1. Sustainable production of biomass and biodiesel by acclimation of non-acidophilic microalgae to acidic conditions.
- Author
-
Abinandan, Sudharsanam, Subashchandrabose, Suresh R., Cole, Nicole, Dharmarajan, Rajarathnam, Venkateswarlu, Kadiyala, and Megharaj, Mallavarapu
- Subjects
- *
MICROALGAE , *BIOMASS energy , *BIODIESEL fuels , *SUSTAINABILITY , *FLOW cytometry - Abstract
Graphical abstract Highlights • Two strains of non-acidophilic microalgae (NAM) were acclimated to pH 3.0. • Flow cytometry analysis indicated their ability to withstand acidic pH. • Both the acclimated strains yielded good amounts of biomass and neutral lipids. • FTIR analysis confirmed accumulation of more triacylglycerols in NAM strains. • First report on biodiesel production in good amounts by NAM strains at pH 3.0. Abstract The overwhelming response towards algal biodiesel production has been well-recognized recently as a sustainable alternative to conventional fuels. Most microalgae cannot grow well at acidic pH. The present study, therefore, investigated whether non-acidophilic microalgae Desmodesmus sp. MAS1 and Heterochlorella sp. MAS3 can be acclimated to extreme-acidic pH for sustainable production of biomass and biodiesel. Growth analysis indicated that both the microalgal strains possessed a passive uptake of CO 2 at pH 3.0 with biomass production of 0.25 g dry wt. L−1 in Desmodemus sp. and 0.45 g dry wt. L−1 in Heterochlorella sp.. Flow-cytometry analysis for reactive oxygen species, membrane permeability and neutral-lipids revealed the capabilities of both strains to adapt to the stress imposed by acidic pH. Lipid production was doubled in both the strains when grown at pH 3.0. In-situ transesterification of biomass resulted in 13–15% FAME yield in the selected microalgae, indicating their great potential in biofuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF