High-efficiency carbon dioxide capture using an algal amino acid salt solution
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
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Results for “Microalgae”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Small Cells with Big Photosynthetic Productivities: Biotechnological Potential of the Picochlorum Genus
The Picochlorum genus is a distinctive eukaryotic green-algal clade that is the focus of several current biotechnological studies. It is capable of extremely rapid growth rates and has exceptional tolerances to high salinity, intense light, and elevated temperatures. Importantly, it has robust stability and high-biomass productivities in outdoor field trials in seawater. These features have propelled Picochlorum into the spotlight as a promising model for both fundamental and biotechnological research. Recently, several genetic tools, including genome editing, were developed for these algae, enabling insights into Picochlorum photophysiology and algal transformations for expanded capabilities. Here, we survey the Picochlorum genus, its genetic toolbox, recently characterized transformants, and discuss the commercial potential of Picochlorum as a salt-water photoautotrophic biocatalyst.
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Real-Time Sensor Data Profile-Based Deep Learning Method Applied to Open Raceway Pond Microalgal Productivity Prediction
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
Intensive Microalgal Cultivation and Tertiary Phosphorus Recovery from Wastewaters via the EcoRecover Process
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
Moisture-driven CO 2 direct air capture and delivery for cultivating cyanobacteria
This study demonstrates a low-energy system that passively captures CO₂ from ambient air using reusable solid sorbents and delivers it directly into alkaline cultivation media to support the growth of cyanobacteria, from laboratory flasks to outdoor raceway ponds. While long-term operation revealed challenges including biofouling and sorbent degradation, the results suggest that with improved sorbent durability, this approach could provide a scalable source of atmospheric carbon for producing sustainable fuels, proteins, natural colorants, and other bioproducts.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Unraveling the Potential of Electrochemical pH-Swing Processes for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Utilization
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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Diploid genomic architecture of Nitzschia inconspicua, an elite biomass production diatom
Abstract A near-complete diploid nuclear genome and accompanying circular mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have been assembled from the elite commercial diatom species Nitzschia inconspicua . The 50 Mbp haploid size of the nuclear genome is nearly double that of model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum , but 30% smaller than closer relative Fragilariopsis cylindrus . Diploid assembly, which was facilitated by low levels of allelic heterozygosity (2.7%), included 14 candidate chromosome pairs composed of long, syntenic contigs, covering 93% of the total assembly. Telomeric ends were capped with an unusual 12-mer, G-rich, degenerate repeat sequence. Predicted proteins were highly enriched in strain-specific marker domains associated with cell-surface adhesion, biofilm formation, and raphe system gliding motility. Expanded species-specific families of carbonic anhydrases suggest potential enhancement of carbon concentration efficiency, and duplicated glycolysis and fatty acid synthesis pathways across cytosolic and organellar compartments may enhance peak metabolic output, contributing to competitive success over other organisms in mixed cultures. The N. inconspicua genome delivers a robust new reference for future functional and transcriptomic studies to illuminate the physiology of benthic pennate diatoms and harness their unique adaptations to support commercial algae biomass and bioproduct production.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Chapter 5: Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane from Vegetable and Microalgal Oil
In this chapter, vegetable oil, heterotrophic algal oil and phototrophic algal oil were used for NIPU development. NIPU properties were evaluated, and its promising performance was demonstrated, indicating that vegetable oils and algal oils with high functionalities are promising precursors for NIPU polymers.
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The Influence of Bacteria on the Growth, Lipid Production, and Extracellular Metabolite Accumulation by Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bacillariophyceae)
Here, to examine the impact of heterotrophic bacteria on microalgal physiology, we co-cultured the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum with six bacterial strains to quantify bacteria-mediated differences in algal biomass, total intracellular lipids, and for a subset, extracellular metabolite accumulation. A Marinobacter isolate significantly increased algal cell concentrations, dry biomass, and lipid content compared to axenic algal cultures. Two other bacterial strains from the Bacteroidetes order, of the genera Algoriphagus and Muricauda, significantly lowered P. tricornutum biomass, leading to overall decreased lipid accumulation. These three bacterial co-cultures (one mutualistic, two competitive) were analyzed for extracellular metabolites via untargeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to compare against bacteria-free cultures. Over 80% of the extracellular metabolites differentially abundant in at least one treatment were in higher concentrations in the axenic cultures, in agreement with the hypothesis that the co-cultured bacteria incorporated algal-derived organic compounds for growth. Furthermore, the extracellular metabolite profiles of the two growth-inhibiting cultures were more similar to one another than the growth-promoting co-culture, linking metabolite patterns to ecological role. Our results show that algal–bacterial interactions can influence the accumulation of intracellular lipids and extracellular metabolites, and suggest that utilization and accumulation of compounds outside the cell play a role in regulating microbial interactions.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Supranutrition of microalgal docosahexaenoic acid and calcidiol improved growth performance, tissue lipid profiles, and tibia characteristics of broiler chickens
