The dark side of algae cultivation: Characterizing night biomass loss in three photosynthetic algae, Chlorella sorokiniana, Nannochloropsis salina and Picochlorum sp.
Night biomass loss in photosynthetic algae is an essential parameter that is often overlooked when modeling or optimizing biomass productivities. Night respiration acts a tax on daily biomass gains and has not been well characterized in the context of biofuel production. We examined the night biomass loss in three algae strains that may have potential for commercial biomass production (Nannochloropsis salina- CCMP1776, Chlorella sorokiniana- DOE1412, and Picochlorum sp. LANL-WT). Biomass losses were monitored by ash free dry weight (AFDW mg/L) and optical density (OD750) on a thermal-gradient incubator. Night biomass loss rates were highly variable (ranging from -0.006 to -0.59 day -1), species-specific, and dependent on both culture growth phase prior to the dark period and night pond temperature. At observed loss rates, between ca. 1 to 22% of the total ash-free biomass was lost over the ten hour dark period. Substantial night biomass losses can significantly impact the biomass production capacity of solar-based algae cultures. The dynamics of biomass loss should be taken into consideration in algae strain selection, are critical in predictive modeling of biomass production based on geographic location and can influence the net productivity of photosynthetic cultures used for bio-based fuels or products.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EE0006269; AC05-76RL01830; ee0006269
- OSTI ID:
- 1224381
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1225138; OSTI ID: 1581791
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-108573; S2211926415300862; PII: S2211926415300862
- Journal Information:
- Algal Research, Journal Name: Algal Research Vol. 12 Journal Issue: C; ISSN 2211-9264
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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