Isolation and Characterization of a Marine Microalga for Biofuel Production with Astaxanthin as a Co-Product

Zhiyong Liu, Chenfeng Liu, Yuyong Hou, Shulin Chen, Dongguang Xiao, Juankun Zhang and Fangjian Chen
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Zhiyong Liu: College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Chenfeng Liu: College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Yuyong Hou: Tianjin Key Laboratory for Industrial Biological Systems and Bioprocess Engineering, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
Shulin Chen: Tianjin Key Laboratory for Industrial Biological Systems and Bioprocess Engineering, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
Dongguang Xiao: College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Juankun Zhang: College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Fangjian Chen: Tianjin Key Laboratory for Industrial Biological Systems and Bioprocess Engineering, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China

Energies, 2013, vol. 6, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: Microalgae have been considered as a promising biomass for biofuel production, but freshwater resource consumption during the scaled-up cultivation are still a challenge. Obtaining robust marine strains capable of producing triacylglycerols and high value-added metabolites are critical for overcoming the limitations of water resources and economical feasibility. In this study, a marine microalga with lipid and astaxanthin accumulation capability was isolated from Bohai Bay, China. The alga was named as Coelastrum sp. HA-1 based on its morphological and molecular identification. The major characteristics of HA-1 and the effects of nitrogen on its lipid and astaxanthin accumulations were investigated. Results indicated that the highest biomass, lipid and astaxanthin yields achieved were 50.9 g m ?2 day ?1 , 18.0 g m ?2 day ?1 and 168.9 mg m ?2 day ?1 , respectively, after cultivation for 24 days. The fatty acids of HA-1, identified in their majority as oleic acid (56.6%) and palmitic acid (25.9%), are desirable biofuel feedstocks. In addition, this alga can be harvested with simple sedimentation, achieving 98.2% removal efficiency after settling for 24 h. These results suggest that Coelastrum sp. HA-1 has several desirable key features that make it a potential candidate for biofuel production.

Keywords: astaxanthin; biofuel; Coelastrum sp. HA-1; marine microalgae; microalgae removal efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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