Investigating algae for CO2 capture and accumulation and simultaneous production of biomass for biodiesel production

Sustainable microalgal biomass as a potential functional food and its applications in food industry: a comprehensive review

Microalgae (MA) are the most abundant seaweeds with high nutritional properties. They are accepted as potential biocatalysts for the bioremediation of wastewater. They are widely used in food, feed, and biofuel industries and can potentially be food for future generations. MA-based purification of wastewater technology could be a universal alternative solution for the recovery of resources from wastewater for low-cost biomass feedstock for industry. They provide a wide range of functional components, viz. omega-3 fatty acids, along with a plenteous number of pigments such as ß-carotene, astaxanthin, lutein, phycocyanin, and chlorophyll, which are used extensively as food additives and nutraceuticals. Further, proteins, lipids, vitamins, and carbohydrates are described as nutritional characteristics in MA. They are investigated as single-cell protein, thickening/stabilizing agents, and pigment sources in the food industry. The review emphasizes the production and extraction of nutritional and functional components of algal biomass and the role of microalgal polysaccharides in digestion and nutritional absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Further, the use of MA in the food industry was also investigated along with their potential therapeutic applications.

Green preparation of CaO-based CO2 adsorbent by calcium-induced hydrogenation of shell wastes at room/moderate temperature

Capturing CO2 using clamshell/eggshell-derived CaO adsorbent can not only reduce carbon emissions but also alleviate the impact of trash on the environment. However, organic acid was usually used, high-temperature calcination was often performed, and CO2 was inevitably released during preparing CaO adsorbents from shell wastes. In this work, CaO-based CO2 adsorbent was greenly prepared by calcium-induced hydrogenation of clamshell and eggshell wastes in one pot at room/moderate temperature. CO2 adsorption experiments were performed in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The adsorption performance of the adsorbents obtained from the mechanochemical reaction (BM-C/E-CaO) was superior to that of the adsorbents obtained from the thermochemical reaction (Cal-C/E-CaO). The CO2 adsorption capacity of BM-C-CaO at 650 °C is up to 36.82 wt%, but the adsorption decay rate of the sample after 20 carbonation/calcination cycles is only 30.17%. This study offers an alternative energy-saving method for greenly preparing CaO-based adsorbent from shell wastes.

Carbon capture and utilization by algae with high concentration CO2 or bicarbonate as carbon source

Algae plays a key role in carbon capture and utilization (CCU) as it can capture and use the atmospheric CO2 for conversion of value-added products. Concentrated CO2 is common in flue gas and provides opportunities for algae cultivation. The drawbacks are mass transfer limitation, poor CO2 dissolution, and challenges to reach optimal levels for algal growth at given flue gas levels. Bicarbonate is flexible to be used as carbon source and owns the potential to enhance the efficiency of biological carbon fixation by algae. The requirements of algae strains are more stringent. To improve the industrial scale-up of CCU, system optimization is of great importance. More novel algal strains that can grow rapidly under harsh environment and provide valuable bio-products should be developed for large-scale production. Algae-driven CCU is promising for achieving carbon-neutrality.

A review on recent biodiesel intensification process through cavitation and microwave reactors: Yield, energy, and economic analysis

The use of biodiesel as a reliable and green energy source has grown over the past few years. Biodiesel is sustainable and biodegradable because it is only made from vegetable contents and waste cooking oil. Although biodiesel has many advantages over conventional fuels, there are still a lot of technological issues that need to be addressed during the production process. The yield of biodiesel produced using conventional methods is poor and the process is time-consuming. Process enhancements like cavitation and microwave have thus been developed to address this problem. Starting with a comparison to the conventional biodiesel process, this paper has reviewed the most recent developments in the increase of mixture and transfer of heat in these two reactors. This paper examined biodiesel improvement using microwave and cavitation reactors, including biodiesel yield, by meticulously reviewing and analyzing previous works. The production of biodiesel from various raw materials using a range of catalysts, energy requirements, as well as operating factors, activation energy, and constraints also have been discussed. Additionally, the economic analysis discusses the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of implementing these technologies on a commercial scale. Overall, this review provides valuable insights into the intensification of biodiesel production using cavitation and microwave reactors while considering both the technical and economic aspects.

