• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제24권11호
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• pp.1566-1573
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• 2014

Although most algae cultivation systems are operated in suspended culture, an attached growth system can offer several advantages over suspended systems. Algal cultivation becomes light-limited as the microalgal concentration increases in the suspended system; on the other hand, sunlight penetrates deeper and stronger in attached systems owing to the more transparent water. Such higher availability of sunlight makes it possible to operate a raceway pond deeper than usual, resulting in a higher areal productivity. The attached system achieved 2.8-times higher biomass productivity and total lipid productivity of $9.1g\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$ and $1.9g\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$, respectively, than the suspended system. Biomass productivity can be further increased by optimization of the culture conditions. Moreover, algal biomass harvesting and dewatering were made simpler and cheaper in attached systems, because mesh-type substrates with attached microalgae were easily removed from the culture and the remaining treated wastewater could be discharged directly. When the algal biomass was dewatered using natural sunlight, the palmitic acid (C16:0) content increased by 16% compared with the freeze-drying method. There was no great difference in other fatty acid composition. Therefore, the attached system for algal cultivation is a promising cultivation system for mass biodiesel production.

• 환경생물
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.26-34
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• 2014

에너지 소비의 증가와 화석 연료의 감소로 인해 바이오디젤과 같은 재생 가능한 대체 에너지 자원이 관심을 받고 있다. 미세조류를 이용한 바이오디젤은 기존의 농작물과 경쟁하지 않는 것과 더불어 많은 장점을 갖고 있다. 본 연구에서는 미세조류 배양의 생산 비용 절감과 축산 폐수 처리라는 두 가지 목표를 충족시키지 위해 돈분 액체 비료를 사용하였다. 옥외 배양 시스템(Small Scale Raceway Pond; SSRP)과 희석된 돈분 액체 비료를 이용하여 단일 미세조류 Chlorella sp. JK2, Scenedesmus sp. JK10 과 혼합 토착 미세조류 CSS를 20일 동안 각각 배양하였다. 미세조류 혼합균주인 CSS의 바이오매스 생산과 지질 생산성은 각각 $1.19{\pm}0.09gL^{-1}$, $12.44{\pm}0.38mgL^{-1}day^{-1}$로 단일 종에 비해 2배 이상 높았다. 돈분 액체 비료의 TN, TP의 제거율 역시 혼합 토착 미세조류 CSS에서 93.6%, 98.5%로 단일 종의 이용에 비해 30%이상 높은 제거 효율을 보여주었다. 이를 통해 돈분 액체 비료는 미세조류 배양에 필요한 N과 P를 제공하며, 미세조류를 이용한 SSRP를 통하여 영양염류를 제거할 수 있는 가능성을 확인하였다. 또한 미세조류 배양을 위한 생산 비용의 감소로 경제성 있는 바이오디젤의 생산 가능성을 확인하였다.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.282-285
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• 2012

본 연구는 혐기성 소화조에서 바이오 가스 생산을 위한 바이오매스 자원으로서 Chlorella vulagaris와 Dunaliella salina의 이용능력을 확인하였다. 세포벽의 구조에 따라 전처리 후 용해성 물질의 수율이 영향을 받았는데, 이는 D. salina가 바이오 가스 생산 측면에서 C. vulgaris보다 좋은 후보라는 것을 보여준다. 혐기성 소화조에서 얻은 접종원으로부터 전처리하거나 전처리하지 않은 D. salina를 기질로서 메탄가스를 생산하는데 이용하였을 때 메탄 수율 측면에서 큰 차이가 없었다. 그러므로 D. salina는 높은 바이오매스 생산성, 단순한 전처리 필요성, 쉬운 바이오 가스전환 때문에 바이오 가스 생산을 위한 적합한 해조류 바이오매스이다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.92-98
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• 2013

Microalgal cultivation using wastewater is now regarded as essential for biodiesel production, as two goals can be achieved simultaneously; that is, nutrient removal efficiency and biomass production. Therefore, this study examined the effects of carbon sources, the N:P ratio, and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) to identify the optimal conditions for nutrient removal efficiency and biomass production. The effluent from a 2nd lagoon was used to cultivate microalgae. Whereas the algal species diversity and lipid content increased with a longer HRT, the algal biomass productivity decreased. Different carbon sources also affected the algal species composition. Diatoms were dominant with an increased pH when bicarbonate was supplied. However, 2% $CO_2$ gas led to a lower pH and the dominance of filamentous green algae with a much lower biomass productivity. Among the experiments, the highest chlorophyll-a concentration and lipid productivity were obtained with the addition of phosphate up to 0.5 mg/l P, since phosphorus was in short supply compared with nitrogen. The N and P removal efficiencies were also higher with a balanced N:P ratio, based on the addition of phosphate. Thus, optimizing the N:P ratio for the dominant algae could be critical in attaining higher algal growth, lipid productivity, and nutrient removal efficiency.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.257-262
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• 2004

최근, 미세조류에 대한 생물공학적 관심이 급격히 증가하고 있으며 이의 응용범위는 식품이나 제약, 화장품 등 다양한 구도로 확장되어지고 있다. 고농도의 미세조류 배양을 위해서는 빛이 핵심적 제한요소로 작용되어지며 빛의 투과 깊이나 강도에 따라 균체의 성장속도가 결정되어지게 된다. 본 연구에서는 다양한 빛의 투과경로와 빛을 받는 면적/배양액의 부피 비율, 조도 그리고 단계적 조사에 따른 Chlorella sp.의 성장률을 조사하여 빛이 미세조류에 미치는 영향을 알아보았으며, 본 연구에 적용된 값들 중 4 cm의 직경, 57.6%의 면적/부피 비율, 62 $\mu$mo1/$m^2$/s의 조도에서 Chlorella sp. 성장에 필요한 빛 에너지를 가장 효율적으로 이용함을 확인할 수 있었다.

