• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.796-803
• /
• 2012

Potential feasibility of nutrients removal and biofuel production with microalgae was evaluated in batch culture. Distribution of microalgae in fresh water including reservoir and river was investigated to search for the species with high content of lipid that could converted into biofuel. Green algae, Chlorella and Scenedesmus sp., these are known as species containing high lipid content for biodiesel production, were observed in both summer and autumn season. However another highly lipid-containing species, botryococcus sp. was not observed in this study. In mixed culture of microalgae using synthesized wastewater medium, green algae were found to be dominant, comparing to other species of diatoms and blue-green algae. And microalgae were also capable of removing nitrogen and phosphorus in batch experiments. During the culture period of 14 days, removal efficiencies of nitrate and phosphorus were 30% and 82%, respectively. Furthermore, content of the intracellular lipid extracted from algae cell was as favorable as 12-30% in the mixed culture where Scenedesmus and Chlorella sp. were dominant. Therefore the mixed culture of microalgae could be applied to biofuel production and tertiary wastewater treatment, even though there are economic barriers to overcome.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.663-671
• /
• 2022

The saccharification of cellulose and hemicellulose is essential for utilizing lignocellulosic biomass as a biofuel. While cellulose is composed of glucose only, hemicelluloses are composed of diverse sugars such as xylose, arabinose, glucose, and galactose. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is a good potential candidate for biofuel production using hemicellulose as this archaeon simultaneously utilizes various sugars. However, S. acidocaldarius has to be manipulated because the enzyme that breaks down hemicellulose is not present in this species. Here, we engineered S. acidocaldarius to utilize xylan as a carbon source by introducing xylanase and β-xylosidase. Heterologous expression of β-xylosidase enhanced the organism's degradability and utilization of xylooligosaccharides (XOS), but the mutant still failed to grow when xylan was provided as a carbon source. S. acidocaldarius exhibited the ability to degrade xylan into XOS when xylanase was introduced, but no further degradation proceeded after this sole reaction. Following cell growth and enzyme reaction, S. acidocaldarius successfully utilized xylan in the synergy between xylanase and β-xylosidase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.11
• /
• pp.1471-1477
• /
• 2012

Carotenoids produced by non-photosynthetic bacteria protect organisms against lethal photodynamic reactions and scavenge oxygenic radicals. However, the carotenoid produced by Gordonia alkanivorans SKF120101 is coupled to reducing power generation. SKF120101 selectively produces carotenoid under light conditions. The growth yield of SKF120101 cultivated under light conditions was higher than that under dark condition. In the cyclic voltammetry, both upper and lower voltammograms for neutral red (NR) immobilized in intact cells of SKF120101 were not shifted in the condition without external redox sources but were commonly shifted downward by glucose addition and light. Electric current generation in a biofuel cell system (BFCS) catalyzed by harvested cells of SKF120101 was higher under light than dark condition. The ratio of electricity generation to glucose consumption by SKF120101 cultivated in BFCS was higher under light than dark condition. The carotenoid produced by SKF120101 catalyzes production of reducing power from light energy, first evaluated by the electrochemical technique used in this research.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.526-532
• /
• 2016

In this study, we synthesized a mediator immobilized biocatalyst([FCA/GOx]/PEI/CNT) by surface modification using ferrocene carboxylic acid(FCA), and evaluated its performance as anode catalyst for biofuel cell. Through the application of FCA on glucose oxidase (GOx), the free amine groups on the lysine residue of GOx surface reacted with carboxylic acid of FCA and make amide bond between GOx and FCA. As the result of that, the electron transfer of catalyst was increased up to 1.91 times($0.468mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$) than the catalyst without surface modification (GOx/PEI/CNT), and high maxium power density of $1.79mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$ was gained.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.55 no.2
• /
• pp.258-263
• /
• 2017

In this study, we synthesized biocatalyst consisting of glucose oxidase (GOx), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) with addition of p-benzoquinone (BQ) that was considered anodic catalysts of enzymatic biofuel cell (EBC). For doing this, PEI/CNT supporter was bonded with BQ by physical entrapping method stemmed from electrostatic attractive force ([BQ/PEI]/CNT). In turn, GOx moiety was further immobilized on the [BQ/PEI]/CNT to form GOx/[BQ/PEI]/CNT catalyst. This catalyst has a special advantage in that the BQ that has been usually dissolved into electrolyte was immobilized on supporter. According to the electrochemical analysis, maximum current density of the GOx/[BQ/PEI]/CNT catalyst was 1.9 fold better than that of the catalyst that did not entrap BQ with the value of $34.16{\mu}A/cm^2$, verifying that catalytic activity of the catalyst was enhanced by adoption of BQ. Also, when it was used as anodic catalyst of the EBC, its maximum power density was 1.2 fold better than that of EBC using the catalyst that did not entrap BQ with the value of $0.91mW/cm^2$. Based on such results, it turned out that the GOx/[BQ/PEI]/CNT catalyst was promising and viable as anodic catalyst of EBC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.127-131
• /
• 1999