Effects of different biofuels and their mixtures with diesel fuel on diesel engine performance and exhausts

In this study, a compression ignition engine that ran on recycled used cooking oil (RUCO), Jatropha curcas (JC), Pongamia Pinnata (PP), and petroleum diesel fuel (PDF) was investigated for its energy, performance, and exhaust emissions. The 20 % by volume RUCO, JC, and PP biofuel mix with PDF is taken. According to the American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) standard, the blend qualities are evaluated. Viscosity, density, flash point, and heating value have all been tested for the 20 % blend. The outcome indicated that for a 20 % mix, the viscosity, density and flash point were all greater than in the PDF but heat value lower. Because studies have demonstrated that diesel engines can operate on 20 % replacement without any modifications, this study focused on 20 % blend. The engine was tested with loads (Ls) ranging from 0 % to 100 % of its entire capacity while the compression ratios (CRs) was varied. The experimental result demonstrated that the thermal efficiency, as measured by the PDF, was much greater than that of the DRUCO20, DJC20, and DPP20 blends. After the addition of RUCO, JC, and PP to PDF, the temperature of the exhaust gases reduced, and the engine used more gasoline as a result. It was discovered that an engine emissions of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were lower than those of PDF. Even though it produced a greater amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the DRUCO20 was superior to both the DCJ20 and the DPP20.

Utilization of microalgal-bacterial energy nexus improves CO2 sequestration and remediation of wastewater pollutants for beneficial environmental services

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and coal are primary contributors of greenhouse gases leading to global climate change and warming. The toxicity of heavy metals and metalloids in the environment threatens ecological functionality, diversity and global human life. The ability of microalgae to thrive in harsh environments such as industrial wastewater, polluted lakes, and contaminated seawaters presents new, environmentally friendly, and less expensive CO2 remediation solutions. Numerous microalgal species grown in wastewater for industrial purposes may absorb and convert nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter into proteins, oil, and carbohydrates. In any multi-faceted micro-ecological system, the role of bacteria and their interactions with microalgae can be harnessed appropriately to enhance microalgae performance in either wastewater treatment or algal production systems. This algal-bacterial energy nexus review focuses on examining the processes used in the capture, storage, and biological fixation of CO2 by various microalgal species, as well as the optimized production of microalgae in open and closed cultivation systems. Microalgal production depends on different biotic and abiotic variables to ultimately deliver a high yield of microalgal biomass.

Global Life Cycle and Techno-Economic Assessment of Algal-Based Biofuels

Techno-economic analyses (TEAs) and life cycle assessments (LCAs) of algal biofuels often focus on locations in suboptimal latitudes for algal cultivation, which can under-represent the sustainability potential of the technology. This study identifies the optimal global productivity potential, environmental impacts, and economic viability of algal biofuels by using validated biophysical and sustainability modeling. The biophysical model simulates growth rates of Scenedesmus obliquusbased on temperature, photoinhibition, and respiration effects at 6685 global locations. Region-specific labor costs, construction factors, and tax rates allow for spatially resolved TEA, while the LCA includes regional impacts of electricity, hydrogen, and nutrient markets across ten environmental categories. The analysis identifies optimal locations for algal biofuel production in terms of environmental impacts and economic viability which are shown to follow biomass yields. Modeling results highlight the global variability of productivity with maximum yields ranging between 24.8 and 27.5 g m-2 d-1 in equatorial regions. Environmental impact results show favorable locations tracked with low-carbon electricity grids, with the well-to-wheels global warming potential (GWP) ranging from 31 to 45 g CO2eq MJ-1 in South America and Central Africa. When including direct land use change impacts, the GWP ranged between 44 and 55 g CO2eq MJ-1 in these high-productivity regions. Low-carbon electricity also favors air quality and eutrophication impacts. The TEA shows that minimum algal fuel prices of $1.89-$2.15 per liter of gasoline-equivalent are possible in southeast Asia and Venezuela. This discussion focuses on the challenges and opportunities to reduce fuel prices and the environmental impacts of algal biofuels in various global regions.

