Initial risk assessment of genetically modified (GM) microalgae for commodity-scale biofuel cultivation

Henley, William J.; Litaker, R. Wayne; Novoveská, Lucie; Duke, Clifford S.; Quemada, Hector; Sayre, Richard T.

doi:10.1016/j.algal.2012.11.001

Cited by 116 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…The high concentrations of carbohydrates point to the potential use of this species as raw material for other possible biotechnological processes such as the generation bioethanol, which viability still has to be demonstrated. The promise of genetically modified microalgae (e.g., Henley et al, 2013;Wijffels et al, 2013) could meet organisms like S. subsalsus, which has high growth rates, but presents an unsuitable chemical composition for biodiesel production.…”

Section: Potential For Biodiesel Production and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of the usefulness of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus subsalsus as a source of biomass for biofuel production

Setta¹,

Barbarino²,

Passos³

et al. 2014

lajar

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ABSTRACT. Nowadays algal biofuels are considered one of the most promising solutions of global energy crisis and climate change for the years to come. By manipulation of the culture conditions, many algal species can be induced to accumulate high concentrations of particular biomolecules and can be directed to the desired output for each fuel. In this context, the present study involved the assessment of the effects of CO 2 availability and nitrogen starvation on growth and chemical composition of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus subsalsus, testing a fast-growing native strain. The control experiments were performed with Conway culture medium in 12-day batch cultures, in 6-liter flasks and 12 h photoperiod, with addition of 2 L min -1 filtered air to each flask. Other two experimental conditions were also tested: (i) the placement into the cultures of additional dissolved nutrients except nitrogen, one week after the start of growth (N-), and (ii) the input of pure CO 2 into the flasks from the 5 th day of growth (C+). In all cultures, daily cell counts were done throughout the cultivation, as well as measurements of pH and cell biovolumes. Maximum cell yield were found in N-experiments, while cell yields of C+ and control were similar. Dissolved nitrogen was exhausted before the end of the experiments, but dissolved phosphorus was not totally consumed. Protein and chlorophyll-a concentrations decreased from the exponential to the stationary growth phase of all experiments, except for protein in the control. In all experiments, carbohydrate, lipid and total carotenoid increased from the exponential to the stationary growth phase, as an effect of nitrogen limitation. Increments in carbohydrate concentrations were remarkable, achieving more than 42% of the dry weight (dw), but concentrations of lipid were always lower than 13% dw. The addition of pure CO 2 did not cause a significant increase in biomass of S. subsalsus nor generated more lipid and carbohydrate than the other treatments. Nitrogen starvation caused an intense accumulation of carbohydrate, but the increments of lipid were small. Despite the fast growth, the cyanobacterium S. subsalsus has a virtually null potential for biodiesel production, given its low lipid concentrations. The high concentrations of carbohydrate combined with fast growth point to the potential use of this species as raw material for other possible biotechnological processes, after a demonstration of technical and economic viability. Keywords: biodiesel, biomass, cultivation, lipid, microalgae, cyanobacteria, productivity.Evaluación de la utilidad de la cianobacteria marina Synechococcus subsalsus como fuente de biomasa para la producción de biocombustibles RESUMEN. Actualmente los biocombustibles elaborados con algas se consideran una de las soluciones más prometedoras de la crisis energética mundial y el cambio climático para los años venideros. Mediante la manipulación de las condiciones de cultivo, muchas especies de algas pueden ser inducidas para acumular altas concentracione...

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Section: Potential For Biodiesel Production and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of the usefulness of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus subsalsus as a source of biomass for biofuel production

Setta¹,

Barbarino²,

Passos³

et al. 2014

lajar

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Conversely, many successful invaders have negligible, and sometimes, beneficial impacts on natural ecosystems [19]. In addition, others have argued that most commercially relevant GE traits are unlikely to confer a fitness advantage in nature, reducing the potential for environmental disruption [10]. The Snow and Henley papers arrived at very different conclusions on GE algae and neither publication was based on real world data [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, others have argued that most commercially relevant GE traits are unlikely to confer a fitness advantage in nature, reducing the potential for environmental disruption [10]. The Snow and Henley papers arrived at very different conclusions on GE algae and neither publication was based on real world data [9,10]. So that the conversation on GE algae can move forward based on actual data and so that a responsible and informed conclusion can be reached, we conducted a small and controlled study to examine GE algae in outdoor growth experiments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Phenotypes that are expressed in the laboratory may prove unstable in uncontrolled environments due to loss of trait genes, mutations, interactions with native species, or altered gene expression. Whether GE organisms retain desirable traits in large-scale outdoor cultivation with variable conditions remains to be explored; to date, experts have only speculated on the potential consequences and outcomes of cultivating GE algae outdoors [9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the potential risk posed by GE algae depends on their capacity to disperse, establish themselves in wild communities, and persist in the presence of native species. Concerns about ecological and public health impacts arising from escaped mass-cultured GE algae strains have been raised based on comparisons with invasive species [9][10][11][12][13], but never tested experimentally. While there are no cases of GE algae establishing in wild communities described in the literature, examples of invasive aquatic or terrestrial species with significant environmental impacts have been observed [14][15][16][17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of phenotype stability and ecological risk of a genetically engineered alga in open pond production

Szyjka¹,

Mandal

Schoepp

et al. 2017

Algal Research

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A B S T R A C TGenetically engineered (GE) algae offer the promise of producing food, fuel, and other valuable products with reduced requirements for land and fresh water. While the gains in productivity measured in GE terrestrial crops are predicted to be mirrored in GE algae, the stability of phenotypes and ecological risks posed by GE algae in large-scale outdoor cultivation remain unknown. Here, we describe the first US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-sanctioned experiment aimed at understanding how GE algae perform in outdoor cultivation. Acutodesmus dimorphus was genetically engineered by the addition of two genes, one for enhanced fatty acid biosynthesis, and one for recombinant green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression; both the genes and their associated phenotypes were maintained during fifty days of outdoor cultivation. We also observed that while the GE algae dispersed from the cultivation ponds, colonization of the trap ponds by the GE strain declined rapidly with increasing distance from the source cultivation ponds. In contrast, many species of indigenous algae were found in every trap pond within a few days of starting the experiment. When inoculated in water from five local lakes, the GE algae's effect on biodiversity, species composition, and biomass of native algae was indiscernible from those of the wild-type (wt) progenitor algae, and neither the GE nor wt algae were able to outcompete native strains. We conclude that GE algae can be successfully cultivated outdoors while maintaining GE traits, and that for the specific GE algal strain tested here they did not outcompete or adversely impact native algae populations when grown in water taken from local lakes. This study provides an initial evaluation of GE algae in outdoor cultivation and a framework to evaluate GE algae risks associated with outdoor GE algae production.

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Microalgae as a source of nutraceuticals

et al. 2015

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Initial risk assessment of genetically modified (GM) microalgae for commodity-scale biofuel cultivation

Cited by 116 publications

References 111 publications

An assessment of the usefulness of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus subsalsus as a source of biomass for biofuel production

An assessment of the usefulness of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus subsalsus as a source of biomass for biofuel production

Evaluation of phenotype stability and ecological risk of a genetically engineered alga in open pond production

Microalgae as a source of nutraceuticals

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