Enzymatic hydrolysis and production of bioethanol from common macrophytic green alga Ulva fasciata Delile

Catalytic hydrolysis of agar using magnetic nanoparticles: optimization and characterization

BACKGROUND

Agar is used as a gelling agent that possesses a variety of biological properties; it consists of the polysaccharides agarose and porphyrin. In addition, the monomeric sugars generated after agar hydrolysis can be functionalized for use in biorefineries and biofuel production. The main objective of this study was to develop a sustainable agar hydrolysis process for bioethanol production using nanotechnology. Peroxidase-mimicking Fe3O4-MNPs were applied for agar degradation to generate agar hydrolysate-soluble fractions amenable to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli during fermentation.

RESULTS

Fe3O4-MNP-treated (Fe3O4-MNPs, 1 g/L) agar exhibited 0.903 g/L of reducing sugar, which was 21-fold higher than that of the control (without Fe3O4-MNP-treated). Approximately 0.0181% and 0.0042% of ethanol from 1% of agar was achieved using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli, respectively, after process optimization. Furthermore, different analytical techniques (FTIR, SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, and TGA) were applied to validate the efficiency of Fe3O4-MNPs in agar degradation.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, Fe3O4-MNP-treated agar degradation for bioethanol production through process optimization is a simpler, easier, and novel method for commercialization.

Fundamentals in applications of algae biomass: A review

Algae play an extremely important ecological role. They form the basis of trophic webs, produce oxygen that allows the respiration of many of the organisms in aquatic environments, absorb CO₂, and serve as refuge areas and habitats for thousands of species. Many species can also absorb organic pollutants from seawater. Algae have been used for many centuries by humans as a source of food, fertilizer, fodder, and for the extraction of compounds with antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, and antibacterial properties. More recently, some species have been used for the production of biofuels. It has been shown that mixing small proportions of algae with the feed of cattle can reduce methane emissions from their digestive activity by more than 95%. One of the most widespread but least known applications of algae is the extraction of their phycocolloids for utilization in food, pharmaceutical, wine, and textile industries, among others. These compounds have gelling, stabilizing, and thickening properties and are therefore frequently included in creams, ice creams, cheeses, jellies, flavored milks, sauces, shampoos, medications, toothpaste, and many other products. The phycocolloids agar and carrageenan are extracted from red algae, whereas alginate is extracted from brown algae, being used in dental impressions, emulsifying lotions, and paints, among others, and in the preparation of wine and beer. Algae are of particular interest in the research and development of new biosorbent materials, not only because of their high adsorption capacity, but also because they are present in the seas and oceans in abundant and easily accessible quantities. Marine algae are a promising biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals and various pollutants and, due to their intrinsic characteristics, have received increasing attention in recent decades. Their application as biosorbents for the sorption of heavy metals and radionuclides could be interpreted as the use of waste to remove waste. Algae have attracted particular interest in the field of biotechnology for economic reasons, given that large amounts are naturally produced and left lying on beaches as waste material. The composition of algae biomass makes it a promising candidate for an extensive list of applications that continues to lengthen. The development of appropriate technologies and policies can transform the presence of algae in coastal ecosystems from an unpleasant and potentially harmful phenomenon into a source of major benefits. This review discusses the capacity of algae biomass to remove pollutants and also delves into its applicability in the production of dyes, oils, and biofuels and for animal feed and fertilizer industries, among others. Further research is warranted on strategies to convert a biomass that is currently considered waste into a means of addressing environmental problems.

Carbon credit reduction: A techno-economic analysis of "drop-in" fuel production

The current study elucidates the fundamentals of technical, financial, and environmental viability of the processes used for sustainable "drop-in" fuel generation. At present, the price of producing "drop-in" fuels is around two times as costly (5-6 USD/gallon) as the cost of fossil fuels (3 USD/gallon), especially when using second-generation feedstocks. Hence, this necessitates a comprehensive techno-economic understanding of the current technologies with respect to "drop-in"-fuel. This entitles technical-economic viability, and environmental sustainability to make the processes involved commercially viable. In this context, the present review addresses unique contrasts among the various processes involved in "drop-in" fuel production. Furthermore, principles and process flow of techno-economic analysis as well as environmental implications in terms of reduced carbon footprint and carbon credit are elucidated to discuss fundamentals of techno-economic analysis in terms of capital and operational expenditure, revenue, simulation, cash flow analysis, mass and energy balances with respect to evidence-based practices. Case specific techno-economic studies with current developments in this field of research with emphasis on software tools viz., Aspen Plus, Aspen HYSIS, Aspen Plus Economic Analyser (APEC) Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator (AIPE) are also highlighted. The study also emphasis on the carbon foot print of biofuels and its carbon credits (Carbon Offset Credits (COCs) and Carbon Reduction Credits (CRCs)) by leveraging a deep technical and robust business-oriented insights about the techno-economic analysis (TEA) exclusively for the biofuel production.