Potential use of saline resources for biofuel production using halophytes and marine algae: prospects and pitfalls

There exists a global challenge of feeding the growing human population of the world and supplying its energy needs without exhausting global resources. This challenge includes the competition for biomass between food and fuel production. The aim of this paper is to review to what extent the biomass of plants growing under hostile conditions and on marginal lands could ease that competition. Biomass from salt-tolerant algae and halophytes has shown potential for bioenergy production on salt-affected soils. Halophytes and algae could provide a bio-based source for lignoceelusic biomass and fatty acids or an alternative for edible biomass currently produced using fresh water and agricultural lands. The present paper provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges in the development of alternative fuels from halophytes and algae. Halophytes grown on marginal and degraded lands using saline water offer an additional material for commercial-scale biofuel production, especially bioethanol. At the same time, suitable strains of microalgae cultured under saline conditions can be a particularly good source of biodiesel, although the efficiency of their mass-scale biomass production is still a concern in relation to environmental protection. This review summaries the pitfalls and precautions for producing biomass in a way that limits environmental hazards and harms for coastal ecosystems. Some new algal and halophytic species with great potential as sources of bioenergy are highlighted.

Static supply of different simulated flue gases for native microalgae cultivation in diluted cow manure digestate

The application of microalgae to sequester CO₂ from flue gases can be an interesting process since it can contribute to mitigate CO₂ emission into the atmosphere. One obstacle of such application is the high CO₂ concentration in the flue gases, which can lead to low pH in the cultivation medium and hence process failure. This study aims to investigate static CO₂ gas supply for microalgae cultivation as a potential alternative that might allow applying different flue gases with different compositions and higher CO₂ concentrations. Two sets of experiments were performed. First, the effect of increasing the amount of supplied carbon was tested. In the second experiment, the applicability of such system for different flue gases regarding their oxygen and carbon content was tested. In all experiments, 50 times diluted cow manure digestate was used as a culture medium. By increasing CO₂ concentration up to 10% in the supplied air, microalgae growth productivity of 48.7 mg/L/d was achieved. A further improvement of microalgae growth was shown with increasing the gas/culture volume ratio. Microalgae productivity rate increased form 48.7 mg/L/d to 73.5 mg/L/d when the volume of gas increased from 47% to 81% of total volume. Applying CO₂ in air (O₂ content around 20%) or in N₂ (O₂ content less than 2%) didn't show any difference regarding inorganic carbon dissolution, pH, ammonium nitrogen removal, CO₂ fixation or biomass productivity. Generally, it can be concluded that static gas supply for microalgae cultivation can allow the application of different flue gases from different industries with low or high O₂ content and with CO₂ concentration as high as 20%. According to our results, a microalgae cultivation system with continuous static gas supply was proposed.

Emerging Technologies for Enhancing Microalgae Biofuel Production: Recent Progress, Barriers, and Limitations

The world has heavily relied on fossil fuels for decades to supply energy demands. However, the usage of fossil fuels has been strongly correlated with impactful problems, which lead to global warming. Moreover, the excessive use of fossil fuels has led to their rapid depletion. Hence, exploring other renewable and sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels is imperative. One of the most sustainable fossil fuel alternatives is biofuel. Microalgae-based biofuels are receiving the attention of researchers due to their numerous advantages compared with those obtained from other types of feedstocks. Hence, it is essential to explore the recent technologies for biofuel produced from microalgae species and define the possible challenges that might be faced during this process. Therefore, this work presents the recent advancements in biofuel production from microalgae, focusing on emerging technologies such as those using nanomaterials and genetic engineering. This review focuses on the impact of nanoparticles on the harvesting efficiency of various microalgae species and the influence of nanoparticles on biofuel production. The genetic screening performed by genome-scale mutant libraries and their high-throughput screening may assist in developing effective strategies for enhancing microalgal strains and oil production through the modification of enzymes. Furthermore, the barriers that limit the production of biofuels from microalgae are introduced. Even though microalgae-based biofuels are perceived to engage with low negative impacts on the environment, this review paper touches on several environmental issues associated with the cultivation and harvesting of microalgae species. Moreover, the economic and technical feasibility limits the production of microalgae-based biofuels.