Anaerobically grown cells of an Fe(III)-reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens IR-l, were electrochemically active with an apparent reduction potential of about 0.15 V against a saturated calomel electrode in the cyclic voltammetry. The bacterium did not grow fermentatively on lactate, but grew in an anode compartment of a three-electrode electrochemical cell using lactate as an electron donor and the electrode as the electron acceptor. This property was shared by a large number of Fe(III)-reducing bacterial isolates. This is the first observation of a direct electrochemical reaction by an intact bacterial cell, which is believed to be possible due to the electron carrier(s) located at the cell surface involved in the reduction of the natural water insoluble electron acceptor, Fe(III).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.234-238
• /
• 2005

Glucose oxidase was immobilized on the carboxylated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNT-COOHs) in the presence of a coulping reagent, 1-ethy1-3-(3-dimethylaminopropy1) carbodiimide. Significant amounts of glucose oxidase were also immobilized on MWNT-COOHs without the coupling reagent. Various conditions for the immobilization of glucose oxidase were optimized. Optimal pH for the maximal activity of the immobilized glucose oxidase shifted to 7 from the optimal pH of 6 for the maximal activity of free enzyme due to the carboxy1 groups on the surface of MWNT-COOHs. An electrode of graphite rod with a diameter of 6 mm was fabricated using the immobilized glucose oxidase. The cyclic voltammetry study of the enzyme electrode revealed that the oxidation of glucose and subsequent transfer of electrons from the oxidation of glucose to the electrode were possible by the immobilized glucose oxidase without a mediator, implying that the enzyme electrode can be utilized for the development of biofuel cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.111-118
• /
• 2020

Recently, bioenergy research using microalgae, one of the most promising biofuel sources, has attracted much attention. Cell disruption, which can be classified as physical or chemical, is essential to extract functional ingredients from microalgae. In this study, we investigated the cell disruption efficiency of Chlorella sp. using low-frequency non-focused ultrasound (LFNFU). This is a continuously physical method that is superior to chemical methods with respect to environmental friendliness and low processing cost. A flat panel photobioreactor was employed to cultivate Chlorella sp. and its growth curve was fitted both with Logistic and Gompertz models. The temporal change in cell reduction by cell disruption using LFNFU was fitted with a Logistic model. The experimental conditions that were investigated were the initial concentration of microalgal cells, relative amplitude of output ultrasound waves, processing volume of microalgal cells, and initial pH value. The optimal conditions for the most efficient cell disruption were determined through the various tests.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.54 no.5
• /
• pp.693-697
• /
• 2016

In this study, we fabricated the catalysts for enzymatic biofuel cell anode with carbon nanotube (CNT), glucose oxidase (GOx) and various molecular weights branched poly(ethyleneimine)(bPEI) and terephthalaldehyde (TPA) as cross-linker. In case of GOx/bPEI/CNT using only physical entrapments for immobilization, the molecular weights of bPEI didn't affect to electrochemical performances and long term stability. but that of the catalysts cross linked via TPA (TPA[GOx/bPEI/CNT]) improved and the mass transfer of glucose to FAD was interrupted as increasing of the bPEI's molecular weights. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the optimum molecular weight of PEI for TPA [GOx/bPEI/CNT]) structure is 750k that showed marvelous high performance (maximum power density of $0.995mW{\cdot}cm^{-2}$).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.378-386
• /
• 2022

Scenedesmus obliquus ABC-009 is a microalgal strain that accumulates large amounts of lutein, particularly when subjected to growth-limiting conditions. Here, the performance of this strain was evaluated for the simultaneous production of lutein and biofuels under three different modes of cultivation - photoautotrophic mode using BG-11 medium with air or 2% CO₂ and heterotrophic mode using YM medium. While it was found that the highest fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) level and lutein content per biomass (%) were achieved in BG-11 medium with CO₂ and air, respectively, heterotrophic cultivation resulted in much higher biomass productivity. While the cell concentrations of the cultures grown under BG-11 and CO₂ were largely similar to those grown in YM medium, the disparity in the biomass yield was largely attributed to the larger cell volume in heterotrophically cultivated cells. Post-cultivation light treatment was found to further enhance the biomass productivity in all three cases and lutein content in heterotrophic conditions. Consequently, the maximum biomass (757.14 ± 20.20 mg/l/d), FAME (92.78 ± 0.08 mg/l/d), and lutein (1.006 ± 0.23 mg/l/d) productivities were obtained under heterotrophic cultivation. Next, large-scale lutein production using microalgae was demonstrated using a 1-ton open raceway pond cultivation system and a low-cost fertilizer (Eco-Sol). The overall biomass yields were similar in both media, while slightly higher lutein content was obtained using the fertilizer owing to the higher nitrogen content.