• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.205-209
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• 2018

The spectral composition of light can affect the growth and biochemical composition of photosynthetic microalgae. This study examined the use of light filtering through a solution of soluble colored additives, a cost-effective method to alter the light spectrum, on the growth and lipid production of an oleaginous microalga, Nannochloropsis gaditana (N. gaditana). Cells were photoautotrophically cultivated under a white light emitting diode (LED) alone (control) or under a white LED that passed through a solution of red and yellow color additive (4:1 ratio) that blocked light below 600 nm. The specific growth rate was significantly greater under filtered light than white light ($0.2672d^{-1}$ vs. $0.1930d^{-1}$). Growth under filtered light also increased the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield by 22.4% and FAME productivity by 80.0%, relative to the white light control. In addition, the content of saturated fatty acids was greater under filtered light, so the biodiesel products had better stability. These results show that passing white light through an inexpensive color filter can simultaneously enhance cellular growth and lipid productivity of N. gaditana. This approach of optimizing the light spectrum may be applicable to other species of microalgae.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권5호
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• pp.854-866
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• 2016

The production cost of biodiesel from microalgae is still not competitive, compared with that of petroleum fuels. The genetic improvement of microalgal strains to increase triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation is one way to reduce production costs. One of the most promising approaches is the isolation of starch-deficient mutants, which have been reported to successfully increase TAG yields. To date, such a stable mutant is not available in an oleaginous marine microalga, despite several advantages of using marine species for biodiesel production. Algae in the genus Dunaliella are known to tolerate high salt concentration and other environmental stresses. In addition, the cultivation processes for large-scale outdoor commercialization have been well established for this genus. In this study, Dunaliella tertiolecta was used to screen for starch-deficient mutants, using an iodine vapor-staining method. Four out of 20,016 UV-mutagenized strains showed a substantial reduction of starch content. A significantly higher TAG content, up to 3-fold of the wild-type level, was observed in three of the mutants upon induction by nitrogen depletion. The carotenoid production and growth characteristics of these mutants, under both normal and oxidative stress conditions, were not compromised, suggesting that these processes are not necessarily affected by starch deficiency. The results from this work open up new possibilities for exploring Dunaliella for biodiesel production.

• 환경생물
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.288-294
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• 2013

한국산 고지질 Botryococcus를 확보하기 위해 시료채취를 하였고, 실험실에서 Botryococcus sp.를 분리하였다. 분리된 Botryococcus sp.는 현미경으로 그 크기와 형태를 관찰하였고, 분자적 동정을 위해 18S rRNA gene과 ITS region의 염기서열을 분석함으로써 Botryococcus sudeticus J2로 명명하였으며, 생태학적 특성 연구를 위해 문헌조사를 통해 국내의 Botryococcus 속의 분포를 조사를 실시하였다. 동정된 B. sudeticus J2의 생리적 특성 분석을 위해 배양실험을 수행하였고, 생장률과 바이오매스 생산성 그리고 광합성효율을 측정하였다. 또한 바이오디젤 생산을 위한 조류주로서의 가치를 판단하기 위해 총 지질함유량과 지방산 조성을 분석하였다. B. sudeticus J2의 생태적, 생리적 연구 후 2배의 광량과 2% $CO_2$ 조건에서 배양을 수행함으로써 최적 배양조건을 탐색하고자 하였다. 분리된 B. sudeticus J2는 비교를 위한 B. braunii UTEX 572보다 높은 바이오매스 생산성과 지질생산성을 보였으나 바이오매스 생산을 위한 다른 후보 미세조류에 비해서는 낮은 생장률을 보였다. 따라서 바이오디젤 생산을 위한 조류로 B. sudeticus J2를 활용하기 위해서는 본 연구에서 밝혀진 광저해에 대한 내성에 초점을 맞추어 최적 배양을 위한 광조건을 탐색하는 연구가 필요하다.