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Title: Optimized inorganic carbon regime for enhanced growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris

Abstract

Background Large-scale algal biofuel production has been limited, among other factors, by the availability of inorganic carbon in the culture medium at concentrations higher than achievable with atmospheric CO2. Life cycle analyses have concluded that costs associated with supplying CO2 to algal cultures are significant contributors to the overall energy consumption. Results A two-phase optimal growth and lipid accumulation scenario is presented, which (1) enhances the growth rate and (2) the triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation rate in the oleaginous Chlorophyte Chlorella vulgaris strain UTEX 395, by growing the organism in the presence of low concentrations of NaHCO3 (5 mM) and controlling the pH of the system with a periodic gas sparge of 5 % CO2 (v/v). Once cultures reached the desired cell densities, which can be “fine-tuned” based on initial nutrient concentrations, cultures were switched to a lipid accumulation metabolism through the addition of 50 mM NaHCO3. This two-phase approach increased the specific growth rate of C. vulgaris by 69 % compared to cultures sparged continuously with 5 % CO2 (v/v); further, biomass productivity (g L-1 day-1) was increased by 27 %. Total biodiesel potential [assessed as total fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced] was increased from 53.3 to 61 %more » (FAME biomass-1) under the optimized conditions; biodiesel productivity (g FAME L-1 day-1) was increased by 7.7 %. A bicarbonate salt screen revealed that American Chemical Society (ACS) and industrial grade NaHCO3 induced the highest TAG accumulation (% w/w), whereas Na2CO3 did not induce significant TAG accumulation. NH4HCO3 had a negative effect on cell health presumably due to ammonia toxicity. The raw, unrefined form of trona, NaHCO3∙Na2CO3 (sodium sesquicarbonate) induced TAG accumulation, albeit to a slightly lower extent than the more refined forms of sodium bicarbonate. Conclusions The strategic addition of sodium bicarbonate was found to enhance growth and lipid accumulation rates in cultures of C. vulgaris, when compared to traditional culturing strategies, which rely on continuously sparging algal cultures with elevated concentrations of CO2(g). This work presents a two-phased, improved photoautotrophic growth and lipid accumulation approach, which may result in an overall increase in algal biofuel productivity.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [1]
  1. Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States)
  2. Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
  3. Environmental Biotechnology Consultants, Manhattan, MT (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Toledo, OH (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); National Science Foundation (NSF); Church & Dwight Co., Inc.; Environmental and Biofilm Mass Spectrometry Facility (EBMSF); MSU Thermal Biology Institute
OSTI Identifier:
1626963
Grant/Contract Number:  
EE0005993; CHE-1230632; DGE 0654336; W911NF0510255; NAG5-8807
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Biotechnology for Biofuels
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1754-6834
Publisher:
BioMed Central
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Energy & Fuels