Abstract Background Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and calcidiol could be enriched in chicken for improving public nutrition and health. It remains unclear if supranutritional levels of DHA and calcidiol impair growth performance or metabolism of broiler chickens. This study was to determine singular and combined effects of high levels of supplemental DHA-rich microalgal biomass or oil and calcidiol on growth performance, concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, and nonesterfied fatty acids in plasma, liver, breast, and thigh, and biophysical properties of tibia. Methods In Exp. 1, 144 day-old Cornish chicks were divided into 4 groups (6 cages/treatment, 6 birds/cage), and were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD), BD + 10,000 IU calcidiol/kg (BD + Cal), BD + 1% DHA-rich Aurantiochytrium (1.2 g DHA/kg; BD + DHA), and BD + Cal + DHA for 6 weeks. In Exp. 2, 180 day-old chicks were divided into 5 groups, and were fed: BD, BD + DHA (0.33% to 0.66% oil, 1.5 to 3.0 g DHA/kg), BD + DHA + EPA (1.9% to 3.8% eicosapentaenoic acid-rich Nannochloropsis sp. CO18, 0.3 to 0.6 g EPA/kg), BD + DHA + calcidiol (6000 to 12,000 IU/kg diet), and BD + DHA + EPA + Cal for 6 weeks. Results Birds fed BD + Cal diet in Exp. 1 and BD + DHA + EPA diet in Exp. 2 had higher ( P < 0.05) body weight gain (10%–11%) and gain:feed ratio (7%), and lower ( P < 0.05) total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in plasma (18%–54%), liver (8%–26%), breast (19%–26%), and thigh (10%–19%), respectively, over the controls. The two diets also improved ( P < 0.05) tibial breaking strength (8%–24%), total bone volume (2%–13%), and (or) bone mineral density (3%–19%) of chickens. Conclusion Supranutrition of dietary calcidiol and DHA alone or together did not produce adverse effects, but led to moderate improvements of growth performance, lipid profiles of plasma and muscle, and bone properties of broiler chickens.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Productivity and bioproduct formation in phototropic knock/out mutants in micro algae
Phototropin is a blue light receptor, which mediates a variety of blue-light elicited physiological processes in plants and algae. In higher plants these processes include phototropism, chloroplast movement and stomatal opening. In the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, phototropin plays a vital role in progression of the sexual life cycle and in the control of the eye spot size and light sensitivity. Phototropin is also involved in blue-light mediated changes in the synthesis of chlorophylls, carotenoids, chlorophyll binding proteins. We compared the transcriptome of phototropin knock out (PHOT KO) mutant and wild-type parent to analyze differences in gene expression in high light grown cultures (500 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹). Our results indicate the up-regulation of genes involved in photosynthetic electron transport chain, carbon fixation pathway, starch, lipid, and cell cycle control genes. With respect to photosynthetic electron transport genes, genes encoding proteins of the cytochrome b6f and ATP synthase complex were up regulated potentially facilitating proton-coupled electron transfer. In addition genes involved in limiting steps in the Calvin cycle Ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), Sidoheptulose 1,7 biophosphatase (SBPase), Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (3PGDH) and that mediate cell-cycle control (CDK) were also up regulated along with starch synthase and fatty acid biosynthesis genes involved in starch and lipid synthesis. In addition, transmission electron micrographs show increased accumulation of starch granules in PHOT mutant compared to wild type, which is consistent with the higher expression of starch synthase genes. Collectively, the altered patterns of gene expression in the PHOT mutants were associated with a two-fold increase in growth and biomass accumulation compared to wild type when grown in environmental photobioreactors (Phenometrics) that simulate a pond environment. In conclusion, our studies suggest that phototropin may be a master gene regulator that suppresses rapid cell growth and promotes gametogenesis and sexual recombination in wild type strains.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Mission Analysis for Marine Renewable Energy to Provide Power for Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal
The mission of this project was to provide a preliminary feasibility assessment of powering different marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), marine carbon capture, and marine carbon sequestration strategies with marine energy. In this report, carbon capture refers to methods that can separate or capture carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the air or ocean; carbon sequestration refers to methods that store CO 2 obtained by capture methods out of the atmosphere for long periods of time; and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) refers to methods that do both. The project found that mCDR powered by marine energy and offshore wind energy available in the United States could meet global CDR scales needed by 2040 and 2050 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C by 2100. Note that this preliminary estimate assumes that it is possible to harvest all the marine and offshore wind resources available in the United States with existing technology options, and it does not account for the power needed for monitoring these methods, as these power needs are not yet well defined and require further research. Additionally, these CDR scales will still require emissions reductions.
16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
Novel Algae Technology to Utilize CO 2 for Value Added Products
The Helios-NRG technology for converting coal-based flue CO 2 into valuable products has been successfully validated through a series of rigorous test programs. The key component, the MSC (Multi Stage Continuous System), played a pivotal role in this process. The MSC's various stages were seamlessly integrated and controlled by a second-generation automated system, surpassing project goals in terms of both algal productivity and capture efficiency. Notably, the MSC's operational duration improved while maintaining healthy cultures. The integrated system was rigorously tested under real outdoor conditions with varying sunlight levels and template flue gas. The final MSC test, conducted at the NCCC, successfully met project objectives.
