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Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology
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Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Chemical Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 21592

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sushanta Kumar Saha

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, CHIMERA research group, Limerick Institute of Technology, Moylish Park, V94 E8YF Limerick, Ireland (ROI)
Interests: cyanobacteria, diatoms, microalgal biotechnology; sustainable biomass production; biomass valorization for bioactive compounds, nutritional ingredients, and bioenergy production; cyanobacterial polyphasic taxonomy and stress biology; molecular biology and genetics of cyanobacteria

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the recent past, algae in general and microalgae in particular, have received renewed attention from biotechnologists around the world for the sustainable production of biofuels. The traditional use of microalgae can be traced back several decades within the indigenous populations around the world especially in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. Cyanobacteria and microalgae have been reported as a ‘treasure house’ for a variety of bioactive compounds and nutritional ingredients. However, only a handful of organisms for a few bioactive compounds have been used as nutraceuticals. Commercial cultivation of microalgae is very recent, and much more has to happen to get the broad spectrum of benefits of this group of organisms. Although microalgal biotechnology for nutraceutical applications are a fast-growing segment of health and nutrition industries today, there are tremendous opportunities for biorefinery of microalgal biomass. Eventually, the complete use of microalgal biomass for value-added molecules, bioenergy production, fertilizer use, animal feed, and/or aqua feed use as appropriate, would help in sustainable development and circular bioeconomy.

Continuous efforts have been made in various mass cultivation technologies, including photobioreactor technologies, and are still developing since some cultivation methods are microalgae species-specific as well as regional weather condition specific. There are still challenges in biomass cultivation and biomass end-use, and especially the cost for biofuels production. Therefore, simple, robust and cheaper biomass cultivation methods may also be adopted, which may boost regional entrepreneurship with minimum investment. Thus, widening the opportunity for sustainable biomass production either for whole biomass consumption and/or bioenergy production through the route of biomass production during bioremediation.

This Special Issue invites authors to contribute on the recent developments including original review articles, original research articles, comments on innovative simple (low-cost) cultivation technology, and applications that worked or was a failed attempt.

Dr. Sushanta Kumar Saha
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sustainable biomass production
  • Biorefinery and valorization
  • Microalgal biotechnology
  • Biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, and biofuel
  • High value-added molecules (antioxidants, carotenoids, bioactive lipids, and fatty acids)
  • Functional ingredients for food and cosmetics
  • Aqua feed, animal feed, and bio-fertilizer

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1933 KiB  
Article
Valorization of Human Urine with Mixed Microalgae Examined through Population Dynamics, Nutrient Removal, and Biogas Content
by Hande Ermis, Unzile Guven Gulhan, Mehmet Sadik Akca, Tunahan Cakir and Mahmut Altinbas
Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6922; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15086922 - 20 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
The majority of nutrients in municipal wastewater originate from urine. However, when flush water is used, the urine is diluted and mixed with other organic household waste, losing its high-value stream content. This study investigated the effect of source-separated human urine on the [...] Read more.
The majority of nutrients in municipal wastewater originate from urine. However, when flush water is used, the urine is diluted and mixed with other organic household waste, losing its high-value stream content. This study investigated the effect of source-separated human urine on the population dynamics, nutrient removal, growth, and biogas content of mixed microalgae grown in 250 L raceway ponds. Overall, a maximum biomass concentration of 1847 mg/L was reached, with up to 90% nitrogen and 80% phosphorus removal efficiencies, along with 254.96 L/kg vs. biogas production. The microbial community analysis identified Chlorella sorokiniana (Chlorophyta, Trebouxiophyceae) as the species with the highest abundance, after confirmation with four different markers (16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, 23S rRNA, and tufA). Moreover, principal component analysis was applied to capture the effect of environmental factors on culture diversity. The abundance of Chlorella sorokiniana increased almost sevenfold when the culture was exposed to open systems compared to the small-scale study carried out in 1 L Erlenmeyer bottles in laboratory conditions, both grown in urine and synthetic media (BBM). In conclusion, the present study contributes to the potential to valorize urine with microalgae by showing its high biogas content, and reveals that microalgae can adapt to adverse environmental conditions by fostering their diversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology)
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16 pages, 2366 KiB  
Article
Rapid Screening for Mycosporine-like Amino Acids (MAAs) of Irish Marine Cyanobacteria and Their Antioxidant Potential
by Norma Browne, Paz Otero, Patrick Murray and Sushanta Kumar Saha
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3792; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15043792 - 19 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1700
Abstract
The present study evaluated 53 Irish marine cyanobacteria intending to identify potential producers of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) to meet the increasing demand for replacing chemical sunscreen with bio-sunscreen. The biodiscovery analysis using absorption spectra of methanolic extracts identified eight cyanobacteria as potential [...] Read more.
The present study evaluated 53 Irish marine cyanobacteria intending to identify potential producers of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) to meet the increasing demand for replacing chemical sunscreen with bio-sunscreen. The biodiscovery analysis using absorption spectra of methanolic extracts identified eight cyanobacteria as potential MAAs producers with a specific content of 0.114–0.511 A* mg DW−1. Leptolyngbya tenuis SABC010201 was found to possess notably higher MAAs content. LC-MS analysis identified a total of eight different types of known MAAs (mycosporine-glutamicol, mycosporine-glutaminol-glucoside, mycosporine-serinol, mycosporine-taurine, palythine, palythine-threonine-sulphate, porphyra-334, and usujirene) in eight cyanobacteria, while four compounds were considered unknown UV-absorbing compounds with specific mass and absorption maximum. For example, two unknown compounds with, respectively, [M-H]- values of 219.0557 and 289.0730 and lambda max of 314 and 326 nm, were detected in three cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya tenuis SABC010201, Phormidium angustissimum SABC020801, and Schizothrix sp. SABC022401. These two unknown compounds were named M-314 and M-326, respectively. Antioxidant activities of total MAAs of all cyanobacteria showed considerable amounts of DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC activities. Considering the specific MAAs content and antioxidant activities, Leptolyngbya africana SABC021601 was considered the best producer of MAAs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology)
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17 pages, 5969 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Carbonization of Residual Algal Biomass for Production of Hydrochar as a Biobased Metal Adsorbent
by Magdalini Tsarpali, John N. Kuhn and George P. Philippidis
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 455; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14010455 - 01 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2577
Abstract
Conversion of residual algal biomass to value-added products is essential for enhancing the economics of algae cultivation. Algal hydrochar produced via hydrothermal carbonization of lipid-extracted Picochlorum oculatum is a material rich in oxygen functional groups and carbon (up to 67.3%) and hence a [...] Read more.
Conversion of residual algal biomass to value-added products is essential for enhancing the economics of algae cultivation. Algal hydrochar produced via hydrothermal carbonization of lipid-extracted Picochlorum oculatum is a material rich in oxygen functional groups and carbon (up to 67.3%) and hence a promising candidate for remediation of wastewaters. The hydrothermal carbonization conditions were optimized and the adsorption capacity of the hydrochar was tested for metal removal. By the end of the remediation process, cumulative removal of Al3+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, and Pb2+ reached 89, 98, 75, 88, 75, and 100%, respectively. The adsorption of all metals was found to follow pseudo second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm. Overall, when hydrothermal carbonization is applied to lipid-extracted algae, it generates a promising biobased adsorbent with value-added potential in metal remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology)
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28 pages, 4436 KiB  
Article
Sunlight Intensity, Photosynthetically Active Radiation Modelling and Its Application in Algae-Based Wastewater Treatment and Its Cost Estimation
by Saumya Verma, Raja Chowdhury, Sarat K. Das, Matthew J. Franchetti and Gang Liu
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11937; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132111937 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2237
Abstract
In algal pond used for treating wastewater, a part of the solar radiation (PAR) is used by algae for photosynthesis, and rest of the solar energy is wasted. To date, no studies have been conducted that optimize these aspects (wasted solar radiation for [...] Read more.
In algal pond used for treating wastewater, a part of the solar radiation (PAR) is used by algae for photosynthesis, and rest of the solar energy is wasted. To date, no studies have been conducted that optimize these aspects (wasted solar radiation for heat production) from an operational cost perspective. Therefore, a model is developed for the estimation of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) from solar radiation. Subsequently, derived PAR was utilized in the optimization algorithm. Experimental data on PAR and solar radiation were used to obtain empirical parameters of the developed model. Using empirical parameters, diurnal PAR was estimated for other locations for which the diurnal variation of solar radiation was not available. Afterwards, the estimated solar radiation was used to obtain the cost of algal biomass production using wastewater. For this purpose, a cost function was minimized. The cost function contains various cost components of algae-based wastewater treatment. The major costs of the treatment were incurred by the sunlight harvesting, and distribution equipment, whereas the major income was registered through the conversion of sunlight to heat and biomass production. The yearly cost of treating 1m3 wastewater in the proposed wastewater treatment plant could be varied from 186 to −44 (Rs, INR). The capital cost of constructing a proposed treatment plant having a capacity of 1000 m3/day varied from 11–45 crores INR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology)
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24 pages, 2043 KiB  
Article
Microalga-Mediated Tertiary Treatment of Municipal Wastewater: Removal of Nutrients and Pathogens
by Swati Rani, Raja Chowdhury, Wendong Tao and Linda Nedbalová
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9554; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179554 - 25 Aug 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2440
Abstract
The microalgal strain Chlorella sorokiniana isolated from a waste stabilization pond was used for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater. Three light:dark (L:D) regimes of 12:12, 16:8, and 24:0 were used for treating wastewater in microalga (A), microalga + sludge (A + S), and [...] Read more.
The microalgal strain Chlorella sorokiniana isolated from a waste stabilization pond was used for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater. Three light:dark (L:D) regimes of 12:12, 16:8, and 24:0 were used for treating wastewater in microalga (A), microalga + sludge (A + S), and sludge (S) reactors. The removal of nutrients (N and P) was found to be the highest in the microalga-based reactor, with more than 80% removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and 1.2–5.6 log unit removal of pathogens. The addition of sludge improved chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. Nitrifiers were found to be predominant in the A + S reactor. Algal biomass productivity was more than 280 mg/L/d in all the L:D regimes. The increase in light regime improved nutrient removal and biomass productivity in the algal reactor. Results of the kinetic study showed that (i) nitrifiers had more affinity for ammonium than microalga, and hence, most of the ammonia was oxidized to nitrate, (ii) microalga assimilated nitrate as the primary nitrogen source in the A + S reactor, and (iii) solubilization of particulate organic nitrogen originated from dead cells reduced the nitrogen removal efficiency. However, in the microalga-based reactor, the ammonium uptake was higher than nitrate uptake. Among pathogens, the removal of Salmonella and Shigella was better in the A + S reactor than in the other two reactors (microalga and sludge reactor). Additionally, the heterotrophic plate count was drastically reduced in the presence of microalga. No such drastic reduction was observed in the stand-alone sludge reactor. Kinetic modeling revealed that microalga–pathogen competition and pH-induced die-off were the two predominant factors for pathogen inactivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology)
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Review

