Diatoms: a fossil fuel of the future

Levitan, Orly; Dinamarca, Jorge; Hochman, Gal; Falkowski, Paul G.

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.01.004

Cited by 150 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…A large variety of lipids can be generated in diatoms, in addition to other types of bioactive compounds such as pigments (Michalak and Chojnacka, 2015), halogen-containing compounds (Wichard and Pohnert, 2006), toxic domoic acid and isomers (Bates and Trainer, 2006), attractants and deterrents (Frenkel et al, 2014), and long chain polyamines with biomineralizing functions (Kröger et al, 1999). Lipids are the major constituents of diatom cells and the average lipid content in diatoms could achieve to 25% of dry weight (Levitan et al, 2014), although the production of lipids in diatoms can vary on culture conditions. In this section, we will give an overview on valuable lipids from diatoms, referring to the multiplicity of structural groups, and biological roles.…”

Section: Lipids and Fatty Acids In Diatomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Valuable Lipids in Diatoms

et al. 2017

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Diatoms are one major group of algae in oceans that accounts almost half of marine primary food production and have also been identified as a promising candidate for biofuel production for their high level accumulation of lipids. They have gained increasingly attention for their potential applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutrient supplements, and biofuels. This review aims to summarize the recent advances in diatom lipid study. Chemical structures and bioactivities of different lipid classes are discussed with a focus on valuable lipids such as fatty acids, polar lipids, steroids, and oxylipins from various diatoms species. Further, current extraction and fractionation approaches are compared and recent analytical techniques and methods are also reviewed with an emphasis on lipid class composition and fatty acid profiling. Biosynthetic pathways and key catalyzing enzymes are illustrated for a better understanding of fatty acid metabolism. Past engineering attempts toward generating appropriate diatom strains for lipid production are discussed with examples using mutagenesis, environmental stimulants, and genetic modification methods. Some possible future directions and applications of diatom-derived lipids are also proposed.

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Section: Lipids and Fatty Acids In Diatomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Valuable Lipids in Diatoms

et al. 2017

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Microalgal biomass with high lipid and polysaccharide content can serve as feedstock for biodiesel and bioethanol, respectively (Gracia et al 2006;Kong et al 2013;Kavitha et al 2014). The desirability of diatoms as a biodiesel feedstock lies in the fact that it contains 25 % lipids/dry weight which is 8 % higher than other green algae (Levitan et al 2014). Diatoms predominantly produce 13-21 carbon chain fatty acids composed mainly of saturated and monosaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) which is necessary to produce biodiesel of optimal quality (Levitan et al 2014).…”

Section: Potential Applications Of Spent Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The desirability of diatoms as a biodiesel feedstock lies in the fact that it contains 25 % lipids/dry weight which is 8 % higher than other green algae (Levitan et al 2014). Diatoms predominantly produce 13-21 carbon chain fatty acids composed mainly of saturated and monosaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) which is necessary to produce biodiesel of optimal quality (Levitan et al 2014). Moreover, C14 chain length carbon atoms are most highly enriched in diatom as compared to their deficiency in other algal classes (Hidelbrand et al 2012).…”

Section: Potential Applications Of Spent Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of phenol by a novel diatom BD1IITG-kinetics and biochemical studies

Das

Mandal

Patra

2015

Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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A phenol-degrading novel diatom BD1IITG was isolated from petroleum refinery wastewater and characterized (GenBank Accession No. KJOO2533). HPLC analysis showed the diatom could degrade phenol in the concentration range of 50-250 mg/l in Fog's media. The highest specific growth and degradation rate were achieved at 100 mg/l phenol. It could also mineralize phenol along with aliphatics in petroleum refinery wastewater. Growth kinetic modeling shows that Haldane model best represents the growth behavior of the diatom in nutrient media as well as refinery wastewater. Biokinetic parameters suggest that the diatom possesses higher maximum specific growth rate (l max = 0.4 day -1 ), better tolerance to toxicity (K I = 90.24 mg/l) and high phenol affinity (K s = 20.99 mg/l) in refinery wastewater as compared to Fog's media confirming practical applicability of the strain for wastewater treatment. FTIR fingerprinting of biomass indicates intercellular phenol uptake and breakdown into its intermediates via phenol degradation pathway. Pathway was elucidated using HPLC, LC-MS and UV-visible spectrophotometry confirming prominence of ortho-over meta pathway for phenol metabolism. The diatom produces biosurfactant with highest emulsifying activity at 100 mg/l phenol which may contribute to highest degradation rate at this concentration. Infrared analysis confirms increased biosynthesis of lipids and polysaccharides in phenol-degrading biomass, indicating its potential use as feedstock of clean ecofriendly energy sources as biodiesel or bioethanol. The phenol degradation capability coupled with potential applicability of the spent biomass as biofuel feedstock makes diatom BD1IITG a potential candidate for a clean environmentally sustainable process. Graphical Abstract

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“…Additionally, many diatoms produce abundant lipids, making them candidates for the development of renewable biofuels from microalgae (Hildebrand et al ., 2012; Levitan et al ., 2014). They were the first group of marine phytoplankton with a full genome sequence available (Armbrust et al ., 2004), and subsequently more representatives have been sequenced (Bowler et al ., 2008; Lommer et al ., 2012; http://www.jgi.doe.gov).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcript level coordination of carbon pathways during silicon starvation‐induced lipid accumulation in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana

et al. 2016

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Summary Diatoms are one of the most productive and successful photosynthetic taxa on Earth and possess attributes such as rapid growth rates and production of lipids, making them candidate sources of renewable fuels. Despite their significance, few details of the mechanisms used to regulate growth and carbon metabolism are currently known, hindering metabolic engineering approaches to enhance productivity.To characterize the transcript level component of metabolic regulation, genome‐wide changes in transcript abundance were documented in the model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana on a time‐course of silicon starvation. Growth, cell cycle progression, chloroplast replication, fatty acid composition, pigmentation, and photosynthetic parameters were characterized alongside lipid accumulation.Extensive coordination of large suites of genes was observed, highlighting the existence of clusters of coregulated genes as a key feature of global gene regulation in T. pseudonana. The identity of key enzymes for carbon metabolic pathway inputs (photosynthesis) and outputs (growth and storage) reveals these clusters are organized to synchronize these processes.Coordinated transcript level responses to silicon starvation are probably driven by signals linked to cell cycle progression and shifts in photophysiology. A mechanistic understanding of how this is accomplished will aid efforts to engineer metabolism for development of algal‐derived biofuels.

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Diatoms: a fossil fuel of the future

Cited by 150 publications

References 67 publications

Exploring Valuable Lipids in Diatoms

Exploring Valuable Lipids in Diatoms

Biodegradation of phenol by a novel diatom BD1IITG-kinetics and biochemical studies

Transcript level coordination of carbon pathways during silicon starvation‐induced lipid accumulation in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana

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