Microalgal photoautotrophic growth induces pH decrease in the aquatic environment by acidic metabolites secretion

BACKGROUND

Microalgae can absorb CO₂ during photosynthesis, which causes the aquatic environmental pH to rise. However, the pH is reduced when microalga Euglena gracilis (EG) is cultivated under photoautotrophic conditions. The mechanism behind this unique phenomenon is not yet elucidated.

RESULTS

The present study evaluated the growth of EG, compared to Chlorella vulgaris (CV), as the control group; analyzed the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the aquatic environment; finally revealed the mechanism of the decrease in the aquatic environmental pH via comparative metabolomics analysis. Although the CV cell density was 28.3-fold that of EG, the secreted-DOM content from EG cell was 49.8-fold that of CV (p-value < 0.001). The main component of EG's DOM was rich in humic acids, which contained more DOM composed of chemical bonds such as N-H, O-H, C-H, C=O, C-O-C, and C-OH than that of CV. Essentially, the 24 candidate biomarkers metabolites secreted by EG into the aquatic environment were acidic substances, mainly lipids and lipid-like molecules, organoheterocyclic compounds, organic acids, and derivatives. Moreover, six potential critical secreted-metabolic pathways were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that EG secreted acidic metabolites, resulting in decreased aquatic environmental pH. This study provides novel insights into a new understanding of the ecological niche of EG and the rule of pH change in the microalgae aquatic environment.

Electroplating sludge-derived metal and sulfur co-doping catalyst and its application in methanol production by CO2 catalytic hydrogenation

Electroplating sludge is a hazardous waste and its recycling is a hot topic. Electroplating sludge usually contains plenty of transition metals and multi-hetero atoms, which are potential resources. For the first time, this work synthesized spinel catalyst from Zn- and Cr-containing electroplating sludges by a simple calcination method, and applied the obtained catalysts in CH₃OH production by CO₂ catalytic hydrogenation. The spinel was doped by various heteroatoms, including Fe, Mn, Cu, and even S. According to detailed characterizations, the metal doping increased the low-temperature conversion efficiency of CO₂ but decreased the CH₃OH selectivity at the same time. After a further doping of S, although CO₂ conversion efficiency was slightly decreased, the selectivity of CH₃OH was significantly increased. After all, the optimized catalyst attained a conversion efficiency of 8.6% (CO₂) as well as a selectivity of 73.3% (CH₃OH) at 250 °C and 3 MPa. As a result, above results realized high-value-added utilization of hazardous waste and producing valuable product at the same time, which was in favor of circular development.

Microalgae-based wastewater treatment for developing economic and environmental sustainability: Current status and future prospects

Over the last several decades, concerns about climate change and pollution due to human activity has gained widespread attention. Microalgae have been proposed as a suitable biological platform to reduce carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, while also creating commercial sources of high-value compounds such as medicines, cosmetics, food, feed, and biofuel. Industrialization of microalgae culture and valorization is still limited by significant challenges in scaling up the production processes due to economic constraints and productivity capacities. Therefore, a boost in resource usage efficiency is required. This enhancement not only lowers manufacturing costs but also enhancing the long-term viability of microalgae-based products. Using wastewater as a nutrient source is a great way to reduce manufacturing costs. Furthermore, water scarcity is one of the most important global challenges. In recent decades, industrialization, globalization, and population growth have all impacted freshwater resources. Moreover, high amounts of organic and inorganic toxins in the water due to the disposal of waste into rivers can have severe impacts on human and animal health. Microalgae cultures are a sustainable solution to tertiary and quaternary treatments since they have the ability to digest complex contaminants. This review presents biorefineries based on microalgae from all angles, including the potential for environmental pollution remediation as well as applications for bioenergy and value-added biomolecule production. An overview of current information about microalgae-based technology and a discussion of the associated hazards and opportunities for the bioeconomy are highlighted.