Biohydrogen production from brown algae fermentation: Relationship between substrate reduction degree and hydrogen production

In this study, mannitol and mannitol-rich seaweed were fermented to investigate the relationship between substrate reduction degree and hydrogen production performance. The results showed that acetate was required in mannitol fermentation with an optimum acetate/mannitol mass ratio of 1:5. Hydrogen production and yield of mannitol fermentation reached 123.76 mL and 2.12 mol/mol-mannitol, respectively, 42.02 % and 26.95 % higher than that of glucose, respectively. The acetate was fully assimilated and the butyrate selectivity reached 100 % in the effluent. Redox potential and electron distribution showed that mannitol increased the overall electron input from mannitol and acetate, leading to the increase in hydrogen and butyrate generation. Hydrogen yield reached 2.33 mol/mol-mannitol with brown algae hydrolysate, which was the highest ever reported. This study demonstrated that substrate with a higher reduction degree could yield higher hydrogen and showed the great application potential of brown algae fermentation for the co-production of hydrogen and butyrate.

Recalcitrant cell wall of Ulva lactuca seaweed is degraded by a single ulvan lyase from family 25 of polysaccharide lyases

Green macroalgae, e.g., Ulva lactuca, are valuable bioactive sources of nutrients; but algae recalcitrant cell walls, composed of a complex cross-linked matrix of polysaccharides, can compromise their utilization as feedstuffs for monogastric animals. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of pre-selected Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes) and sulfatases to degrade U. lactuca cell walls and release nutritive compounds. A databank of 199 recombinant CAZymes and sulfatases was tested in vitro for their action towards U. lactuca cell wall polysaccharides. The enzymes were incubated with the macroalga, either alone or in combination, to release reducing sugars and decrease fluorescence intensity of Calcofluor White stained cell walls. The individual action of a polysaccharide lyase family 25 (PL25), an ulvan lyase, was shown to be the most efficient in cell wall disruption. The ulvan lyase treatment, in triplicate measures, promoted the release of 4.54 g/L (P < 0.001) reducing sugars, a mono- and oligosaccharides release of 11.4 and 11.2 mmol/100 g of dried alga (P < 0.01), respectively, and a decrease of 41.7% (P < 0.001) in cell wall fluorescence, in comparison to control. The ability of ulvan lyase treatment to promote the release of nutritional compounds from alga biomass was also evaluated. A release of some monounsaturated fatty acids was observed, particularly the health beneficial 18:1c9 (P < 0.001). However, no significant release of total fatty acids (P > 0.05), proteins (P = 0.861) or pigments (P > 0.05) was found. These results highlight the capacity of a single recombinant ulvan lyase (PL25 family) to incompletely disrupt U. lactuca cell walls. This enzyme could enhance the bioaccessibility of U. lactuca bioactive products with promising utilization in the feed industry.

Recent Advances in Bioutilization of Marine Macroalgae Carbohydrates: Degradation, Metabolism, and Fermentation

Marine macroalgae are considered renewable natural resources due to their high carbohydrate content, which gives better utilization value in biorefineries and higher value conversion than first- and second-generation biomass. However, due to the diverse composition, complex structure, and rare metabolic pathways of macroalgae polysaccharides, their bioavailability needs to be improved. In recent years, enzymes and pathways related to the degradation and metabolism of macroalgae polysaccharides have been continuously developed, and new microbial fermentation platforms have emerged. Aiming at the bioutilization and transformation of macroalgae resources, this review describes the latest research results from the direction of green degradation, biorefining, and metabolic pathway design, including summarizing the the latest biorefining technology and the fermentation platform design of agarose, alginate, and other polysaccharides. This information will provide new research directions and solutions for the biotransformation and utilization of marine macroalgae.

An overview and assessment of the existing technological options for management and resource recovery from beach wrack and dredged sediments: An environmental and economic perspective

The present work discusses the problems and management options of beach wrack and dredged sediments. Beach wrack and dredged sediments near the shores have affected the coastal ecosystem, badly. The piles of beach wrack residues might be a significant emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and dredged sediment is a substantial source of heavy metals and other pollutants. The recovery of valuable resources such as metals and nutrients from these so-called "wastes" is a sustainable strategy to enhance the resilience of the coastal ecosystem and management. The beach wrack meadows can be a potential source for green energy production. Even the demand for biodegradable polymers can be supplied by utilizing the waste beach wracks. The residues of beach wrack species like Posidonia oceanica, Zostera marina, Ulva spc. and Enhalus acorodies can be very beneficial species in terms of economic growth. Red algae have been the most favored and efficient candidate for methane yield. In case of dredged sediment, dewatering of sediment is an essential step for successful resource extraction. Although, extraction methods are almost similar to that applied for soil treatment, which includes pretreatment, physical partitioning, washing, thermal treatment, biological extraction, and immobilization. The fractionation study can be a beneficial tool for determining the metal species present in the sediment. Immobilization techniques are successful but continuous monitoring is required. The vitrification technique is highly effective but very expensive. Thermal treatment is useful for volatile metals such as mercury (Hg), but costs are high. Biological extractions are comparatively cheap but time-consuming. Henceforth, very few extraction methods are available for sediment and required further advancement in this field.

