The use of fossil fuels is now widely accepted as unsustainable due to depleting resources and the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the environment that have already exceeded the "dangerously high" threshold of 450 ppm CO 2 -e. To achieve environmental and economic sustainability, fuel production processes are required that are not only renewable, but also capable of sequestering atmospheric CO 2 . Currently, nearly all renewable energy sources (e.g. hydroelectric, solar, wind, tidal, geothermal) target the electricity market, while fuels make up a much larger share of the global energy demand (∼66%). Biofuels are therefore rapidly being developed. Second generation microalgal systems have the advantage that they can produce a wide range of feedstocks for the production of biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane and biohydrogen. Biodiesel is currently produced from oil synthesized by conventional fuel crops that harvest the sun's energy and store it as chemical energy. This presents a route for renewable and carbon-neutral fuel production. However, current supplies from oil crops and animal fats account for only approximately 0.3% of the current demand for transport fuels. Increasing biofuel production on arable land could have severe consequences for global food supply. In contrast, producing biodiesel from algae is widely regarded as one of the most efficient ways of generating biofuels and also appears to represent the only current renewable source of oil that could meet the global demand for transport fuels. The main advantages of second generation microalgal systems are that they: (1) Have a higher photon conversion efficiency (as evidenced by increased biomass yields per hectare): (2) Can be harvested batch-wise nearly all-year-round, providing a reliable and continuous supply of oil: (3) Can utilize salt and waste water streams, thereby greatly reducing freshwater use: (4) Can couple CO 2 -neutral fuel production with CO 2 sequestration: (5) Produce non-toxic and highly biodegradable biofuels. Current limitations exist mainly in the harvesting process and in the supply of CO 2 for high efficiency production. This review provides a brief overview of second generation biodiesel production systems using microalgae. AbbreviationsBTL biomass to liquid CFPP cold filter plugging point CO 2 -e-CO 2 equivalents of greenhouse gases NEB net energy balance LHC light harvesting complex OAE oceanic anoxic event PS photosystem

pure) were produced over a 10 -14-day period at a maximal rate of 4 ml h ؊1 (efficiency ‫؍‬ ϳ5 times the WT). Stm6 therefore represents an important step toward the development of future solar-powered H 2 production systems.

SummaryThe main function of the photosynthetic process is to capture solar energy and to store it in the form of chemical 'fuels'. Increasingly, the photosynthetic machinery is being used for the production of biofuels such as bio-ethanol, biodiesel and bio-H 2 . Fuel production efficiency is directly dependent on the solar photon capture and conversion efficiency of the system. Green algae (e.g. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii ) have evolved genetic strategies to assemble large light-harvesting antenna complexes (LHC) to maximize light capture under low-light conditions, with the downside that under high solar irradiance, most of the absorbed photons are wasted as fluorescence and heat to protect against photodamage.This limits the production process efficiency of mass culture. We applied RNAi technology to down-regulate the entire LHC gene family simultaneously to reduce energy losses by fluorescence and heat. The mutant Stm3LR3 had significantly reduced levels of LHCI and LHCII mRNAs and proteins while chlorophyll and pigment synthesis was functional. The grana were markedly less tightly stacked, consistent with the role of LHCII. Stm3LR3 also exhibited reduced levels of fluorescence, a higher photosynthetic quantum yield and a reduced sensitivity to photoinhibition, resulting in an increased efficiency of cell cultivation under elevated light conditions. Collectively, these properties offer three advantages in terms of algal bioreactor efficiency under natural high-light levels: (i) reduced fluorescence and LHC-dependent heat losses and thus increased photosynthetic efficiencies under high-light conditions; (ii) improved light penetration properties; and (iii) potentially reduced risk of oxidative photodamage of PSII.

