Microalgae biofuel potentials (review)

With the decrease of fossil based fuels and the environmental impact of them over the planet, it seems necessary to seek the sustainable sources of clean energy. Biofuels, is becoming a worldwide leader in the development of renewable energy resources. It is worthwhile to say that algal biofuel production is thought to help stabilize the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and decrease global warming impacts. Also, among algal fuels' attractive characteristics, algal biodiesel is non toxic, with no sulfur, highly biodegradable and relatively harmless to the environment if spilled. Algae are capable of producing in excess of 30 times more oil per acre than corn and soybean crops. Currently, algal biofuel production has not been commercialized due to high costs associated with production, harvesting and oil extraction but the technology is progressing. Extensive research was conducted to determine the utilization of microalgae as an energy source and make algae oil production commercially viable.     

Microalgae as source of biofuel,food, fodder,and medicines

Current status and future prospects of such problem as the production of microalgae and their application for biofuel generation (biodiesel, biohydrogen, bioethanol), as well as other products, is discussed in the review. The use of microalgae in human food, fodder, cosmetics, dyes, polysaccharides, antioxidants, medicines, and other products is quite promising. Presently, microalgae are noncompetitive with plant materials, due to economic reasons, in serving as a source of biofuel. Thereby, it is urgently necessary in modern biotechnology to improve the methods for the production of microalgae and search for new ways of their processing.     

Critical Review of Microalgae LCA Studies for Bioenergy Production

The cultivation of microalgae gained high attention within the last years because of their potential to substitute conventional bioenergy crops. To evaluate algal bioenergy production pathways already at an early stage, several life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have been performed, but their results and conclusions vary drastically. Against this background, this review gives a comparative analysis of 16 recent studies. To allow for a comparison, a meta-approach served to uniform the considered systems. System boundaries have been equalized and the energy return on investment (EROI) has been calculated for each study. Depending on the assumptions made on biomass productivity, lipid content, required energy, and the output of the system, the energetic performance was assessed. Large variations from 0.01 to 3.35 for the EROI could be derived.     

Identification Problems and Cryptic Diversity of Chlorella-Clade Microalgae (Chlorophyta)

Microbiology - The article considers the system of the Chlorella-clade based on morphological, ecological, and molecular genetic data. Diagnostic characteristics of some genera and species are...     

Microalgae: a green source of renewable H(2)

This article summarizes recent advances in the field of algal hydrogen production. Two fundamental approaches are being developed. One involves the temporal separation of the usually incompatible reactions of O₂ and H₂ production in green algae, and the second involves the use of classical genetics to increase the O₂ tolerance of the reversible hydrogenase enzyme. The economic and environmental impact of a renewable source of H₂ are also discussed.     

Lipid metabolism and potentials of biofuel and high added-value oil production in red algae

Biomass production is currently explored in microalgae, macroalgae and land plants. Microalgal biofuel development has been performed mostly in green algae. In the Japanese tradition, macrophytic red algae such as Pyropia yezoensis and Gelidium crinale have been utilized as food and industrial materials. Researches on the utilization of unicellular red microalgae such as Cyanidioschyzon merolae and Porphyridium purpureum started only quite recently. Red algae have relatively large plastid genomes harboring more than 200 protein-coding genes that support the biosynthetic capacity of the plastid. Engineering the plastid genome is a unique potential of red microalgae. In addition, large-scale growth facilities of P. purpureum have been developed for industrial production of biofuels. C. merolae has been studied as a model alga for cell and molecular biological analyses with its completely determined genomes and transformation techniques. Its acidic and warm habitat makes it easy to grow this alga axenically in large scales. Its potential as a biofuel producer is recently documented under nitrogen-limited conditions. Metabolic pathways of the accumulation of starch and triacylglycerol and the enzymes involved therein are being elucidated. Engineering these regulatory mechanisms will open a possibility of exploiting the full capability of production of biofuel and high added-value oil. In the present review, we will describe the characteristics and potential of these algae as biotechnological seeds.     

Microwave pyrolysis of distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) for biofuel production

Microwave pyrolysis of distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) was investigated to determine the effects of pyrolytic conditions on the yields of bio-oil, syngas, and biochar. Pyrolysis process variables included reaction temperature, time, and power input. Microwave pyrolysis of DDGS was analyzed using response surface methodology to find out the effect of process variables on the biofuel (bio-oil and syngas) conversion yield and establish prediction models. Bio-oil recovery was in the range of 26.5-50.3 wt.% of the biomass. Biochar yields were 23.5-62.2% depending on the pyrolysis conditions. The energy content of DDGS bio-oils was 28 MJ/kg obtained at the 650 °C and 8 min, which was about 66.7% of the heating value of gasoline. GC/MS analysis indicated that the biooil contained a series of important and useful chemical compounds: aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. At least 13% of DDGS bio-oil was the same hydrocarbon compounds found in regular unleaded gasoline.     

Enzyme-based biofuel cells

Enzyme-based biofuel cells possess several positive attributes for energy conversion, including renewable catalysts, flexibility of fuels (including renewables), and the ability to operate at room temperature. However, enzyme-based biofuel cells remain limited by short lifetimes, low power densities and inefficient oxidation of fuels. Recent advances in biofuel cell technology have addressed these deficiencies and include methods to increase lifetime and environmental stability.     

