• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2015

The focus of this study was to observe the growth of Chlorella vulgaris and Botryococcus braunii under mixotrophic conditions (i.e., added acorn) with the aim of increasing biomass and triacylglycerols (TAGs) content. The result of investigation indicated that the acorn contains a lot of carbonate (87.29%) and glucose (97.99 mg%). A significant growth of biomass was obtained when grown in acorn rich environment comparing to autotrophic conditions. 3 g/L acorn yielded the highest biomass concentration for these strains. Thus, the biomass productivity with 3 g/L acorn was obtained 2.31 times and 2.10 times higher than that of authotrophic conditions for Chlorella vulgaris and Botryococcus braunii, respectively. The maximum amount of TAGs was reached 14.35% and 18.41% for Chlorella vulgaris and Botryococcus braunii, respectively, in the growth medium with 5 g/L acorn. The effect of acorn could enhance the investigated microalgae growth, biomass productivity and TAGs content. This provides a feasible way to reduce the cost of bioenergy production from microalgae.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2016

The growth of the algae strain Chlorella vulgaris under mixotrophic conditions in the presence of saccharified acorn-starch (acorn-glucose) was evaluated with the objective of increasing biomass growth and triacylglycerols (TAGs) content. The results indicated that 81.3% of starch was converted to glucose in acorns. C.vulgaris algal strains grown with acorn-glucose produced higher biomass and TAGs content than with autotrophic growth. The highest biomass production and TAGs content with 3 g/L acorn-glucose were 12.44 g/L and 32.9%, respectively. Biomass production with 3 g/L acorn-glucose was 16.4 fold higher than under autotrophic growth condition. These findings suggested that 3 g/L acorn-glucose is economic and efficient for biomass production/productivity and TAGs content of microalgae. This study provides a feasible way to reduce the cost of bioenergy production from microalgae.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2015

The growth of the algae strains Neochloris oleabundans, Botryococcus Braunii and Dunaliella sp. under mixotrophic conditions in the presence of different concentrations of crude glycerol was evaluated with the objective of increasing the biomass growth and algal oil content. A high biomass concentration was characteristic of these strains when grown on crude glycerol compared to autotrophic growth, and 5 g/L glycerol yielded the highest biomass concentration for these strains. Mixotrophic conditions improved both the growth of the microalgae and the accumulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs). The maximum amount of TAGs in the algal strains was obtained in the 5 g/L glycerol growth medium. The fatty acid profiles of the oil for the cultures met the necessary requirements and are promising resources for biofuel production.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.189-204
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• 2016

Microalgal bioremediation of CO₂, nutrients, endocrine disruptors, hydrocarbons, pesticides, and cyanide compounds have evaluated comprehensively. Microalgal mitigation of nutrients originated from municipal wastewaters, surface waters, and livestock wastewaters has shown great applicability. Algal utilization on secondary and tertiary treatment processes might provide unique and elegant solution on the removing of substances originated from various sources. Microalgae have displayed 3 growth regimes (autotrophic, heterotrophic, and mixotrophic) through which different organic and inorganic substances are being utilized for growth and production of different metabolites. There are still some technology challenges requiring innovative solutions. Strain selection investigation should be directed towards identification of algal that are extremophiles. Understanding and manipulation of metabolic pathways of algae will possible unfold solution to utilization of algae for mitigation of dissolve organic nitrogen in wastewaters.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.110-117
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• 2014

Recently microalgae have been proposed as a promising biodiesel feedstock, owing to their higher lipid productivity and non-arable land based cultivation system. Biomass and lipid productivities of microalgae are largely affected by various environmental and nutritional factors. In this study, the effects of nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) and organic carbon (glucose and glycerol) sources on the cell growth and lipid production of Chlorella sp. KR-1 were examined in flask cultures. Under autotrophic culture conditions for 15 days, overall cell growth and lipid (fatty acid methyl ester, FAME) production with nitrate were better than those of ammonium, resulting in 1.06 g cell/L and 333 mg FAME/L, respectively. Maximal intracellular lipid contents (348 - 352 mg FAME/g cell) were observed at low concentrations of 1 mM for both nitrate and ammonium. In the supply of light, addition of glucose in the range of 1 - 20 g/L showed higher cell densities than the autotrophic cell growth condition. Higher lipid accumulation of 375 mg FAME/g cell could achieved at 5 g glucose/L albeit of relatively short incubation of 7 days. With glycerol, intracellular lipid contents were ~1.9 times lower than glucose cases although similar cell growths were observed for both carbon sources.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.38-44
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• 2015

We have investigated the productivity of microalgae, Nannochloropsis sp., using highly efficient vertical photobioreactor which has been developed by the company IMBiz. This experiment was performed in the field for one month with 2 sets of 2 tons of media under autotrophic cultural mode. In the culture with 0.1% of $CO_2$, the average daily productivity was shown to be up to 0.953g per liter, and 0.574g per liter in the culture with only ambient air. The temperature ranged from $20^{\circ}C$ to $31^{\circ}C$, and it didn't make any differences on the productivity. The light intensity ranged from 5,000 Lux to 40,000 Lux. The light has been appeared to have a very close relationship with the productivity of microalgae. Meanwhile, the harvesting method of pressurefloating attempted in this photobioreactor was found to be very effective.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.469-476
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• 2014

