Innovative application of brackish groundwater without the addition of nutrients in the cultivation of Spirulina and Chlorella for carbohydrate and lipid production

Brackish groundwater is promising for the cultivation of economically important microalgae; however, its effects have been evaluated only after nutrient supplementation. In this study, 100% brackish groundwater was evaluated as a culture medium for Spirulina sp. (BGWS) and Chlorella fusca (BGWC). In addition, the effects of supplementation with 25% of the nutrients from Zarrouk (BGWS25) and BG-11 (BGWC25) culture media were evaluated. BGWS and BGWC increased the concentration (68.1% w w^-1) and productivity of carbohydrate (35.3 mg L^-1 d^-1) in Spirulina sp. and increased the concentration (56.4% w w^-1) and productivity (13.5 mg L^-1 d^-1) of lipids in C. fusca biomass, when compared to that in the respective controls. The use of brackish groundwater as the sole culture medium is an innovative alternative for the economic production of biomass rich in carbohydrates and lipids. This has potential applications for biofuel production.

Double-high in palmitic and oleic acids accumulation in a non-model green microalga, Messastrum gracile SE-MC4 under nitrate-repletion and -starvation cultivations

Bioprospecting for biodiesel potential in microalgae primarily involves a few model species of microalgae and rarely on non-model microalgae species. Therefore, the present study determined changes in physiology, oil accumulation, fatty acid composition and biodiesel properties of a non-model microalga Messastrum gracile SE-MC4 in response to 12 continuous days of nitrate-starve (NS) and nitrate-replete (NR) conditions respectively. Under NS, the highest oil content (57.9%) was achieved despite reductions in chlorophyll content, biomass productivity and lipid productivity. However, under both NS and NR, palmitic acid and oleic acid remained as dominant fatty acids thus suggesting high potential of M. gracile for biodiesel feedstock consideration. Biodiesel properties analysis returned high values of cetane number (CN 61.9-64.4) and degree of unsaturation (DU 45.3-57.4) in both treatments. The current findings show the possibility of a non-model microalga to inherit superior ability over model species in oil accumulation for biodiesel development.

Latest development in microalgae-biofuel production with nano-additives

BACKGROUND

Microalgae have been experimented as a potential feedstock for biofuel generation in current era owing to its' rich energy content, inflated growth rate, inexpensive culture approaches, the notable capacity of CO₂ fixation, and O₂ addition to the environment. Currently, research is ongoing towards the advancement of microalgal-biofuel technologies. The nano-additive application has been appeared as a prominent innovation to meet this phenomenon.

MAIN TEXT

The main objective of this study was to delineate the synergistic impact of microalgal biofuel integrated with nano-additive applications. Numerous nano-additives such as nano-fibres, nano-particles, nano-tubes, nano-sheets, nano-droplets, and other nano-structures' applications have been reviewed in this study to facilitate microalgae growth to biofuel utilization. The present paper was intended to comprehensively review the nano-particles preparing techniques for microalgae cultivation and harvesting, biofuel extraction, and application of microalgae-biofuel nano-particles blends. Prospects of solid nano-additives and nano-fluid applications in the future on microalgae production, microalgae biomass conversion to biofuels as well as enhancement of biofuel combustion for revolutionary advancement in biofuel technology have been demonstrated elaborately by this review. This study also highlighted the potential biofuels from microalgae, numerous technologies, and conversion processes. Along with that, the study recounted suitability of potential microalgae candidates with an integrated design generating value-added co-products besides biofuel production.

CONCLUSIONS

Nano-additive applications at different stages from microalgae culture to end-product utilization presented strong possibility in mercantile approach as well as positive impact on the environment along with valuable co-products generation into the near future.

Nanoparticle Surface Affinity as a Predictor of Trophic Transfer

Nanoscale materials, whether natural, engineered, or incidental, are increasingly acknowledged as important components in large, environmental systems with potential implications for environmental impact and human health. Mathematical models are a useful tool for handling the rapidly increasing complexity and diversity of these materials and their exposure routes. Presented here is a mathematical model of trophic transfer driven by nanomaterial surface affinity for environmental and biological surfaces, developed in tandem with an experimental functional assay for determining these surface affinities. We found that nanoparticle surface affinity is a strong predictor of uptake through predation in a simple food web consisting of the algae Chlorella vulgaris and daphnid Daphnia magna. The mass of nanoparticles internalized by D. magna through consuming nanomaterial-contaminated algae varied linearly with surface-attachment efficiency. Internalized quantities of gold nanoparticles in D. magna ranged from 8.3 to 23.6 ng/mg for nanoparticle preparations with surface-attachment efficiencies ranging from 0.07 to 1. This model, coupled with the functional-assay approach, may provide a useful screening tool for existing materials as well as a predictive model for their development.