Algae as potential feedstock for various bioenergy production

Depletion of non-renewable feedstock and severe wastewater pollution due to human activities have created negative impact to living organisms. The potential solution is to implement wastewater treatment and bioelectricity production through algae-based microbial fuel cell. The algae biomass produced from microbial fuel cell could be further processed to generate biofuels through their unique compositions. The consumption of nutrients in wastewater through algae cultivation and biomass produced to be utilized for energy supply have showed the potential of algae to solve the issues faced nowadays. This review introduces the background of algae and mitigation of wastewater using algae as well as the bioenergy status in Malaysia. The mechanisms of nutrient assimilation such as nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and heavy metals are included, followed by the application of algae in microbial fuel cell's chambers. Lastly, the status of algae for bioenergy production are covered.

Enzymatic pretreatment of algal biomass has different optimal conditions for biogas and bioethanol routes

Enzymatic pretreatment is emerging as an efficient tool for the extraction of biofuel precursors from algal biomass. However, yardsticks for end-use directed selection of optimal pretreatment conditions are not yet identified. The present study, for the first time, reveals different optimal conditions for algal biomass solubilization and sugar release. Algal biomass pretreatment optimization was carried out using the Taguchi method. Crude enzyme from Aspergillus fischeri was found effective for pretreatment of Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Maximum sugar yield (190 mg g^-1 biomass) from algal biomass was observed at a substrate concentration of 4 g L^-1, with a 5% enzyme load at temperature 60°C, pH 5.5, and shaking speed of 80 rpm. In contrast, maximum sCOD (1350 mg g^-1 biomass) was obtained at 2 g L^-1 substrate concentration with enzyme load of 20% v/v, at 60°C, pH 4, and shaking speed of 100 rpm. Hence, the first set of conditions would be more beneficial for bioethanol production. Whereas another set of conditions would improve the biofuel production that requires maximum solubilization of algal biomass, such as fermentative methane production. Overall, the present observations established that process conditions required for enzymatic pretreatment of algal biomass should be selected according to the desired biofuel type.

Evaluation of seasonal variation and the optimization of reducing sugar extraction from Ulva prolifera biomass using thermochemical method

Green macroalgae comprise significant amount of structural carbohydrates for their conversion to liquid biofuels. However, it generally relies on species characteristics and the variability in seasonal profile to determine its route for bioprocessing. Hence, this study was conducted to analyze the indigenous marine macroalgal strain (Ulva prolifera) with respect to periodic trend and reducing sugar extraction. Consequently, in our investigation, the monthly variation in sugar profile and bioethanol yield was assessed between the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, of which relatively high reducing sugar and fermentative bioethanol yield of about 0.152 ± 0.009 g/gdw and 6.275 ± 0.161 g/L was obtained for the October-month isolate (MITM10). Thereafter, the biochemical profile of this collected biomass (MITM10) revealed carbohydrate 34.98 ± 3.30%, protein 12.45 ± 0.49%, and lipid 1.93 ± 0.07%, respectively, on dry weight basis. Of these, the total carbohydrate fraction yielded the maximum reducing sugar of 0.156 ± 0.005 g/gdw under optimal conditions (11.07% (w/v) dosage, 0.9 M H2SO4, 121°C for 50 min) for thermal-acid hydrolysis. Furthermore, the elimination of polysaccharides was confirmed using the characterization techniques scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Therefore, the present thermochemical treatment method provides a species-specific novel strategy to breakdown the macroalgal cell wall polysaccharides that enhances sugar extraction for its utilization as an efficient bioenergy resource.

Seaweed-based cellulose: Applications, and future perspectives

Cellulose is a naturally occurring organic polymer extracted mainly from lignocellulosic biomass of terrestrial origin. However, the increasing production of seaweeds for growing global market demands has developed the opportunity to use it as an additional cellulose source. This review aims to prepare comprehensive information to understand seaweed cellulose and its possible applications better. This is the first review that summarizes and discusses the cellulose from all three types (green, red, and brown) of seaweeds in various aspects such as contents, extraction strategies, and cellulose-based products. The seaweed cellulose applications and future perspectives are also discussed. Several seaweed species were found to have significant cellulose content (9-34% dry weight). The review highlights that the properties of seaweed cellulose-based products were comparable to products prepared from plant-based cellulose. Overall, this work demonstrates that cellulose could be economically extracted from phycocolloids industrial waste and selected cellulose-rich seaweed species for various commercial applications.