The focus of this study was to observe the growth of Chlorella sp., Nannochloris sp., and Botryococcus braunii under mixotrophic conditions (i.e., added glycerol) with the aim of increasing the growth of biomass and algae oil content. A significant growth of biomass was obtained when grown in glycerol rich environment comparing to autotrophic conditions. 5 g/L glycerol yielded the highest biomass concentration for these strains. Mixotrophic conditions improved both the growth of the microalgae and the accumulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs). The maximum amount of TAG in Botryococcus braunii was reached in the growth medium with 10 g/L glycerol and Chlorella sp., Nannochloris sp. with 2 g/L glycerol. The content of saturated fatty acids of Chlorella sp., Nannochloris sp., and Botryococcus braunii was found to be 34.94, 14.23 and 13.39%, and the amount of unsaturated fatty acids was 65.06, 85.78 and 86.61% of total fatty acids, respectively. The fatty acid profiles of the oil for the culture possibility met the necessary requirements and are, therefore, promising resource for biofuel production.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.77-82
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• 2013

The growth and removal capacity of nitrogen and phosphorus of Chlorella vulgaris were evaluated in artificial wastewater with different nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations as element growing components for microalgae growth. The nitrogen concentration was varied in 9, 15, 30 and 60 mg-N/L with fixed phosphorus concentration of 3 mg-P/L. The growth and phosphorus removal capacity of C. vulgaris were high at initial nitrogen concentration of 15 and 30 mg-N/L, and the corresponding N/P ratios calculated were 5 and 10. In the case of varying in 1.5, 3, 6 and 10 mg-P/L of phosphorus concentration with fixed nitrogen concentration of 30 mg-N/L, the growth and removal capacity of nitrogen and phosphorus were excellent with phosphorus concentration of 3 and 6 mg-P/L. The corresponding N/P ratios were shown as 10 and 5. Therefore, the appropriate N/P ratio was concluded between 5 and 10 for wastewater treatment using C. vulgaris.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.338-348
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• 2003

In the past decade, considerable progress has been made in developing the appropriate biotechnology for microalgal mass cultivation aimed at establishing a new agro-industry. This review points out the main biological constraints affecting algal biotechnology outdoors and the requirements for making this biotechnology economically viable. One of them is the availability of a wide variety of algal species and improved strains that favorably respond to varying environmental conditions existing outdoors. It is thus just a matter of time and effort before a new methodology like genetic engineering can and will be applied in this field as well. The study of stress physiology and adaptation of microalgae has also an important application in further development of the biotechnology for mass culturing of microalgae. In outdoor cultures, cells are exposed to severe changes in light and temperature much faster than the time scale re-quired for the cells to acclimate. A better understanding of those parameters and the ability to rapidly monitor those conditions will provide the growers with a better knowledge on how to optimize growth and productivity. Induction of accumulation of high value products is associated with stress conditions. Understanding the physiological response may help in providing a better production system for the desired product and, at a later stage, give an insight of the potential for genetic modification of desired strains. The potential use of microalgae as part of a biological system for bioremediation/detoxification and wastewater treatment is also associated with growing the cells under stress conditions. Important developments in monitoring and feedback control of the culture behavior through application of on-line chlorophyll fluorescence technique are in progress. Understanding the process associated with those unique environmental conditions may help in choosing the right culture conditions as well as selecting strains in order to improve the efficiency of the biological process.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.101-110
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• 2021

Interactions between microalgae and heterotrophic bacteria are common in natural environments. This study investigated the effect of heterotrophic bacteria on the activity of the photosynthetic eukaryotic alga Chlorella sp. MF1907 when cocultured. A total of 31 heterotrophic bacterial isolates belonging to different genera were cocultured with MF1907. Interactions of the alga with Agromyces, Rhodococcus, Sphingomonas, Hyphomicrobium, Rhizobium, and Pseudomonas were positive, while those with Burkholderia, Paraburkholderia, Micrococcus, Arthrobacter, Mycobacterium, Streptomyces, Pedobacter, Mucilaginibacter, Fictibacillus, Tumebacillus, Sphingopyxis, and Erythrobacter were negative (p < 0.05). A turnover experiment demonstrating a switch from heterotrophic to autotrophic activity of MF1907 was performed using 16 isolates exhibiting apparent effects (positive, negative, or neutral). Compared with the results of the coculture experiment, eight isolates exhibited the same outcomes, while the others did not. Consistently, Pseudomonas and Agromyces showed a remarkable positive effect on MF1907 activity, and Burkholderia, Streptomyces, and Erythrobacter had a marked negative effect. Our results suggest that it may be possible to use the isolates for controlling populations of microalgae in natural and engineered environments.