Industrial CO2 Capture by Algae: A Review and Recent Advances

The problem of global warming and the emission of greenhouse gases is already directly affecting the world’s energy. In the future, the impact of CO2 emissions on the world economy will constantly grow. In this paper, we review the available literature sources on the benefits of using algae cultivation for CO2 capture to decrease CO2 emission. CO2 emission accounts for about 77% of all greenhouse gases, and the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions is 56% of all CO2 imports. As a result of the study of various types of algae, it was concluded that Chlorella sp. is the best at capturing CO2. Various methods of cultivating microalgae were also considered and it was found that vertical tubular bioreactors are emerging. Moreover, for energy purposes, thermochemical methods for processing algae that absorb CO2 from flue gases were considered. Of all five types of thermochemical processes for producing synthesis gas, the most preferred method is the method of supercritical gasification of algae. In addition, attention is paid to the drying and flocculation of biofuels. Several different experiments were also reviewed on the use of flue gases through the cultivation of algae biomass. Based on this literature review, it can be concluded that microalgae are a third generation biofuel. With the absorption of greenhouse gases, the growth of microalgae cultures is accelerated. When a large mass of microalgae appears, it can be used for energy purposes. In the results, we present a plan for further studies of microalgae cultivation, a thermodynamic analysis of gasification and pyrolysis, and a comparison of the results with other biofuels and other algae cultures.

Circular Economy: A Comprehensive Review of Eco-Friendly Wollastonite Applications

The growing increase in greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2), by anthropogenic activities can be linked to extreme climate events, such as intensive droughts, floods, or hurricanes, and has led to several studies focused on reducing the concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Some technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), can potentially sequester billions of tons of CO2 per year. One of the promising methods is the use of carbon mineralization as a CCS methodology. For this approach, some minerals can be investigated, such as wollastonite, which can be obtained from agricultural waste recovery. One topic of interest in these studies is agriculture, demonstrating that it can play an important role in climate change mitigation. This work presents a critical review of the studies of rice waste use for potential synthesizing wollastonite as a path for CO2 storage, promoting the circular economy. Several works were analyzed and presented, addressing eco-friendly wollastonite use, such as in the cement industry, and they can contribute to a lower global warming potential. There is a promising way to explore, once there are few studies in the literature about CO2 capture and storage of wollastonite by carbon mineralization.

Microalgae as a solution of third world energy crisis for biofuels production from wastewater toward carbon neutrality: An updated review

The boost of the greenhouse gases (GHGs, largely carbon dioxide - CO₂) emissions owing to anthropogenic activity is one of the biggest global threats. Bio-CO₂ emission reduction has received more and more attention as an environmentally sustainable approach. Microalgae are very popular in this regard because of excellent speed of growth, low costs of production, and resistance to extreme environments. Besides, most microalgae can undergo photosynthesis, where the CO₂ and solar energy can be converted into sugar, and subsequently become biomass, providing a renewable and promising biofuel strategy with a few outstanding benefits. This review focuses on presenting CO₂ sequestration by microalgae towards wastewater treatment and biodiesel production. First, the CO₂ fixation mechanism by microalgae viz., sequestration and assimilation of CO₂ in green microalgae as well as cyanobacteria were introduced. Besides, factors affecting CO₂ sequestration in microalgae, containing microalgae species and cultivation conditions, such as light condition, photobioreactor, configuration, pH, CO₂ concentration, temperature, and medium composition, were then comprehensively discussed. Special attention was given to the production of biodiesel as third-generation biofuel from various wastewater (CO₂ biofixation), including processing steps of biodiesel production by microalgae, biodiesel production from wastewater, and improved methods. Furthermore, current life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) used in biodiesel production were discussed. Finally, the research challenges and specific prospects were considered. Taken together, this review provides useful and updated information to facilitate the development of microalgal "green chemistry" and "environmental sustainability".