Characterization of Glaciecola sp. enzymes involved in the late steps of degradation of sulfated polysaccharide ulvan extracted from Ulva ohnoi

Ulvan is a complex water-soluble sulfated polysaccharide in the cell wall of green algae belonging to genus Ulva. It is composed of l-rhamnose-3-sulfate (Rha3S), glucuronic acid (GluA), iduronic acid (IduA), and d-xylose (Xyl) distributed in three repetition moieties. The first step of a bacterial ulvan degradation is the cleavage of the β-glycosidic bond between Rha3S and GluA/IduA through a β-elimination mechanism by a ulvan lyase to produce oligo-ulvans with unsaturated 4-deoxy-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosiduronate (Δ) at the non-reducing end. We have identified an ulvan associated polysaccharide utilization locus (PUL) residing between two ulvan lyase genes belonging to families of polysaccharide lyase 24 (PL24) and PL25 in the genome of a ulvan-utilizing bacterium Glaciecola KUL10 strain. The PUL contains many genes responsible for oligo-ulvan degradation. Among them, we demonstrated that both KUL10_26540 and KUL10_26770 had an unsaturated β-glucuronyl hydrolase activity to produce Rha3S and oligosaccharides, such as Rha3S-GluA-Rha3S, Rha3S-IduA-Rha3S and, Rha3S-Xyl-Rha3S, by releasing 5-dehydro-4-deoxy-d-glucuronate. KUL10_26540 showed much higher activity than KUL10_26770 and was more active on disaccharide than tetrasaccharide. We also found a rhamnosidase activity on four KUL10 gene products, although they could not react on the sulfated rhamnose.

Distributed flux balance analysis simulations of serial biomass fermentation by two organisms

Intelligent biorefinery design that addresses both the composition of the biomass feedstock as well as fermentation microorganisms could benefit from dedicated tools for computational simulation and computer-assisted optimization. Here we present the BioLego Vn2.0 framework, based on Microsoft Azure Cloud, which supports large-scale simulations of biomass serial fermentation processes by two different organisms. BioLego enables the simultaneous analysis of multiple fermentation scenarios and the comparison of fermentation potential of multiple feedstock compositions. Thanks to the effective use of cloud computing it further allows resource intensive analysis and exploration of media and organism modifications. We use BioLego to obtain biological and validation results, including (1) exploratory search for the optimal utilization of corn biomasses-corn cobs, corn fiber and corn stover-in fermentation biorefineries; (2) analysis of the possible effects of changes in the composition of K. alvarezi biomass on the ethanol production yield in an anaerobic two-step process (S. cerevisiae followed by E. coli); (3) analysis of the impact, on the estimated ethanol production yield, of knocking out single organism reactions either in one or in both organisms in an anaerobic two-step fermentation process of Ulva sp. into ethanol (S. cerevisiae followed by E. coli); and (4) comparison of several experimentally measured ethanol fermentation rates with the predictions of BioLego.

Complete Acid-Based Hydrolysis Assay for Carbohydrate Quantification in Seaweed: A Species-Specific Optimized Approach

Accurate quantification of the carbohydrate content of biomass is crucial for many bio-refining processes. The most commonly followed protocol is typically a modification of the NREL-based assay (specifically designed for carbohydrate analysis from lignocellulosic biomass). However, this NREL protocol was revealed to be excessively thermochemically harsh for seaweed biomass. This can result in erroneously low total sugar quantification as the reaction severity can degrade a proportion of the liberated sugars to decomposition products such as furans. Here we describe an optimization of the total acid hydrolysis protocol for accurate quantification of the carbohydrate content of seaweeds. Different species of seaweed can be accurately evaluated for their carbohydrate contents by following this optimized method.

Variation in the proximate composition of edible marine macroalga Ulva rigida collected from different coastal zones of India

Several species of cosmopolitan marine macroalgal genus Ulva (Chlorophyta) are economically important due to high growth, carbohydrate, protein and lipid content. Nevertheless, analysis pertaining these traits of any species has by no means been explicitly investigated. We herein investigated 109 samples of U. rigida from fifteen locations of Indian coast for carbohydrate, protein and lipid content suitable for further development of scaled-up production. The carbohydrate, protein and lipid content ranged from 16.63 ± 1.07 to 65.93 ± 0.49% dry weight, 4.14 ± 0.45 to 26.0 ± 1.43% dry weight and 0.8 ± 0.08 to 3.1 ± 0.04% dry weight respectively. Principal component analysis provides an interpretable overview of main information enclosed in a multidimensional data set satisfactorily explained 72.1% of the total variability in the present data, with principal component 1 accounting for 38.7% and principal component 2 for 33.4% of the total variation. The study confirmed that the strain collected from Gopnath, Gujarat possesses high potential for industrial exploitation due to its high carbohydrate level. Growing this alga on large-scale might pave ways for socio-economic development of coastal populace.