Microalgae have been widely reported as a promising source of biofuels, mainly based on their high areal productivity of biomass and lipids as triacylglycerides and the possibility for cultivation on non-arable land. The isolation and selection of suitable strains that are robust and display high growth and lipid accumulation rates is an important prerequisite for their successful cultivation as a bioenergy source, a process that can be compared to the initial selection and domestication of agricultural crops. We developed standard protocols for the isolation and cultivation for a range of marine and brackish microalgae. By comparing growth rates and lipid productivity, we assessed the potential of subtropical coastal and brackish microalgae for the production of biodiesel and other oil-based bioproducts. This study identified Nannochloropsis sp., Dunaniella salina and new isolates of Chlorella sp. and Tetraselmis sp. as suitable candidates for a multiple-product algae crop. We conclude that subtropical coastal microalgae display a variety of fatty acid profiles that offer a wide scope for several oil-based bioproducts, including biodiesel and omega-3 fatty acids. A biorefinery approach for microalgae would make economical production more feasible but challenges remain for efficient harvesting and extraction processes for some species.

Photobiological hydrogen production using microalgae is being developed into a promising clean fuel stream for the future. In this study, microarray analyses were used to obtain global expression profiles of mRNA abundance in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii at different time points before the onset and during the course of sulfur-depleted hydrogen production. These studies were followed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and protein analyses. The present work provides new insights into photosynthesis, sulfur acquisition strategies, and carbon metabolism-related gene expression during sulfur-induced hydrogen production. A general trend toward repression of transcripts encoding photosynthetic genes was observed. In contrast to all other LHCBM genes, the abundance of the LHCBM9 transcript (encoding a major lightharvesting polypeptide) and its protein was strongly elevated throughout the experiment. This suggests a major remodeling of the photosystem II light-harvesting complex as well as an important function of LHCBM9 under sulfur starvation and photobiological hydrogen production. This paper presents the first global transcriptional analysis of C. reinhardtii before, during, and after photobiological hydrogen production under sulfur deprivation.

No abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in plant cells in response to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses as well as during normal growth and development. Although a large number of transcription factor (TF) genes are up- or down-regulated by ROS, currently very little is known about the functions of these TFs during oxidative stress. In this work, we examined the role of ERF6 (ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR6), an AP2/ERF domain-containing TF, during oxidative stress responses in Arabidopsis. Mutant analyses showed that NADPH oxidase (RbohD) and calcium signaling are required for ROS-responsive expression of ERF6. erf6 insertion mutant plants showed reduced growth and increased H2O2 and anthocyanin levels. Expression analyses of selected ROS-responsive genes during oxidative stress identified several differentially expressed genes in the erf6 mutant. In particular, a number of ROS responsive genes, such as ZAT12, HSFs, WRKYs, MAPKs, RBOHs, DHAR1, APX4, and CAT1 were more strongly induced by H2O2 in erf6 plants than in wild-type. In contrast, MDAR3, CAT3, VTC2 and EX1 showed reduced expression levels in the erf6 mutant. Taken together, our results indicate that ERF6 plays an important role as a positive antioxidant regulator during plant growth and in response to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Haematococcus pluvialis is a green microalga of major interest to industry based on its ability to produce large amounts of astaxanthin. Biosynthesis of astaxanthin and its mono- and di-esters was significantly stimulated under 150 μmol m s of white LED (W-150) compared with lower light intensities, but the highest astaxanthin amounts were produced under 70 μmol m s of blue LED (B-70). Transcripts of astaxanthin biosynthesis genes psy, crtO, and bkt2 were upregulated under W-150, while psy, lcy, crtO, and crtR-B were upregulated by B-70. Total fatty acid content and biosynthesis genes fata and all dgat genes were induced under W-150, while C18:3n6 biosynthesis and dgat2a expression were specifically stimulated by B-70 which was correlated to astaxanthin ester biosynthesis. Nitrogen starvation, various LEDs and the identified upregulated genes may provide useful tools for future metabolic engineering to significantly increase free astaxanthin, its esters and fatty acid precursors in H. pluvialis.