• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제21권7호
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• pp.697-702
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• 2011

A strain of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira was isolated from Lake Chahannaoer in northern China and was characterized according to microscopic morphology, photosynthetic oxygen-evolving activity, growth rate, and nutritional profile. Compared with thermophilic Arthrospira species occurring naturally in tropical and subtropical lakes, this isolate is mesophilic and grows optimally at ${\sim}20^{\circ}C$. The total protein, fatty acid, phycocyanin, carotenoid, and chlorophyll a contents were 67.6, 6.1, 4.32, 0.29, and 0.76 grams per 100 grams of dry weight, respectively. The strain is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). An essential omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), was detected, and ${\gamma}$-linolenic acid (GLA) and DHA accounted for 28.3% of the total fatty acid content. These features of this newly isolated strain make it potentially useful in commercial mass culture in local areas or as a biofuel feedstock. It is also an alternative resource for studying the metabolic PUFA pathways and mechanisms of cold stress tolerance in cyanobacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제21권11호
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• pp.1159-1165
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• 2011

Biodiesel is methyl and ethyl esters of long-chain fatty acids produced from vegetable oils or animal fats. Lipase enzymes have occasionally been used for the production of this biofuel. Recently, biodiesel production using immobilized lipase has received increased attention. Through enhanced stability and reusability, immobilized lipase can contribute to the reduction of the costs inherent to biodiesel production. In this study, methanol-tolerant lipase M37 from Photobacterium lipolyticum was immobilized using the cross-linked enzyme aggregate (CLEA) method. Lipase M37 has a high lysine content (9.7%) in its protein sequence. Most lysine residues are located evenly over the surface of the protein, except for the lid structure region, which makes the CLEA preparation yield quite high (~93%). CLEA M37 evidences an optimal temperature of $30^{\circ}C$, and an optimal pH of 9-10. It was stable up to $50^{\circ}C$ and in a pH range of 4.0-11.0. Both soluble M37 and CLEA M37 were stable in the presence of high concentrations of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and n-butanol. That is, their activities were maintained at solvent concentrations above 10% (v/v). CLEA M37 could produce biodiesel from olive oil and alcohols such as methanol and ethanol. Additionally, CLEA M37 generated biodiesel via both 2-step methanol feeding procedures. Considering its physical stability and reusability, CLEA M37 may potentially be used as a catalyst in organic synthesis, including the biodiesel production reaction.

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제27권5호
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• pp.621-629
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• 2013

Since algae had been issued an environmental problem, water blooms, deepened due to increase of retention water basin in Korea as well as a biomass resource for producing biofuel, this study conducted a series of experiments for Spirulina platensis using the flotation process with micro-bubble. To elevate utilization of collected-algae, this study focused on omitting or minimizing coagulant's doses as changing a cultivation period and condition affected on physical property change of algae. Two coagulants, PAC and Chitosan, were used to test the collecting rate of algae and the result found no difference between two rates. For flotation experiments without adding the coagulant, dried algae weight (passing 14 days after cultivation for 20 days) detected high separation efficiency 98.2 % and it (passing 7 days after long-term cultivation for 28 days) presented good separation efficiency 91.9 %. Chlorophyll's separation efficiency showed a similar tendency with the case of the dried algae weight. In endogeny conditions, a light source and a carbon source were not considerably affected on the flotation separation efficiency. Thus, this study confirms that algae biomass may be collected without the coagulant during the endogeny condition period after enough cultivation time, 3 weeks.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.232-242
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to examine changes in the porosity and internal structure of wood as it goes through the process of saccharification (extraction of fermentable sugars). This study also examined the use of different drying methods to prepare samples for characterization of internal pores, with particular emphasis on the partially disrupted cell wall. Aspen wood flour samples after dilute acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis were examined for nitrogen adsorption. The resulting isotherms were analyzed for surface area, pore size distribution, and total pore volume. Results showed that freeze drying (with sample pre-freezing) maintains the cell wall structure, allowing for examination of saccharification effects. Acid pretreatment (hemicellulose removal) doubled the surface area and tripled the total volume of pores, which were mostly 10-20 nm wide. Subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis (cellulose removal) caused a 5-fold increase in the surface area and a ~ 11-fold increase in the total volume of pores, which ranged from 5 to 100 nm in width. These results indicate that nitrogen adsorption analysis is a feasible technique to examine the internal pore structure of lignocellulosic residues after saccharification. The information on the pore structure will be useful when considering value-adding options for utilizing the solid waste for biofuel production.

• 공업화학
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.487-496
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• 2021

Microalgae is one of the promising biodiesel feedstock with high growth rates compared to those of terrestrial oil crops. Despite its numerous advantages, biodiesel production from microalgae needs to reduce energy demand and material costs further to go to commercialization. During solvent extraction of microalgal lipids, lipid-extracted algae (LEA) cell residue is generated as an organic solid waste, about 80-85% of original algal biomass, and requires an appropriate recycling or economic disposal. The resulting LEA still contains significant amount of carbohydrates, proteins, N, P, and other micronutrients. This review will focus on recent advancement in the utilization of LEA as: (i) utilization as nutrients or carbon sources for microalgae and other organisms, (ii) anaerobic digestion to produce biogas or co-fermentation to produce CH₄ and H₂, and (iii) conversion to other forms of biofuel through thermochemical degradation processes. Possible mutual benefits in the integration of microalgae cultivation-biodiesel production-resulting LEA with anaerobic digestion and thermochemical conversion are also discussed.