Bioethanol Production from UK Seaweeds: Investigating Variable Pre-treatment and Enzyme Hydrolysis Parameters

This study describes the method development for bioethanol production from three species of seaweed. Laminaria digitata, Ulva lactuca and for the first time Dilsea carnosa were used as representatives of brown, green and red species of seaweed, respectively. Acid thermo-chemical and entirely aqueous (water) based pre-treatments were evaluated, using a range of sulphuric acid concentrations (0.125-2.5 M) and solids loading contents (5-25 % [w/v]; biomass: reactant) and different reaction times (5-30 min), with the aim of maximising the release of glucose following enzyme hydrolysis. A pre-treatment step for each of the three seaweeds was required and pre-treatment conditions were found to be specific to each seaweed species. Dilsea carnosa and U. lactuca were more suited with an aqueous (water-based) pre-treatment (yielding 125.0 and 360.0 mg of glucose/g of pre-treated seaweed, respectively), yet interestingly non pre-treated D. carnosa yielded 106.4 g g^-1 glucose. Laminaria digitata required a dilute acid thermo-chemical pre-treatment in order to liberate maximal glucose yields (218.9 mg glucose/g pre-treated seaweed). Fermentations with S. cerevisiae NCYC2592 of the generated hydrolysates gave ethanol yields of 5.4 g L^-1, 7.8 g L^-1 and 3.2 g L^-1 from D. carnosa, U. lactuca and L. digitata, respectively. This study highlighted that entirely aqueous based pre-treatments are effective for seaweed biomass, yet bioethanol production alone may not make such bio-processes economically viable at large scale.

Ulva lactuca, A Source of Troubles and Potential Riches

Ulva lactuca is a green macro alga involved in devastating green tides observed worldwide. These green tides or blooms are a consequence of human activities. Ulva blooms occur mainly in shallow waters and the decomposition of this alga can produce dangerous vapors. Ulva lactuca is a species usually resembling lettuce, but genetic analyses demonstrated that other green algae with tubular phenotypes were U. lactuca clades although previously described as different species or even genera. The capacity for U. lactuca to adopt different phenotypes can be due to environment parameters, such as the degree of water salinity or symbiosis with bacteria. No efficient ways have been discovered to control these green tides, but the Mediterranean seas appear to be protected from blooms, which disappear rapidly in springtime. Ulva contains commercially valuable components, such as bioactive compounds, food or biofuel. The biomass due to this alga collected on beaches every year is beginning to be valorized to produce valuable compounds. This review describes different processes and strategies developed to extract these different valuable components.

Seaweed Bioethanol Production: A Process Selection Review on Hydrolysis and Fermentation

The rapid depletion and environmental concerns associated with the use of fossil fuels has led to extensive development of biofuels such as bioethanol from seaweeds. The long-term prospect of seaweed bioethanol production however, depends on the selection of processes in the hydrolysis and fermentation stages due to their limiting effect on ethanol yield. This review explored the factors influencing the hydrolysis and fermentation stages of seaweed bioethanol production with emphasis on process efficiency and sustainable application. Seaweed carbohydrate contents which are most critical for ethanol production substrate selection were 52 ± 6%, 55 ± 12% and 57 ± 13% for green, brown and red seaweeds, respectively. Inhibitor formation and polysaccharide selectivity were found to be the major bottlenecks influencing the efficiency of dilute acid and enzymatic hydrolysis, respectively. Current enzyme preparations used, were developed for starch-based and lignocellulosic biomass but not seaweeds, which differs in polysaccharide composition and structure. Also, the identification of fermenting organisms capable of converting the heterogeneous monomeric sugars in seaweeds is the major factor limiting ethanol yield during the fermentation stage and not the SHF or SSF pathway selection. This has resulted in variations in bioethanol yields, ranging from 0.04 g/g DM to 0.43 g/g DM.

Batch bioethanol production via the biological and chemical saccharification of some Egyptian marine macroalgae

AIMS

Marine seaweeds (macroalgae) cause an eutrophication problem and affects the touristic activities. The success of the production of the third-generation bioethanol from marine macroalgae depends mainly on the development of an ecofriendly and eco-feasible pretreatment (i.e. hydrolysis) technique, a highly effective saccharification step and finally an efficient bioethanol fermentation step. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potentiality of different marine macroalgal strains, collected from Egyptian coasts, for bioethanol production via different saccharification processes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Different marine macroalgal strains, red Jania rubens, green Ulva lactuca and brown Sargassum latifolium, have been collected from Egyptian Mediterranean and Red Sea shores. Different hydrolysis processes were evaluated to maximize the extraction of fermentable sugars; thermochemical hydrolysis with diluted acids (HCl and H₂ SO₄ ) and base (NaOH), hydrothermal hydrolysis followed by saccharification with different fungal strains and finally, thermochemical hydrolysis with diluted HCl, followed by fungal saccharification. The hydrothermal hydrolysis of S. latifolium followed by biological saccharification using Trichoderma asperellum RM1 produced maximum total sugars of 510 mg g^-1 macroalgal biomass. The integration of the hydrothermal and fungal hydrolyses of the macroalgal biomass with a separate batch fermentation of the produced sugars using two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, produced approximately 0·29 g bioethanol g^-1 total reducing sugars. A simulated regression modelling for the batch bioethanol fermentation was also performed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study supported the possibility of using seaweeds as a renewable source of bioethanol throughout a suggested integration of macroalgal biomass hydrothermal and fungal hydrolyses with a separate batch bioethanol fermentation process of the produced sugars.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The usage of marine macroalgae (i.e. seaweeds) as feedstock for bioethanol; an alternative and/or complimentary to petro-fuel, would act as triple fact solution; bioremediation process for ecosystem, renewable energy source and economy savings.

