of 15% (v/v). Growth of C. vulgaris in raw wastewater was better than that in wastewater buffered with HEPES at 15% (v/v) CO₂. CO₂ fixation and ammonia removal rates were estimated as 26·0 g CO₂ m⁻³ h⁻¹ and 0·92 g NH₃ m⁻³ h⁻¹, respectively, when the alga was cultivated in wastewater supplemented with 46·0 g PO₄³ m⁻³ without pH control at 15% (v/v) CO₂. © 1997 SCI.     

Optimization of Chlorella vulgaris cultivation grown in waste molasses syrup using mixture design

The aim of this study was to determine and optimize culture media for Chlorella vulgaris microalgae under mixotrophic conditions using waste molasses as a cheap carbon source containing both organic carbons and other nutrients. In the current study, at first the growth and lipid productivity of C. vulgaris were assessed in different culture media and the best media was selected for mixotrophic growth conditions. Significant medium ingredients were screened through Plackett–Burman design. Then ingredients with positive effect were considered as a mixture component and their combinations were evaluated on lipid productivity using mixture design. According to results, Zarrouk medium was considered as the base medium with the highest biomass and lipid productivity of 72 and 7.1 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹, respectively. Based on the Plackett–Burman design, out of 11 factors, molasses, NaNO₃ and K₂HPO₄ demonstrated key roles in biomass and lipid productivity in mixotrophic conditions. Consequently, the selected three factors were investigated by mixture design. The results showed that high concentration of molasses causes decrease in biomass and lipid productivity due to high turbidity and a blend consisting of approximately 9.5 g L⁻¹ molasses, 5 g L⁻¹ NaNO₃ and 0.15 g L⁻¹ K₂HPO₄ was found as the optimum mixture with obtained lipid productivity of 115 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹. In conclusion, waste molasses can be used as a promising feedstock for cost effective cultivation of C. vulgaris.     

Supercritical CO2 extraction of pigment components with pharmaceutical importance from Chlorella vulgaris

BACKGROUND: Chlorella vulgaris is a green microalgae that contains various pigment components of carotenoids and chlorophylls. Supercritical CO₂ is widely used for extraction of pharmaceutical compounds because it is non‐oxic and easily separated from extracted material by simply depressurizing. In this work, pharmaceutical compounds from Chlorella vulgaris have been extracted using supercritical CO₂ with or without entrainer at various extraction conditions. RESULTS: Based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the extracts contained pigment components, such as lutein, β‐carotene, chlorophyll a and b. Higher extraction pressure and temperature promoted higher lutein extraction by supercritical CO₂. The optimum pressure and temperature for extraction were obtained as 50 MPa and 80 °C. Ethanol as an entrainer was more effective than acetone for the extraction of pigment components. Pigment components in the extract obtained by supercritical CO₂ with and without entrainer were compared with the extract obtained by a conventional extraction method. CONCLUSION: Supercritical CO₂ has been successfully applied for the extraction of pigment components from Chlorella vulgaris. Supercritical CO₂ enabled high selectivity for lutein extraction; however, the lutein yield was lower than that obtained by extraction using supercritical CO₂ with ethanol and soxhlet. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Cultivation of spirulina maxima in an annular photochemical reactor

An 8-L annular photochemical reactor has been designed and built for the cultivation of micro- or semi-microalgae at the laboratory scale. It may be operated in batch or continuous mode and is controlled for pH, temperature, gas mixture ratio (CO₂ and air), flow rate, light intensity and also illumination type (daylight or plant growth light) and mode (continuous or intermittent). It behaves as a perfect mixed reactor for all concentrations of algal cells. The reactor was used for the cultivation of the blue-green alga Spirulina maxima in a synthetic medium in both batch and continuous operations. At the dilution rate of 0.24 day^?1, the optimal productivity was 0.91 g/L-day for biomass or 0.55 g/L-day for protein. This is equivalent to 14.5 g/m²-day for biomass or 8.7 g/m²-day for protein. The optimal productivity as well as the chemical composition of the algal biomass were comparable to results obtained from pilot plant studies and reported in the current literature.     