Citation Formats

Lohman, Egan J., Gardner, Robert D., Pedersen, Todd, Peyton, Brent M., Cooksey, Keith E., and Gerlach, Robin. Optimized inorganic carbon regime for enhanced growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0265-4.
Lohman, Egan J., Gardner, Robert D., Pedersen, Todd, Peyton, Brent M., Cooksey, Keith E., & Gerlach, Robin. Optimized inorganic carbon regime for enhanced growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris. United States. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-015-0265-4
Lohman, Egan J., Gardner, Robert D., Pedersen, Todd, Peyton, Brent M., Cooksey, Keith E., and Gerlach, Robin. Thu . "Optimized inorganic carbon regime for enhanced growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris". United States. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-015-0265-4. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1626963.
@article{osti_1626963,
title = {Optimized inorganic carbon regime for enhanced growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris},
author = {Lohman, Egan J. and Gardner, Robert D. and Pedersen, Todd and Peyton, Brent M. and Cooksey, Keith E. and Gerlach, Robin},
abstractNote = {Background Large-scale algal biofuel production has been limited, among other factors, by the availability of inorganic carbon in the culture medium at concentrations higher than achievable with atmospheric CO2. Life cycle analyses have concluded that costs associated with supplying CO2 to algal cultures are significant contributors to the overall energy consumption. Results A two-phase optimal growth and lipid accumulation scenario is presented, which (1) enhances the growth rate and (2) the triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation rate in the oleaginous Chlorophyte Chlorella vulgaris strain UTEX 395, by growing the organism in the presence of low concentrations of NaHCO3 (5 mM) and controlling the pH of the system with a periodic gas sparge of 5 % CO2 (v/v). Once cultures reached the desired cell densities, which can be “fine-tuned” based on initial nutrient concentrations, cultures were switched to a lipid accumulation metabolism through the addition of 50 mM NaHCO3. This two-phase approach increased the specific growth rate of C. vulgaris by 69 % compared to cultures sparged continuously with 5 % CO2 (v/v); further, biomass productivity (g L-1 day-1) was increased by 27 %. Total biodiesel potential [assessed as total fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced] was increased from 53.3 to 61 % (FAME biomass-1) under the optimized conditions; biodiesel productivity (g FAME L-1 day-1) was increased by 7.7 %. A bicarbonate salt screen revealed that American Chemical Society (ACS) and industrial grade NaHCO3 induced the highest TAG accumulation (% w/w), whereas Na2CO3 did not induce significant TAG accumulation. NH4HCO3 had a negative effect on cell health presumably due to ammonia toxicity. The raw, unrefined form of trona, NaHCO3∙Na2CO3 (sodium sesquicarbonate) induced TAG accumulation, albeit to a slightly lower extent than the more refined forms of sodium bicarbonate. Conclusions The strategic addition of sodium bicarbonate was found to enhance growth and lipid accumulation rates in cultures of C. vulgaris, when compared to traditional culturing strategies, which rely on continuously sparging algal cultures with elevated concentrations of CO2(g). This work presents a two-phased, improved photoautotrophic growth and lipid accumulation approach, which may result in an overall increase in algal biofuel productivity.},
doi = {10.1186/s13068-015-0265-4},
journal = {Biotechnology for Biofuels},
number = 1,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jun 11 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Thu Jun 11 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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Accurate and reliable quantification of total microalgal fuel potential as fatty acid methyl esters by in situ transesterification
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Changes in lipid, protein and pigment concentrations in nitrogen-stressed Chlorella minutissima cultures
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The effect of sodium bicarbonate supplementation on growth and biochemical composition of marine microalgae cultures
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Growth, nitrogen utilization and biodiesel potential for two chlorophytes grown on ammonium, nitrate or urea
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Triacylglycerol accumulation of Phaeodactylum tricornutum with different supply of inorganic carbon
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Inorganic carbon acquisition by eukaryotic algae: four current questions
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Carbon partitioning in lipids synthesized by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii when cultured under three unique inorganic carbon regimes
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Resource demand implications for US algae biofuels production scale-up
journal, October 2011


Comparative energy life-cycle analyses of microalgal biomass production in open ponds and photobioreactors
journal, February 2010


Bio-oil from photosynthetic microalgae: Case study
journal, January 2011


Life-cycle analysis on biodiesel production from microalgae: Water footprint and nutrients balance
journal, January 2011


Biodiesel production by simultaneous extraction and conversion of total lipids from microalgae, cyanobacteria, and wild mixed-cultures
journal, February 2011


An efficient system for carbonation of high-rate algae pond water to enhance CO2 mass transfer
journal, February 2011


Bicarbonate-based Integrated Carbon Capture and Algae Production System with alkalihalophilic cyanobacterium
journal, April 2013


Aquatic phototrophs: efficient alternatives to land-based crops for biofuels
journal, June 2008

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  • DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2008.05.007

An efficient and scalable extraction and quantification method for algal derived biofuel
journal, September 2013

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  • DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2013.06.007

Biodiesel from microalgae beats bioethanol
journal, March 2008


Efficiency of the CO2-concentrating mechanism of diatoms
journal, February 2011

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  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1018062108

Light-driven Uptake of Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and Bicarbonate by the Green Alga Scenedesmus
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Inorganic Carbon Accumulation and Photosynthesis in a Blue-green Alga as a Function of External pH
journal, May 1981


Two Systems for Concentrating CO 2 and Bicarbonate during Photosynthesis by Scenedesmus
journal, March 1990

  • Thielmann, Jens; Tolbert, N. Edward; Goyal, Arun
  • Plant Physiology, Vol. 92, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1104/pp.92.3.622

Triglyceride Accumulation and Fatty Acid Profile Changes in Chlorella (Chlorophyta) during High pH-Induced Cell Cycle Inhibition
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Trichosarcina polymorpha Gen. et Sp. Nov.
journal, March 1965


Carbon Concentrating Mechanisms in Eukaryotic Marine Phytoplankton
journal, January 2011


CO 2 CONCENTRATING MECHANISMS IN ALGAE: Mechanisms, Environmental Modulation, and Evolution
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Works referencing / citing this record:

Overexpression of bicarbonate transporters in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 increases growth rate and glycogen accumulation
journal, January 2020

  • Gupta, Jai Kumar; Rai, Preeti; Jain, Kavish Kumar
  • Biotechnology for Biofuels, Vol. 13, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-1656-8

Species disparity response to mutagenesis of marine yeasts for the potential production of biodiesel
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Overexpression of bicarbonate transporters in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 increases growth rate and glycogen accumulation
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  • Gupta, Jai Kumar; Rai, Preeti; Jain, Kavish Kumar
  • Biotechnology for Biofuels, Vol. 13, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-1656-8