• 한국정밀공학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.125-132
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• 2011

This paper describes current status and future prospects of the mass production of microalgae biomass. Microalgae have attracted considerable attention since they not only effectively fix $CO_2$ gas during their metabolic process but also have the great potential to be utilized for producing valuable substances as a kind of efficient light-harvesting cell factories. In this review, we outline various types of photobioreactors employed for mass production of biomass by culturing microalgae in a well controlled way and give an overview about the present state of affairs, both domestic and international, in the field of the microalgal culturing technologies.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.186-190
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• 2000

It has been reported that flashing light enhances microalgal biomass productivity and overall photosynthetic efficiency. The algal growth kinetics and oxygen production rates under flashing light with various flashing frequencies (5Hz-37 kHz) were compared with those under equivalent continuous light in photobioreactors. A positive flashing light effect was observed with flashing frequencies over 1kHz. The oxygen production rate under conditions of flashing light was slightly higher than that under continuius ligth. The cells under the hight, particularly at higher cell concentrations. When 37kHz flashing light was applied to an LED-based photobioreactor, the concentration was higher than that obtained under continuous light by about 20%. Flashing light may be a reasonable solution to overcome mutual shading, particularly in high-density algal cultures.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.723-731
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• 2015

Microalgae hold promise as producers of sustainable biomass for the production of biofuels and other biomaterials. However, the selection of strains with efficient and robust production of desirable resources remains challenging. In this study, we isolated a green microalga from Korea and analyzed its morphological, molecular, and biochemical characteristics. Microscopic and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the isolate could be classified into the genus Chlamydomonas, and we designated the isolate Chlamydomonas sp. KIOST -1. Compositions of protein, lipid, and carbohydrate in the microalgal cells were estimated to be 58.8 ± 0.2%, 22.7 ± 1.2%, and 18.5 ± 1.0%, respectively. Similar to other microalgae belonging to Chlorophyceae, the dominant amino acid and monosaccharide in Chlamydomonas sp. KIOST-1 were glutamic acid and glucose. On the other hand, the proportions of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids clearly differed from other species in the genus Chlamydomonas, and monounsaturated fatty acids accounted for a large portion (41.3%) of the total fatty acids in the isolate. Based on these results, Chlamydomonas sp. KIOST-1 has advantageous characteristics for biomass production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.432-438
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• 2018

Microalgae hold promise as a renewable energy source for the production of biofuel, as they can convert light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis. However, cost-efficient harvest of microalgae remains a major challenge to commercial-scale algal biofuel production. We first investigated the potential of electrolytic water as a flocculant for harvesting Tetraselmis sp. Alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) is produced at the cathode through water electrolysis. It contains mineral ions such as $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Mg^{2+}$ that can act as flocculants. The flocculation activity with AEW was evaluated via culture density, AEW concentration, medium pH, settling time, and ionic strength analyses. The flocculation efficiency was 88.7% at 20% AEW (pH 8, 10 min) with a biomass concentration of 2 g/l. The initial biomass concentration and medium pH had significant influences on the flocculation activity of AEW. A viability test of flocculated microalgal cells was conducted using Evans blue stain, and the cells appeared intact. Furthermore, the growth rate of Tetraselmis sp. in recycled flocculation medium was similar to the growth rate in fresh F/2 medium. Our results suggested that AEW flocculation could be a very useful and affordable methodology for fresh biomass harvesting with environmentally friendly easy operation in part of the algal biofuel production process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권8호
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• pp.1235-1243
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• 2020

The use of microalgal biomass as feedstock for biofuels has been discussed for decades as it provides a sustainable approach to producing fuels for the future. Nonetheless, its feasibility has not been established yet and various aspects of biomass applications such as CO₂ biofixation should also be explored. Therefore, in this study, the CO₂ biofixation and lipid/carbohydrate production potential of Chlorella sp. ABC-001 were examined under various nitrogen concentrations. The highest biomass productivity and CO₂ biofixation rate of 0.422 g/l/d and 0.683 g/l/d, respectively, were achieved under a nitrogen-rich condition (15 mM nitrate). Carbohydrate content was generally proportional to initial nitrate concentration and showed the highest value of 41.5% with 15 mM. However, lipid content showed an inverse relationship with nitrogen supplementation and showed the highest value of 47.4% with 2.5 mM. In consideration as feedstock for biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas), the sum of carbohydrate and lipid contents were examined and the highest value of 79.6% was achieved under low nitrogen condition (2.5 mM). For lipid-based biofuel production, low nitrogen supplementation should be pursued. However, considering the lower feasibility of biodiesel, pursuing CO₂ biofixation and the production of carbohydrate-based fuels under nitrogen-rich condition might be more rational. Thus, nitrogen status as a cultivation strategy must be optimized according to the objective, and this was confirmed with the promising alga Chlorella sp. ABC-001.