Pilot scale flat panel photobioreactor system for mass production of Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta)

Conventional open-sea cultivation constrained by environmental factors is singly incompetent to sustain the rising seaweed demand. This necessitates a complementary strategy to reinforce the existing cultivation system and expand the global seaweed industry. Present study proposes cultivation of Ulva lactuca in temperature controlled flat panel photobioreactors under natural illumination. Adaptability of U. lactuca to the flat panel system is apparent through growth studies and photosynthetic performance (F_v/F_m) across individual panels. Evident effect of annual variation in irradiance on daily growth rates, biomass productivity and composition is portrayed. Significance of initial stocking density and harvesting frequency is highlighted. Poultry litter extract was used as an alternative N-source for sustainable cultivation. The maximum achievable productivity was 303gm^-2d^-1 (fresh weight) expanding to 910tonsha^-1yr^-1 including biomass composition consistent with the control media. The present pilot scale study delivers valuable information for commercial scale photobioreactors for seaweed cultivation.

Mechano-Enzymatic Deconstruction with a New Enzymatic Cocktail to Enhance Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Bioethanol Fermentation of Two Macroalgae Species

The aim of this study was to explore the efficiency of a mechano-enzymatic deconstruction of two macroalgae species for sugars and bioethanol production, by using a new enzymatic cocktail (Haliatase) and two types of milling modes (vibro-ball: VBM and centrifugal milling: CM). By increasing the enzymatic concentration from 3.4 to 30 g/L, the total sugars released after 72 h of hydrolysis increased (from 6.7 to 13.1 g/100 g TS and from 7.95 to 10.8 g/100 g TS for the green algae U. lactuca and the red algae G. sesquipedale, respectively). Conversely, total sugars released from G. sesquipedale increased (up to 126% and 129% after VBM and CM, respectively). The best bioethanol yield (6 g_eth/100 g TS) was reached after 72 h of fermentation of U. lactuca and no increase was obtained after centrifugal milling. The latter led to an enhancement of the ethanol yield of G. sesquipedale (from 2 to 4 g/100 g TS).

A review on the biomass pretreatment and inhibitor removal methods as key-steps towards efficient macroalgae-based biohydrogen production

(Red, green and brown) macroalgal biomass is a propitious candidate towards covenant alternative energy resources to be converted into biofuels i.e. hydrogen. The application of macroalgae for hydrogen fermentation (promising route in advancing the biohydrogen generation process) could be accomplished by the transformation of carbohydrates, which is a topic receiving broad attention in recent years. This article overviews the variety of marine algal biomass available in the coastal system, followed by the analyses of their pretreatment methods, inhibitor formation and possible detoxification, which are key-aspects to achieve subsequent H₂ fermentation in a proper way.

Enzymatic saccharification of seaweeds into fermentable sugars by xylanase from marine Bacillus sp. strain BT21

Enzymatic hydrolysis of seaweed biomass was studied using xylanase produced from marine bacteria Bacillus sp. strain BT21 through solid-state fermentation of wheat bran. Three types of seaweeds, Ahnfeltia plicata, Padina tetrastromatica and Ulva lactuca, were selected as representatives of red, brown, and green seaweeds, respectively. Seaweed biomass was pretreated with hot water. The efficiency of pretreated biomass to release reducing sugar by the action of xylanase as well as the type of monosaccharide released during enzyme saccharification of seaweed biomass was studied. It was seen that pretreated biomass of seaweed A. plicata, U. lactuca, and P. tetrastroma, at 121 °C for 45 min, followed by incubation with 50 IU xylanase released reducing sugars of 233 ± 5.3, 100 ± 6.1 and 73.3 ± 4.1 µg/mg of seaweed biomass, respectively. Gas chromatography analysis illustrated the release of xylose, glucose, and mannose during the treatment process. Hot water pre-treatment process enhanced enzymatic conversion of biomass into sugars. This study revealed the important role of xylanase in saccharification of seaweed, a promising feedstock for third-generation bioethanol production.

Kinetic and thermodynamic properties of alginate lyase and cellulase co-produced by Exiguobacterium species Alg-S5

In an effort to screen out the alginolytic and cellulolytic bacteria from the putrefying invasive seaweed Sargassum species accumulated off Barbados' coast, a potent bacterial strain was isolated. This bacterium, which simultaneously produced alginate lyase and cellulase, was identified as Exiguobacterium sp. Alg-S5 via the phylogenetic approach targeting the 16S rRNA gene. The co-produced alginate lyase and cellulase exhibited maximal enzymatic activity at pH 7.5 and at 40°C and 45°C, respectively. The Km and Vmax values recorded as 0.91mg/mL and 21.8U/mg-protein, respectively, for alginate lyase, and 10.9mg/mL and 74.6U/mg-protein, respectively, for cellulase. First order kinetic analysis of the thermal denaturation of the co-produced alginate lyase and cellulase in the temperature range from 40°C to 55°C revealed that both the enzymes were thermodynamically efficient by displaying higher activation energy and enthalpy of denaturation. These enzymatic properties indicate the potential industrial importance of this bacterium in algal biomass conversion. This appears to be the first report on assessing the efficacy of a bacterium for the co-production of alginate lyase and cellulase.