Combined effect of CO2 concentration and low-cost urea repletion/starvation in Chlorella vulgaris for ameliorating growth metrics, total and non-polar lipid accumulation and fatty acid composition

Different CO₂ concentration such as 0.03, 5, 10 and 15% and low-cost urea repletion/starvation in Chlorella vulgaris on growth, total and non-polar lipid content and fatty acid composition was studied. Chlorella vulgaris grown at 0.03% CO₂ apparently revealed inferior biomass yield 0.55 g/L on 14th day compared to CO₂ supplemented cells. In the case of CO₂ supply, 15% CO₂ has unveiled higher biomass yield at about 1.83 g/L on day 12 whereas biomass yield for 5 and 10% CO₂ supplemented cells was 1.61 and 1.73 g/L, respectively on 12th day of cultivation. The biomass productivity (g) per liter per day was 32 mg in control condition whereas it was 125, 134 and 144 mg/L/d in 5, 10 and 15% CO₂ supplied cells, respectively. Lipid content of the strain grown at control, 5, 10 and 15% CO₂ was 21.2, 22.1, 23.4 and 24.6%, respectively and however, without CO₂ addition in low-cost urea repleted and urea depleted medium grown cells revealed 21.2 and 24.2%, respectively. Interestingly, strain grown at 15% CO₂ supply in urea deplete medium yielded 28.7% lipid and contribution of non-polar lipids in total lipids is 69.7%. Further, the fatty acid composition of the strain grown in 15% CO₂ supply in urea depleted medium showed C16:0, C16:1, C18:1 and C18:3 in the level of 30.12, 9.98, 23.43, and 11.97%, respectively compared to control and urea amended condition.

A novel flat-panel photobioreactor for simultaneous production of lutein and carbon sequestration by Chlorella sorokiniana TH01

Carbon dioxide is the major cause of global warming. However, it is a carbon source for phototrophic production of chemicals from microalgae. In this work, a novel flat-panel photobioreactor (FPP) was used for maximization of biomass and lutein production and CO₂ fixation by a lutein-rich C. sorokiniana TH01. CO₂ concentration, light intensity and aeration rate were optimized as 5%, 150 µmol/m²/s and 1 L/min, respectively. The highest biomass productivity, lutein productivity and CO₂ fixation efficiency were measured for indoor single and sequential FPPs were 284 - 469 mg/L/d, 2.57 - 4.57 mg/L/d, and 63 - 100%, respectively. In a climatic condition of 25.5 - 33 °C and 86 - 600 µmol/m²/s, C. sorokiniana TH01 achieved lutein productivity and CO₂ fixation efficiency of 2.1 - 3.03 mg/L/d and 56 - 81%, respectively, while the comparable biomass productivity of 284 - 419 mg/L/d was maintained. This pioneered FPP system was efficiently demonstrated for production of algal lutein from CO₂.

Effects of Water Removal from Palm Oil Reactant by Electrolysis on the Fuel Properties of Biodiesel

Biodiesel, which is composed of mono-alkyl esters of long carbon-chained fatty acids, is used as an alternative fuel to petro-diesel. The water content of the reactant mixture of feedstock oil influences the extent of transesterification and thus the fuel characteristics. Lower water content in feedstock oil is generally suggested for successful transesterification. This experimental study removed water from the reactant mixture of feedstock palm oil and methanol during transesterification using various systems composed of either electrodes or molecular sieves with rotary vibration. The effect of input electrical energy, number of electrodes, vibration modes, and operating time on the amount of water removed from the reactant mixture and the fuel properties of the final biodiesel product were analyzed and compared with those achieved using molecular sieves. The results show that the biodiesel—after water was removed during transesterification—appeared to have increased kinematic viscosity, cetane index, distillation temperature, and acid value, while the heating value, flash point, ignition point, and water content decreased with an increase in the input electrical energy of the electrodes responsible for electrolyzing water away. Electrolysis by the double-pair electrodes was more effective at reducing acid value and water content than that performed by the single-pair electrodes under the same input electrical energy. The biodiesel was found to have the lowest water content (0.0304 wt.%) and the highest water-removal rate (0.011 wt.%) when water was removed during transesterification by the double-pair electrodes with an input electrical energy of 9 J/(g palm oil). The water-removal rate of the rotary-vibrating molecular sieves was 11.24 times that of the single-pair electrodes. The biodiesel was found to have increased kinematic viscosity with higher input electrical energy, reaching 5.15 mm2/s when the double-pair electrodes with an input electrical energy of 11 J/(g palm oil) were used. Longer carbon-chained fatty acids, ranging from C20 to C24, amounted to 0.74 wt.% of the biodiesel produced using the double-pair electrodes, which was greater than that seen for the single-pair electrodes. However, the molecular sieve method consumed more energy than the double-pair electrodes did to remove the same amount of water from the palm oil reactant mixture via transesterification.