Application of the Stover–Kincannon kinetic model to nitrogen removal by Chlorella vulgaris in a continuously operated immobilized photobioreactor system

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ammonium nitrogen removal performance of algae culture Chlorella vulgaris in a novel immobilized photobioreactor system under different operating conditions and to determine the biokinetic coefficients using the Stover–Kincannon model. RESULTS: The photobioreactor was continuously operated at different initial ammonium nitrogen concentrations (NH₄‐N₀ = 10–48 mg L⁻¹), hydraulic retention times (HRT = 1.7–5.5 days) and nitrogen/phosphorus ratios (N/P = 4/1–13/1). Effluent NH₄‐N concentrations varied between 2.1 ± 0.5 mg L⁻¹ and 26 ± 1.2 mg L⁻¹ with increasing initial NH₄‐N concentrations from 10 ± 0.6 mg L⁻¹ to 48 ± 1.8 mg L⁻¹ at θ_H = 2.7 days. The maximum removal efficiency was obtained as 79 ± 4.5% at 10 mg L⁻¹ NH₄‐N concentration. Operating the system for longer HRT improved the effluent quality, and the percentage removal increased from 35 ± 2.4% to 93 ± 0.2% for 20 mg L⁻¹ initial NH₄‐N concentration. The N/P ratio had a substantial effect on removal and the optimum ratio was determined as N/P = 8/1. Saturation value constant, and maximum substrate utilization rate constant of the Stover–Kincannon model for ammonium nitrogen removal by C. vulgaris were determined as K_B = 10.3 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹, U_max = 13.0 mg L⁻¹ day⁻¹, respectively. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that the algae‐immobilized photobioreactor system had an effective nitrogen removal capacity when the operating conditions were optimized. The optimal conditions for the immobilized photobioreactor system used in this study can be summarized as HRT = 5.5 days, N/P = 8 and NH₄‐N₀ = 20 mg L⁻¹ initial nitrogen concentration to obtain removal efficiency greater than 90%. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

The photosynthetic efficiency of Chlorella biomass growth with reference to solar energy utilisation

The photosynthetic efficiency (PE) of a growing algal culture was determined from the growth yield (Y), that is, biomass produced/light absorbed and the calorific value of the biomass (k); PE = kY. To obtain the maximum photosynthetic efficiency the algae were grown in light-limited chemostat cultures in urea-mineral salts media plus CO₂ and steady-states were obtained at different specific growth rates. With a given light input the biomass output rate was independent of the specific growth rate up to at least 70% of the maximum specific growth rate. The photosynthetic efficiency was independent of the incident light intensity over the range studied, 5.3–21.3 W m^?2. The light source had a spectral range of 400–700 nm and its mean wavelength was assumed to be 575 nm. The values of the maximum growth yields (YG , g dry weight kJ^?1) were 0.0153 for the Sorokin Chlorella strain 211/8k and 0.0206 for a newly selected mixed culture MA003 which consisted of an alga and three species of heterotrophic bacteria. The maintenance energy (m) of the mixed culture MA003 was in the range 0–0.32 kJ g^?1 dry weight h^?1 and the specific maintenance rate (mYG ) was in the range 0–0.0066 h^?1. In Chlorella strain 211/8k the maximum PE was 34.7% which corresponds to a quantum demand (n) of 6.6 per O₂ molecule evolved. In the mixed culture MA003 the maximum PE was 46.8% with 95% confidence limits, 42.7–51.5. This PE value corresponds to a quantum demand (n) of 4.8 per O₂ molecule evolved. These results call in question the current model of photosynthesis which predicts that the maximum PE with absorbed light of mean wavelength 575 nm should not exceed 29% and the minimum quantum demand, n = 8. From our results with culture MA003 it is deduced that the maximum practicable storage of total solar energy by algal biomass growth in vitro is 18%.