Chemical Characterization of Enteromorpha prolifera Extract Obtained by Enzyme-Assisted Extraction and Its Influence on the Metabolic Activity of Caco-2

The green seaweed Enteromorpha prolifera was used as a feedstock for the production of enzymatic hydrolysate using cellulase. The selection of the conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomass was carried out for different enzyme doses and incubation periods. The obtained extract was examined in terms of its multielemental composition, content of polyphenols and antibacterial properties (tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). Additionally, its influence on the metabolic activity of human colon epithelial cells (Caco-2) was analyzed. The tested concentrations of extract using an in vitro model were 62.5, 125, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 µg/mL. The hydrolysis yield in the most suitable experimental conditions (8-h process and 50 and 100 µL of cellulase) was 36%. Micro- and macroelements were poorly extracted from the algal biomass. Total phenolic content was 55 mg of gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dry mass of extract. The cytotoxic effect of extracts, related to the inhibition of the metabolic activity of Caco-2, was noted only after 24 h. In turn, cultures of Caco-2 propagated with extracts for 72 h were characterized by significantly elevated metabolism (the concentration of extracts ranged from 62.5 to 1000 µg/mL, p < 0.05). Obtained results indicated the high biological activity of the prepared extracts; however, the observed effects did not occur in a dose-dependent manner.

Marine Enzymes and Microorganisms for Bioethanol Production

Bioethanol is a potential alternative fuel to fossil fuels. Bioethanol as a fuel has several economic and environmental benefits. Though bioethanol is produced using starch and sugarcane juice, these materials are in conflict with food availability. To avoid food-fuel conflict, the second-generation bioethanol production by utilizing nonfood lignocellulosic materials has been extensively investigated. However, due to the complexity of lignocellulose architecture, the process is complicated and not economically competitive. The cultivation of lignocellulosic energy crops indirectly affects the food supplies by extensive land use. Marine algae have attracted attention to replace the lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production, since the algae grow fast, do not use land, avoid food-fuel conflict and have several varieties to suit the cultivation environment. The composition of algae is not as complex as lignocellulose due to the absence of lignin, which renders easy hydrolysis of polysaccharides to fermentable sugars. Marine organisms also produce cold-active enzymes for hydrolysis of starch, cellulose, and algal polysaccharides, which can be employed in bioethanol process. Marine microoorganisms are also capable of fermenting sugars under high salt environment. Therefore, marine biocatalysts are promising for development of efficient processes for bioethanol production.

Synthesis and characterization of seaweed cellulose derived carboxymethyl cellulose

In the present study, cellulose (SWC) extracted from green seaweed Ulva fasciata was processed to synthesize carboxymethyl cellulose (SWCMC). The seaweed cellulose (∼15% DW) was first processed for α cellulose extraction (10.1% on DW) followed by the synthesis and characterization of SWCMC. Thin films were prepared using commercial CMC (CCMC), SWCMC and SWCMC-metal nanoparticle (2% wt/v) by solvent evaporation technique. Films were studied for molecular weight, degree of carboxylation, viscosity and characterized by FT-IR and TGA. AFM surface morphology of SWCMC-metal nanoparticle film confirms the uniform distribution of sphere shaped metal nanoparticle on the film surface with the size in the range of 50-75nm. Further, SWCMC film showed antimicrobial activity when prepared with Ag and leaf extract of Azadirachta indica. The biodegradable nature of SWCMC film was confirmed by growing marine fungus Cladosporium spherospermum on CMC agar plates. Thus, SWCMC films exhibit potential applications in cosmetic, food, textiles, medical, agricultural and pharmaceutical industries.

Atmospheric CO2 capture by algae: Negative carbon dioxide emission path

Carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gas, which concentration increase in the atmosphere is associated to climate change and global warming. Besides CO2 capture in large emission point sources, the capture of this pollutant from atmosphere may be required due to significant contribution of diffuse sources. The technologies that remove CO2 from atmosphere (creating a negative balance of CO2) are called negative emission technologies. Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage may play an important role for CO2 mitigation. It represents the combination of bioenergy production and carbon capture and storage, keeping carbon dioxide in geological reservoirs. Algae have a high potential as the source of biomass, as they present high photosynthetic efficiencies and high biomass yields. Their biomass has a wide range of applications, which can improve the economic viability of the process. Thus, this paper aims to assess the atmospheric CO2 capture by algal cultures.