Topological Analysis of the Carbon-Concentrating CETCH Cycle and a Photorespiratory Bypass Reveals Boosted CO2-Sequestration by Plants

Synthetically designed alternative photorespiratory pathways increase the biomass of tobacco and rice plants. Likewise, some in planta-tested synthetic carbon-concentrating cycles (CCCs) hold promise to increase plant biomass while diminishing atmospheric carbon dioxide burden. Taking these individual contributions into account, we hypothesize that the integration of bypasses and CCCs will further increase plant productivity. To test this in silico, we reconstructed a metabolic model by integrating photorespiration and photosynthesis with the synthetically designed alternative pathway 3 (AP3) enzymes and transporters. We calculated fluxes of the native plant system and those of AP3 combined with the inhibition of the glycolate/glycerate transporter by using the YANAsquare package. The activity values corresponding to each enzyme in photosynthesis, photorespiration, and for synthetically designed alternative pathways were estimated. Next, we modeled the effect of the crotonyl-CoA/ethylmalonyl-CoA/hydroxybutyryl-CoA cycle (CETCH), which is a set of natural and synthetically designed enzymes that fix CO₂ manifold more than the native Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. We compared estimated fluxes across various pathways in the native model and under an introduced CETCH cycle. Moreover, we combined CETCH and AP3-w/plgg1RNAi, and calculated the fluxes. We anticipate higher carbon dioxide-harvesting potential in plants with an AP3 bypass and CETCH-AP3 combination. We discuss the in vivo implementation of these strategies for the improvement of C3 plants and in natural high carbon harvesters.

Immobilized Microalgae-Based Photobioreactor for CO2 Capture (IMC-CO2PBR): Efficiency Estimation, Technological Parameters, and Prototype Concept

Microalgae-mediated CO2 sequestration has been a subject of numerous research works and has become one of the most promising strategies to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. However, feeding flue and exhaust gas into algae-based systems has been shown to destroy chloroplasts, as well as disrupt photosynthesis and other metabolic processes in microalgae, which directly limits CO2 uptake. CO2 biosequestration in existing photobioreactors (PBRs) is also limited by the low biomass concentration in the growth medium. Therefore, there is a real need to seek alternative solutions that would be competitive in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness. The present paper reports the results of experiments aimed to develop an innovative trickle bed reactor that uses immobilized algae to capture CO2 from flue and exhaust gas (IMC-CO2PBR). In the experiment, ambient air enriched with technical-grade CO2 to a CO2 concentration of 25% v/v was used. The microalgae immobilization technology employed in the experiment produced biomass yields approximating 100 g DM/dm3. A relationship was found between CO2 removal rates and gas volume flux: almost 40% of CO2 was removed at a feed of 25 dm3 of gas per hour, whereas in the 200 dm3/h group, the removal efficiency amounted to 5.9%. The work includes a determination of basic process parameters, presentation of a developed functional model and optimized lighting system, proposals for components to be used in the system, and recommendations for an automation and control system for a full-scale implementation.

The Brown Seaweeds of Scotland, Their Importance and Applications

More than 50% of the UK coastline is situated in Scotland under legislative jurisdiction; therefore, there is a great opportunity for regionally focused economic development by the rational use of sustainable marine bio-sources. We review the importance of seaweeds in general, and more specifically, wrack brown seaweeds which are washed from the sea and accumulated in the wrack zone and their economic impact. Rules and regulations governing the harvesting of seaweed, potential sites for harvesting, along with the status of industrial application are discussed. We describe extraction and separation methods of natural products from these seaweeds along with their phytochemical profiles. Many potential applications for these derivatives exist in agriculture, energy, nutrition, biomaterials, waste treatment (composting), pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other applications. The chemical diversity of the natural compounds present in these seaweeds is an opportunity to further investigate a range of chemical scaffolds, evaluate their biological activities, and develop them for better pharmaceutical or biotechnological applications. The key message is the significant opportunity for the development of high value products from a seaweed processing industry in Scotland, based on a sustainable resource, and locally regulated.