• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.386-403
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• 2016

Biofuels produced from biomass can be substituted for petroleum fuels due to GHG reduction, sustainability and environmental friendly. The process technologies that convert biomass into biofuels are varied and depend on the feedstocks. Microalgae are considered to be one of the most promising alternative source to the conventional feedstocks for biofuel. Microalgae can be converted to biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas and biojet fuel via thermolchemical and biochemical production technologies. This reviews discusses recent advance in understanding the effects of the characteristics of various processes on the production of biofuels using microalgae. The performances of microalgae based biofuel are compared.

• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2021

Increased proliferation of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a critical issue that has increased the demand for novel antibacterial compounds. Antibacterial activities have been evaluated in extracts from photosynthetic green microalgae, with varying levels of subsequent potential for development based on the strain of algae, strain of bacterial pathogen, and solvent used to extract the metabolites. Green microalgae from extreme environmental conditions have had to adapt to conditions that exclude many other organisms. The production of antibacterial compounds aids directly or indirectly in the survival of green microalgae in these extreme environments, as well as potentially serve other roles. This review investigates antibacterial activities of green microalgae from both extreme in-situ environmental conditions and induced extreme laboratory conditions and highlights.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 2016

Recently, technologies that produce biofuels from microalgae are being studied worldwide. It is necessary to significantly reduce the production costs of biofuels from microalgae for economic reasons. In this study, the growth curve of the microalgae was obtained using the batch-culture method, and the specific growth rate was predicted using the regression method. Based on the culture conditions of the estimated specific growth rate, the turbidity of the microalgae in the flat panel photobioreactor (PBR) was measured. Furthermore, an on-off control scheme was applied to the flat panel PBR in order to culture the microalgae continuously on the basis of turbidity. The parameters of the on-off control system were displayed by LabView. The on-off scheme of peristaltic pump was controlled based on the turbidity in the PBR. In addition, the turbidity values of growth curves were compared and analyzed in the continuous culture process using the on-off controller.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.647-652
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the heavy metal removal and biomass productivity in the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) using eggshell and microalgae. The experiment was operated 6 days in the eggshell and microalgae hybrid system, and using eggshell powder and microalgae as Chlorella vulgaris. The obtained result indicated that the biomass productivity of 2.82 g/L/d from 1.12 g/L initial concentration in 6 days was reached with light transmittance of 97% at a 305 mm depth in the optical panel photobioreactor (OPPBR). The total removal efficiency of Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and Cd was found to be 98.92%, 99.91%, 98.78%, 88.99% and 98.00% in the AMD using eggshell and Chlorella vulgaris hybrid system, respectively. Additionally, there were significant relationships between biomass and concentration of each heavy metal ($R^2$ = 0.8771, 0.8643, 0.8669, 0.9134 and 0.6277 for Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and Cd). These results indicated that the eggshell and microalgae hybrid system was highly effective for heavy metal removal when compared to the conventional biological process in the AMD. Therefore, the eggshell and microalgae hybrid system was effective for heavy metal removal and biomass productivity and can be applied to treat AMD in treatment plant.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.530-534
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• 2017

Chitosan is a promising flocculant for microalgae harvesting, but its scale-up application is not economically supported yet. Low solubility of chitosan in microalgae suspension demands high dosage (as a flocculant) to destabilize the cells, and thus, increases the cost of microalgae harvesting. This study identifies efficient solvents for the chitosan, and optimizes the concentration of solvents and chitosan dose to improve the harvesting efficiency. Chitosan was dissolved in different acids, and subsequently used as a flocculant. The flocculant efficacy was measured in terms of harvesting efficiency and reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the microalgae suspension. It was found that chitosan dissolved in 0.05 M HCl showed the highest harvesting efficiency ($89{\pm}0.87%$) at only 30 mg/L of dosage. In comparison, 270 mg/L of $FeCl_3{\cdot}6H_2O$ was required to attain $86{\pm}0.083%$ of the harvesting efficiency. $H_2SO_4$ dissolved chitosan required high flocculant dose (150 mg/L) and resulted in relatively low harvesting efficiency ($77{\pm}0.11%$). It was concluded that the efficacy of chitosan is solvent dependent, and the selection of proper solvent can decrease the dosage requirement for microalgae harvesting.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.357-362
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• 2017