Production and characterization of enzymatic cocktail produced by Aspergillus niger using green macroalgae as nitrogen source and its application in the pre-treatment for biogas production from Ulva rigida

Marine macroalgae are gaining more and more importance as a renewable feedstock for durable bioenergy production, but polysaccharides of this macroalgae are structurally complex in its chemical composition. The use of enzymatic hydrolysis may provide new pathways in the conversion of complex polysaccharides to fermentable sugars. In this study, an enzymatic cocktail with high specificity was first isolated from Aspergillus niger using the green macroalgae Ulva rigida as nitrogen source. The cocktail is rich on β-glucosidase, pectinase and carboxy-methyl-cellulase (CMCase). The highest activity was obtained with β-glucosidase (109IUmL(-1)) and pectinase (76IUmL(-1)), while CMCase present the lowest activity 4.6IUmL(-1). The U. rigida pre-treatment with this enzymatic cocktail showed high rate of reduced sugar release, and could bring promising prospects for enzymatic pre-treatment of the biogas production from U. rigida biomass which reached 1175mLgCODint(-1).

Optimization study on the hydrogen peroxide pretreatment and production of bioethanol from seaweed Ulva prolifera biomass

The seaweed Ulva prolifera, distributed in inter-tidal zones worldwide, contains a large percentage of cellulosic materials. The technical feasibility of using U. prolifera residue (UPR) obtained after extraction of polysaccharides as a renewable energy resource was investigated. An environment-friendly and economical pretreatment process was conducted using hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide pretreatment improved the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. The resulting yield of reducing sugar reached a maximum of 0.42g/g UPR under the optimal pretreatment condition (hydrogen peroxide 0.2%, 50°C, pH 4.0, 12h). The rate of conversion of reducing sugar in the concentrated hydrolysates to bioethanol reached 31.4% by Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation, which corresponds to 61.7% of the theoretical maximum yield. Compared with other reported traditional processes on Ulva biomass, the reducing sugar and bioethanol yield are substantially higher. Thus, hydrogen peroxide pretreatment is an effective enhancement of the process of bioethanol production from the seaweed U. prolifera.

An integrated process for the extraction of fuel and chemicals from marine macroalgal biomass

We describe an integrated process that can be applied to biomass of the green seaweed, Ulva fasciata, to allow the sequential recovery of four economically important fractions; mineral rich liquid extract (MRLE), lipid, ulvan, and cellulose. The main benefits of our process are: a) its simplicity and b) the consistent yields obtained from the residual biomass after each successive extraction step. For example, dry Ulva biomass yields ~26% of its starting mass as MRLE, ~3% as lipid, ~25% as ulvan, and ~11% as cellulose, with the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of the final cellulose fraction under optimized conditions producing ethanol at a competitive 0.45 g/g reducing sugar. These yields are comparable to those obtained by direct processing of the individual components from primary biomass. We propose that this integration of ethanol production and chemical feedstock recovery from macroalgal biomass could substantially enhance the sustainability of marine biomass use.

A simple process for recovery of a stream of products from marine macroalgal biomass

The present study describes a simple process for recovering a stream of products sequentially including bioethanol from the fresh biomass of the red seaweed Gracilaria corticata. From processing of 100g fresh biomass (∼12.2 g dry), 166 ± 3 μg/g R-phycoerythrin, 126±4μg/g R-phycocyanin can be realized on fresh weight basis, and 1.41 ± 0.03% crude lipid, 22.45 ± 0.53% agar, 12.39 ± 0.85% soil conditioner, 2.89 ± 0.04% bioethanol on dry weight basis along with 318 ± 3 ml of mineral rich liquid with possible fertilizer applications. The advantages of this process are complete utilization of feedstock without compromising the yield and quality of products, reusability of solvents and no solid waste. Further, the products recovered from one ton fresh biomass were found to have an estimated market value of USD 1051 while processing cost including raw material as 241 USD, a fourfold value addition of feedstock.

Ethanol production from brown seaweed using non-conventional yeasts

The use of macroalgae (seaweed) as a potential source of biofuels has attracted considerable worldwide interest. Since brown algae, especially the giant kelp, grow very rapidly and contain considerable amounts of polysaccharides, coupled with low lignin content, they represent attractive candidates for bioconversion to ethanol through yeast fermentation processes. In the current study, powdered dried seaweeds (Ascophylum nodosum and Laminaria digitata) were pre-treated with dilute sulphuric acid and hydrolysed with commercially available enzymes to liberate fermentable sugars. Higher sugar concentrations were obtained from L. digitata compared with A. nodosum with glucose and rhamnose being the predominant sugars, respectively, liberated from these seaweeds. Fermentation of the resultant seaweed sugars was performed using two non-conventional yeast strains: Scheffersomyces (Pichia) stipitis and Kluyveromyces marxianus based on their abilities to utilise a wide range of sugars. Although the yields of ethanol were quite low (at around 6 g/L), macroalgal ethanol production was slightly higher using K. marxianus compared with S. stipitis. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining ethanol from brown algae using relatively straightforward bioprocess technology, together with non-conventional yeasts. Conversion efficiency of these non-conventional yeasts could be maximised by operating the fermentation process based on the physiological requirements of the yeasts.