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ASU’s DAC polymer-enhanced cyanobacterial bioproductivity (AUDACity)
ASU’s DAC polymer-enhanced cyanobacterial bioproductivity (AUDACity) project aims to demonstrate a novel, scalable method for removing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) directly from ambient air and delivering it to cyanobacterial cultures to produce commodity biofuel, mid-value protein for supplements, and high value phycocyanin (PC), a natural blue colorant (Figure A). This approach uses low-cost, reusable anion exchange polymers embedded in modular mesh packets, which capture CO 2 during drying cycles when exposed to ambient air, and release concentrated CO 2 into aqueous cultivation systems. The project addresses a critical challenge in energy research needed for developing sustainable, economically viable methods of Direct Air Capture (DAC) that can be integrated with bio-based systems for fuel and chemical production. AUDACity contributes to scientific understanding by integrating materials chemistry, cyanobacterial biology, and system engineering to create a distributed CO 2 delivery platform. Key insights have emerged around the design of biocompatible sorbents, optimization of CO 2 capture-release cycles, and durability of packet-based delivery systems under outdoor conditions. Notably, the team has synthesized and tested a range of polymer sorbents, identified mechanisms of material degradation and fouling, and advanced both lab- and pilot-scale cultivation systems to evaluate performance. From a technical and economic standpoint, AUDACity shows promise for achieving cost-effective CO 2 capture and delivery into aqueous media and biofuel production. Preliminary techno-economic analysis (TEA) indicates that the DAC system based on current performance can reach $\$$680/tonne CO 2 delivered into aqueous solution; with reasonable improvements to sorbent lifetime, sorbent capacity, reducing water uptake the approach could reach $\$$66/tonne by avoiding the need for energy-intensive sorbent regeneration and CO 2 compression, making it more feasible for decentralized deployment. With these costs for CO 2 and by extracting and selling high-value PC ($\$$50/kg) and mid-value protein supplement ($\$$6/kg), the remaining biomass can be hydrothermally treated into biofuel for $\$$2.50/gallon, and would support a small first-of-a-kind biorefinery capable of producing 500 barrels per day of biofuel. The project offers meaningful public benefits by advancing carbon removal technologies that are low-energy, modular, and adaptable to non-arable land and brackish water use. It aligns with national goals to develop advanced biotechnology and supports future pathways for bio-based fuels and products. By enabling direct coupling of CO 2 transfer into aqueous medium and biological carbon utilization, AUDACity lays the groundwork for effective algae cultivation without wasteful CO 2 delivery and is a promising and innovative solution for low-carbon fuel and bioproduct generation contributing to a vigorous bioeconomy.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Salt Stress Induces Paramylon Accumulation and Fine-Tuning of the Macro-Organization of Thylakoid Membranes in Euglena gracilis Cells
The effects of salt stress condition on the growth, morphology, photosynthetic performance, and paramylon content were examined in the mixotrophic, unicellular, flagellate Euglena gracilis. We found that salt stress negatively influenced cell growth, accompanied by a decrease in chlorophyll (Chl) content. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed the changes in the macro-organization of pigment-protein complexes due to salt treatment, while the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) investigations suggested a reduction in the thylakoid stacking, an effect confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At the same time, the analysis of the thylakoid membrane complexes using native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) revealed no significant change in the composition of supercomplexes of the photosynthetic apparatus. Salt stress did not substantially affect the photosynthetic activity, as reflected by the fact that Chl fluorescence yield, electron transport rate (ETR), and energy transfer between the photosystems did not change considerably in the salt-grown cells. We have observed notable increases in the carotenoid-to-Chl ratio and the accumulation of paramylon in the salt-treated cells. We propose that the accumulation of storage polysaccharides and changes in the pigment composition and thylakoid membrane organization help the adaptation of E. gracilis cells to salt stress and contribute to the maintenance of cellular processes under stress conditions.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Advances in light system engineering across the phototrophic spectrum
Current work in photosynthetic engineering is progressing along the lines of cyanobacterial, microalgal, and plant research. These are interconnected through the fundamental mechanisms of photosynthesis and advances in one field can often be leveraged to improve another. It is worthwhile for researchers specializing in one or more of these systems to be aware of the work being done across the entire research space as parallel advances of techniques and experimental approaches can often be applied across the field of photosynthesis research. This review focuses on research published in recent years related to the light reactions of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria, eukaryotic algae, and plants. Highlighted are attempts to improve photosynthetic efficiency, and subsequent biomass production. Also discussed are studies on cross-field heterologous expression, and related work on augmented and novel light capture systems. This is reviewed in the context of translatability in research across diverse photosynthetic organisms.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