• 한국육종학회지
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.351-356
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• 2010

Brachypodium distachyon is rapidly emerged in biological study and has been currently used as a model system for genetics and functional studies for crop improvement and biofuel production. Phosphinothricin (PPT) has been widely used as a selectable agent, which raises ammonium content and induces toxicity in non-transformed plant cells. However PPT selection is not much effective on Brachypodium callus consequently reducing transformation efficiency. In order to identify the efficient conditions of PPT selection, calli obtained from mature seeds of Brachypodium (PI 254867) were cultured on the callus inducing medium (CIM) or regeneration medium (ReM) containing serial dilutions of the PPT (0, 2, 5, 10, and 15 mg/l) in dark or light condition. Callus growth and ammonium content of each treatment were measured 2 weeks after the treatment. Although callus growth and ammonium content did not show much difference in CIM, slow callus growth and increased ammonium accumulation were found in ReM. No significant difference of ammonium accumulation in response to PPT was found between dark and light conditions. In order to identify major factors affecting increased ammonium accumulation, callus was cultured on the media in combined with phytohormones (2,4-D or kinetin) and carbon sources (sucrose or maltose) containing with PPT (5 mg/l). The highest ammonium content in callus was found in the kinetin and maltose media.

• 한국해양바이오학회지
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.73-82
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• 2018

Chlorella are source of valuable compounds as lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, bioactive compounds. To continuous obtain the high-value materials of Chlorella protothecoides, we performed continuous cultivation after applying milking techniques to C. protothecoides grown with culture for 7 days in optical panel bioreactor (OPBR) system. Fatty acid and lutein in extracts from pre- and post-milking of C. protothecoides were analyzed using gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. C. protothecoides were rich in unsaturated fatty acids with a high content of oleic acid(C18:1), which is suitable as a biofuel feedstock. The fatty acid content in pre- and post-milking of C. protothecoides was decreased from 126.424mg/g d.w. to 119.341mg/g d.w, and the lutein content decreased from 0.258mg/g d.w. to 0.178mg/g d.w. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of milking C. protothecoides for production of lipids for biofuels production. It was confirmed that microalgae can continuously obtain lutein present in a trace amount through a continuous culture from milking.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권10호
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• pp.1393-1400
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• 2021

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum has been considered a promising process of industrial biofuel production. Phosphotransbutyrylase (phosphate butyryltransferase, PTB) plays a crucial role in butyrate metabolism by catalyzing the reversible conversion of butyryl-CoA into butyryl phosphate. Here, we report the crystal structure of PTB from the Clostridial host for ABE fermentation, C. acetobutylicum, (CaPTB) at a 2.9 Å resolution. The overall structure of the CaPTB monomer is quite similar to those of other acyltransferases, with some regional structural differences. The monomeric structure of CaPTB consists of two distinct domains, the N- and C-terminal domains. The active site cleft was formed at the interface between the two domains. Interestingly, the crystal structure of CaPTB contained eight molecules per asymmetric unit, forming an octamer, and the size-exclusion chromatography experiment also suggested that the enzyme exists as an octamer in solution. The structural analysis of CaPTB identifies the substrate binding mode of the enzyme and comparisons with other acyltransferase structures lead us to speculate that the enzyme undergoes a conformational change upon binding of its substrate.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.49-63
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• 2022

Nanocatalysts are usually used in the synthesis of petrochemical products, fine chemicals, biofuel production, and automotive exhaust catalysis. Due to high activity and stability, recyclability, and cost-effectiveness, nanocatalysts are a key area in green chemistry. On the other hand, water as a common by-product or undesired element in a range of nanocatalyzed processes may be promoting the deactivation of catalytic systems. The advancement in the field of hydrophobicity in nanocatalysis could relatively solves these problems and improves the efficiency and recyclability of nanocatalysts. Some recent developments in the synthesis of novel nanocatalysts with tunable hydrophilic-hydrophobic character have been reviewed in this article and followed by highlighting their use in catalyzing several processes such as glycerolysis, Fenton, oxidation, reduction, ketalization, and hydrodesulfurization. Zeolites, carbon materials, modified silicas, surfactant-ligands, and polymers are the basic components in the controlling hydrophobicity of new nanocatalysts. Various characterization methods such as N2 adsorption-desorption, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and contact angle measurement are critical in the understanding of hydrophobicity of materials. Also, in this review, it has been shown that how the hydrophobicity of nanocatalyst is affected by its structure, textural properties, and surface acidity, and discuss the important factors in designing catalysts with high efficiency and recyclability. It is useful for chemists and chemical engineers who are concerned with designing novel types of nanocatalysts with high activity and recyclability for environmentally friendly applications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권11호
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• pp.1357-1372
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• 2022

Heavy reliance on fossil fuels has been associated with increased climate disasters. As an alternative, microalgae have been proposed as an effective agent for biomass production. Several advantages of microalgae include faster growth, usage of non-arable land, recovery of nutrients from wastewater, efficient CO₂ capture, and high amount of biomolecules that are valuable for humans. Microalgae Chlorella spp. are a large group of eukaryotic, photosynthetic, unicellular microorganisms with high adaptability to environmental variations. Over the past decades, Chlorella has been used for the large-scale production of biomass. In addition, Chlorella has been actively used in various food industries for improving human health because of its antioxidant, antidiabetic, and immunomodulatory functions. However, the major restrictions in microalgal biofuel technology are the cost-consuming cultivation, processing, and lipid extraction processes. Therefore, various trials have been performed to enhance the biomass productivity and the lipid contents of Chlorella cells. This study provides a comprehensive review of lipid enhancement strategies mainly published in the last five years and aimed at regulating carbon sources, nutrients, stresses, and expression of exogenous genes to improve biomass production and lipid synthesis.