Heterogeneity in nitrogen sources enhances productivity and nutrient use efficiency in algal polycultures

Mandal, Shovon; Shurin, Jonathan B.; Efroymson, Rebecca A.; Mathews, Teresa J.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.7b05318

Title: Heterogeneity in nitrogen sources enhances productivity and nutrient use efficiency in algal polycultures

Abstract

Algae hold much promise as a potential feedstock for biofuels and other products, but scaling up biomass production remains challenging. Here, we hypothesized that multispecies assemblages, or polycultures, could improve crop yield when grown in media with mixed nitrogen sources, as found in wastewater. We grew mono- and poly- cultures of algae in four distinct growth media that differed in the form (i.e. nitrate, ammonium, urea, plus a mixture of all three), but not the concentration of nitrogen. We found that mean biomass productivity was positively correlated with algal species richness, and that this relationship was strongest in mixed nitrogen media (on average 88% greater biomass production in 5-species polycultures than in monocultures in mixed nitrogen treatment). We also found that the relationship between nutrient use efficiency and species richness was positive across nitrogen treatments, but greatest in mixed nitrogen media. While polycultures outperformed the most productive monoculture only 0-14% of the time in this experiment, they outperformed the average monoculture 26-52% of the time. Our results suggest that algal polycultures have the potential to be highly productive, and can be effective in recycling nutrients and treating wastewater, offering a sustainable and cost-effective solution for biofuel production.

Authors:

^[1]; Shurin, Jonathan B. ^[2];

^[1];

^[1]

Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Environmental Sciences Division
Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

Publication Date:: Wed Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2018

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office

OSTI Identifier:: 1423104

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Environmental Science and Technology

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 52; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 0013-936X

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 09 BIOMASS FUELS; Algae; biofuel; diversity; polyculture; productivity

Citation Formats


                    Mandal, Shovon, Shurin, Jonathan B., Efroymson, Rebecca A., and Mathews, Teresa J. Heterogeneity in nitrogen sources enhances productivity and nutrient use efficiency in algal polycultures.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
Web.  doi:10.1021/acs.est.7b05318.

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                    Mandal, Shovon, Shurin, Jonathan B., Efroymson, Rebecca A., & Mathews, Teresa J. Heterogeneity in nitrogen sources enhances productivity and nutrient use efficiency in algal polycultures.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b05318

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                    Mandal, Shovon, Shurin, Jonathan B., Efroymson, Rebecca A., and Mathews, Teresa J. Wed .  
"Heterogeneity in nitrogen sources enhances productivity and nutrient use efficiency in algal polycultures".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b05318.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1423104.

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@article{osti_1423104,

  title        = {Heterogeneity in nitrogen sources enhances productivity and nutrient use efficiency in algal polycultures},

  author       = {Mandal, Shovon and Shurin, Jonathan B. and Efroymson, Rebecca A. and Mathews, Teresa J.},

  abstractNote = {Algae hold much promise as a potential feedstock for biofuels and other products, but scaling up biomass production remains challenging. Here, we hypothesized that multispecies assemblages, or polycultures, could improve crop yield when grown in media with mixed nitrogen sources, as found in wastewater. We grew mono- and poly- cultures of algae in four distinct growth media that differed in the form (i.e. nitrate, ammonium, urea, plus a mixture of all three), but not the concentration of nitrogen. We found that mean biomass productivity was positively correlated with algal species richness, and that this relationship was strongest in mixed nitrogen media (on average 88% greater biomass production in 5-species polycultures than in monocultures in mixed nitrogen treatment). We also found that the relationship between nutrient use efficiency and species richness was positive across nitrogen treatments, but greatest in mixed nitrogen media. While polycultures outperformed the most productive monoculture only 0-14% of the time in this experiment, they outperformed the average monoculture 26-52% of the time. Our results suggest that algal polycultures have the potential to be highly productive, and can be effective in recycling nutrients and treating wastewater, offering a sustainable and cost-effective solution for biofuel production.},

  doi          = {10.1021/acs.est.7b05318},

  journal      = {Environmental Science and Technology},

  number       = 6,

  volume       = 52,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2018},

  month        = {Wed Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2018}

}

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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1: Effect of species richness on biomass production in different nitrogen treatments. Each data point indicates the mean biomass production across all compositions of the same species richness and similar nitrogen treatment, averaged biomass over seven sampling dates of experiment (15, 18, 22, 25, 29, 32, and 36 days).more »

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