Direct Effects of Microalgae and Protists on Herring (Clupea harengus) Yolk Sac Larvae

This study investigated effects of microalgae (Rhodomonas baltica) and heterotrophic protists (Oxyrrhis marina) on the daily growth, activity, condition and feeding success of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) larvae from hatch, through the end of the endogenous (yolk sac) period. Yolk sac larvae were reared in the presence and absence of microplankton and, each day, groups of larvae were provided access to copepods. Larvae reared with microalgae and protists exhibited precocious (2 days earlier) and ≥ 60% increased feeding incidence on copepods compared to larvae reared in only seawater (SW). In the absence and presence of microalgae and protists, life span and growth trajectories of yolk sac larvae were similar and digestive enzyme activity (trypsin) and nutritional condition (RNA-DNA ratio) markedly declined in all larvae directly after yolk sac depletion. Thus, microplankton promoted early feeding but was not sufficient to alter life span and growth during the yolk sac phase. Given the importance of early feeding, field programs should place greater emphasis on the protozooplankton-ichthyoplankton link to better understand match-mismatch dynamics and bottom-up drivers of year class success in marine fish.     

Buchbesprechung (Book Review)

Die Bedeutung insektenpathogener Viren als “Biologische Pflanzenschutzmittel” im System des Integrierten Pflanzenschutzes wird erläutert. Es wird dabei insbesondere auf die “Lückenindikationen” in Kulturpflanzenarten mit geringem Anbauumfang hingewiesen. Zu ihnen werden u.a. Gemüse, Zierpflanzen, Sonderkulturen wie Hopfen, Tabak und Wein, aber auch der Obstbau, gerechnet; daneben gehören aber auch Heil‐und Gewürzpflanzen sowie Rohstoffe für Diät‐und Säuglingsnahrungsmittel dazu. Schließlich wird der Forstschutz als ein wichtiges Refugium für die Anwendung biologischer Pflanzenschutzmittel im allgemeinen und damit auch für insektenpathogene Viren angesehen.

Einen hohen Stellenwert besitzen Unter‐Glas‐Kulturen, da hier biologische Bekämpfungsverfahren schon in einem erheblichen Umfang zur Anwendung kommen.

Die nachfolgenden Beispiele sollen stellvertretend für einen erfolgreichen Einsatz insektenpathogener Viren stehen:

• Bekämpfung von Spodoptera exigua in Chrysanthemenbeständen unter Glas in den Niederlanden mit dem autochthonen Virus und von Mamestra brassicae mit dem spezifischen Kernpolyeder‐Virus in Gewächshauskulturen von Rosen und Paprika (Wirkungsgrad 80 bis 100%) sowie an Kohl im Freiland (Wirkungsgrad 68, 9 bis 100%) in Deutschland.

• Das Granulose‐Virus der Wintersaateule (Agrotis segetum) ergab bei Anwendung gegen den Schädling an Astern Mortalitätswerte zwischen 90, 5 und 94, 1%.

In allen Versuchen erwiesen sich die Viren den als Standard mitgeführten chemischen Insektiziden als gleichwertig.

Am Zusammenbruch lokaler Gradationen der Kiefernbuschhornblattwespe Diprion similis in verschiedenen deutschen Bundesländern (Sachsen‐Anhalt, Sachsen) war ein spezifisches Kernpolyeder‐Virus wesentlich mitbeteiligt.     

Milk angiogenin (Review)

Recent data on angiogenin, a multifunctional member of pancreatic RNase protein superfamily, are summarized. Advances in the investigation of angiogenin structure, function, and properties are analyzed. Potentialities in natural angiogenin production from inexpensive dairy by-products are demonstrated.     

Milk Angiogenin (Review)

Recent data on angiogenin, a multifunctional member of the pancreatic RNase protein superfamily, are summarized. Advances in the investigation of angiogenin structure, function, and properties are analyzed. Potentialities in natural angiogenin production from inexpensive dairy byproducts are demonstrated.     

Microalgae aquaculture feeds

Microalgae feeds are currently used in relatively small amounts in aquaculture, mainly for the production of larvae and juvenile shell- and finfish, as well as for raising the zooplankton required for feeding of juvenile animals. The blue-green algaSpirulina is used in substantial amounts (over 100 t y^–1) as a fish and shrimp feed, and even larger markets can be projected if production costs could be reduced. Another potential large-scale application of microalgae is the cultivation ofHaematococcus for the production of the carotenoid astaxanthin, which gives salmon flesh its reddish color. In the long-term microalgae biomass high in lipids (omega-3 fatty acids) may be developed as substitutes for fish oil-based aquaculture feeds. In shrimp ponds the indigenous algal blooms supply a part of the dietary requirements of the animals, but it is difficult to maximize algal productivities. A separate algal production system could feed the shrimps and minimize the need for added feed. Bivalves feed essentially exclusively on marine microalgae throughout their life cycle. The development of cultivation technologies for such microalgae would allow the onshore production of these animals, with greatly improved product quality and safety.This paper was presented at the Symposium on Applied Phycology at the Fourth International Phycological Congress, Duke University.     

微藻生物炼制技术

积极发展以生物质原料为基础的生物炼制产业,对于解决能源危机、改善能源结构具有重大意义。微藻作为一种重要的生物质资源,具有分布广、生物量大、光合效率高、环境适应性强、生长周期短和产量高等突出特点,是进行生物炼制的优良材料,它在生产微藻燃料、开发微藻生物制剂和提取生物活性物质等方面具有广阔的开发前景。综述了微藻的培养特点和功能,介绍了微藻生物炼制技术的内容和领域,并对其发展前景作出展望。