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21 pages, 606 KiB  
Review
Integrated Approach for Carbon Sequestration and Wastewater Treatment Using Algal–Bacterial Consortia: Opportunities and Challenges
by Shashirekha Viswanaathan, Pitchurajan Krishna Perumal and Seshadri Sundaram
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1075; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031075 - 18 Jan 2022
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4702
Abstract
Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the important greenhouse gases, due to combustion of fossil fuels, particularly burning coal, have become the major cause for global warming. As a consequence, many research programs on CO2 management (capture, storage, [...] Read more.
Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the important greenhouse gases, due to combustion of fossil fuels, particularly burning coal, have become the major cause for global warming. As a consequence, many research programs on CO2 management (capture, storage, and sequestration) are being highlighted. Biological sequestration of CO2 by algae is gaining importance, as it makes use of the photosynthetic capability of these aquatic species to efficiently capture CO2 emitted from various industries and converting it into algal biomass as well as a wide range of metabolites such as polysaccharides, amino acids, fatty acids, pigments, and vitamins. In addition, their ability to thrive in rugged conditions such as seawater, contaminated lakes, and even in certain industrial wastewaters containing high organic and inorganic nutrients loads, has attracted the attention of researchers to integrate carbon capture and wastewater treatment. Algae offer a simple solution to tertiary treatments due to their nutrient removal efficiency, particularly inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus uptake. The algal–bacterial energy nexus is an important strategy capable of removing pollutants from wastewater in a synergistic manner. This review article highlights the mechanism involved in biological fixation of CO2 by microalgae, their cultivation systems, factors influencing algal cultivation in wastewater and CO2 uptake, the effect of co-cultivation of algae and bacteria in wastewater treatment systems, and challenges and opportunities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology)
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19 pages, 808 KiB  
Review
Nutrients and Energy Digestibility of Microalgal Biomass for Fish Feed Applications
by Senthil Nagappan Annamalai, Probir Das, Mahmoud I. A. Thaher, Mohammad Abdul Quadir, Shoyeb Khan, Chandan Mahata and Hareb Al Jabri
Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13211; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313211 - 29 Nov 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5381
Abstract
Aquafeed accounts for at least 75–90% of aquaculture’s operating costs. Traditional aquafeed ingredients such as fishmeal, fish oil, and soybean meal are unsustainable; further, their increasing cost necessities developing alternative feed ingredients. Microalgae-based aquafeed is not only environmentally friendly, but it can also [...] Read more.
Aquafeed accounts for at least 75–90% of aquaculture’s operating costs. Traditional aquafeed ingredients such as fishmeal, fish oil, and soybean meal are unsustainable; further, their increasing cost necessities developing alternative feed ingredients. Microalgae-based aquafeed is not only environmentally friendly, but it can also be cost-effective with proper optimization. In addition, the nutrition profile of microalgae is similar to that of many fishes. The digestibility of a feed is one of the most important factors to consider in feed formulation. A highly digestible feed can lower production costs, reduce feed waste, and reduce the risk of eutrophication. This review discusses the digestibility of various nutrients such as protein, lipid, carbohydrate, amino acids, and fatty acids (including omega-3 fatty acids), dry matter, and energy of various microalgae in fish. Other commonly used aquafeed ingredients were also compared to microalgae in terms of nutrient and energy digestibility in fish. The intrinsic characteristics of microalgae, biomass pretreatment, and feed preparation methods are all discussed as factors that contribute to the nutrient and energy digestibility of microalgae in fish. Furthermore, methods for increasing the digestibility of microalgal biomass in fish are suggested. Finally, the review concludes with the challenges and prospects of using microalgae as a fish feed in terms of digestibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Advances in Microalgal Biotechnology)
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