Acetate, propionate, butyrate are the major soluble volatile fatty acids metabolites of fermented food waste leachates. This work investigate the effects of volatile fatty acid on the growth rate and $NH_4-N$, $PO_4-P$ removal efficiency of mixotrophic microalgae Chlorella vulgaris to treat digested food waste leachates. The results showed that acetate, propionate and butyrate were efficiently utilized by Chlorella vulgaris and microalgae growth was higher than control condition. Similar trends were observed upon $NH_4-N$ and $PO_4-P$ consumption. Volatile fatty acids promoted Chlorella vulgaris growth, and nutrient removal efficiencies were highest when acetate was used, and butyrate and propionate showed second and third. From this work it could be said that using mixotrophic microalgae, in this work Chlorella vulgaris, fermented food waste leachates can be treated with high efficiencies.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.144-145
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• 2001

Marine microalgae are used extensively in mariculture as food for marine animals, in particular larval and juvenile molluscs, crustaceans and fish. A wide range of microalgae has been tested, because not all species are equally successful in supporting growth of a particular animal. In addition, bioactivities of marine microalgae are recently investigated for the effective exploitation of unutilized marine resources. (omitted)

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

The co-culture system of microalgae and bacteria enables simultaneous removal of BOD and nutrients in a single reactor if the pair of microorganisms is symbiotic. In this case, nutrients are converted to biomass constituents of microalgae. This review highlights the importance and recent researches using symbiotic co-culture system of microalgae and bacteria in wastewater treatment, focusing on the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. During wastewater treatment, the microalgae produces molecular oxygen through photosynthesis, which can be used as an electron acceptor by aerobic bacteria to degrade organic pollutants. The released $CO_2$ during the bacterial mineralization can then be consumed by microalgae as a carbon source in photosynthesis. Microalgae and bacteria in the co-culture system could cooperate or compete each other for resources. In the context of wastewater treatment, positive relationships are prerequisite to accomplish the sustainable removal of nutrients. Therefore, the selection of compatible species is very important if the co-culture has to be utilized in wastewater treatment.

• ALGAE
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.257-265
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• 2009

Marine microalgae are a key diet component in finfish and shellfish aquaculture. Cryopreservation of the microalgae is suggested by many other studies as the best method for long-term storage. To test cryopreservation efficacy, 19 taxas of marine microalgal species were examined. In the first experiment we compared dimethylsulfoxide ($Me_2SO$) and glycerol, which are most widely used as cryoprotectant agents (CPAs). The cryopreservation comprised two freezing procedures. Firstly, the samples containing the CPAs were kept at $4^{\circ}C$ for 10 min before being plunged into liquid nitrogen ($-196^{\circ}C$). Secondly, samples containing CPAs were pre-cooled ($-1^{\circ}C$ $min^{-1}$ to $-80^{\circ}C$ before being plunged into liquid nitrogen. Most of the species were successfully cryopreserved using $Me_2SO$, whereas the Prasinophyceae (T. striata and T. suecica) were successfully cryopreserved using glycerol. In general, the cooling method had no influence on the survival of the microalgae except in the case of the Tetraselmis species. In the second experiment, the cultured solution was divided before cryopreservation into concentrated and non-concentrated groups to identify the effect of cell density during cryopreservation. After 12 months of storage, the samples were again divided into centrifugation and non-centrifugation groups to learn the effect of $Me_2SO$ on the culture. Viability and growth of the microalgae were not influenced by cell density or the centrifugal removal of the $Me_2SO$ after thawing.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.289-309
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• 2019

Marine microalgae have long been used as food additives and feeds for juvenile fish and invertebrates as their nutritional content is beneficial for humans and marine aquaculture species. Recently, they have also been recognized as a promising source for cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical products as well as biofuels. Marine microalgae of various species are rich in multiple anti-oxidant phytochemicals and their bioactive components have been employed in cosmetics and dietary supplements. Oil contents in certain groups of marine microalgae are extraordinarily rich and abundant and therefore have been commercialized as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements and mass production of microalgae-based biodiesels has been demonstrated by diverse research groups. Numerous natural products from marine microalgae with significant biological activities are reported yearly and this is attributed to their unique adaptive abilities to the great diversity of marine habitats and harsh conditions of marine environments. Previously unknown toxin compounds from red tide-forming dinoflagellates have also been identified which opens up potential applications in the blue biotechnology sector. This review paper provides a brief overview of the biotechnological potentials of Korean marine microalgae. We hope that this review will provide guidance for future marine biotechnology R&D strategies and the various marine microalgae-based industries in Korea.