Towards microalgal triglycerides in the commodity markets

Benvenuti, Giulia; Ruiz, Jorge; Lamers, Packo P.; Bosma, R.; Wijffels, René H.; Barbosa, María J.

doi:10.1186/s13068-017-0873-2

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Generally, C flux is driven to the production of lipids and carbohydrates in N-depleted situations, impacting culture yields and the biochemical composition of biomass [52,53]. On the other hand, nitrogen supply is considered one of the culture parameters that increase the most the production costs [54,55]. Thus, we considered important to study deeply how nitrogen supply affects the culture of C. vulgaris.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to combine CO2 abatement and starch production in Chlorella vulgaris

et al. 2018

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Microalgae production has gained attention in recent years as promising systems for CO 2 abatement as well as a source of proteins, pigments, vitamins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Particularly, starch can be used for bioethanol production in a well-established fermentative process. The aim of this work was to maximize and model biomass productivity and CO 2 assimilation in continuous cultures of Chlorella vulgaris. The following culture parameters were studied: dilution rate, pH, temperature, light intensity, and nitrogen supply. The proposed model (r 2 = 0.95) predicted a maximum biomass productivity of 0.7 g L −1 d −1 and CO 2 assimilation of 1.3 g L −1 d −1. The experimental data agreed with these predictions, resulting in a maximum biomass productivity of 0.67 g L −1 d −1 (resulting in a CO 2 assimilation of 1.23 g L −1 d −1). In addition, the starch content was determined, and the results were used as input into a second model, which aimed at predicting starch accumulation during CO 2 abatement processes (r 2 = 0.84). This second model predicted a daily and continuous production of biomass with a maximum starch content of 0.25 g g −1 d −1 (25% dcw), but under different culture conditions than those found for maximizing biomass productivity and CO 2 assimilation. The maximum starch content experimentally determined was 0.2 g g −1 d −1 (20% dcw). Thus, to implement a biological system for CO 2 abatement coupled to starch accumulation, it is necessary to find a compromise between these two processes. Hence, although yield in both processes would be reduced, a simultaneous process for CO 2 mitigation and starch production would be feasible.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to combine CO2 abatement and starch production in Chlorella vulgaris

et al. 2018

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“…Unlike higher plants, they do not need arable land and have significantly higher biomass yields and productivities (Brennan and Owende, 2010; Remmers et al, 2018). Moreover, some microalgal species can accumulate large amounts of triacylglycerol (TAG) as storage compounds, which can be converted into biodiesel by transesterification (Breuer et al, 2012; Benvenuti et al, 2017; Faried et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oleaginous microalgae strains such as Neochloris oleoabundans can produce TAG up to 44% of their dry weight (Breuer et al, 2012). Since high production costs are currently involved in the process, yields, and productivities have to be improved in order to allow for full commercial scale production (Ruiz et al, 2016; Benvenuti et al, 2017). Several strategies have been proposed for their great potential to reduce the elevated costs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Single and Combined Expression of Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase, Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase, and Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase on Lipid Accumulation and Composition in Neochloris oleoabundans

et al. 2019

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Microalgal lipids are promising feedstocks for food and biofuels. Since lipid production by microalgae is not yet economically feasible, genetic engineering is becoming a promising strategy to achieve higher lipid accumulation and productivities. Enzymes involved in the Kennedy pathway such as glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT), and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyze key steps in the formation of triacylglycerol, which is the main constituent of lipids in N. oleoabundans. The overexpression of these enzymes in the targeted strain has a great potential to further increase their triacylglycerol content. We overexpressed single and multiple encoding genes for LPAT, GPAT, and DGAT from Acutodesmus obliquus in N. oleoabundans. Strains overexpressing single genes produced up to 52% and 45% g · gDW-1, which corresponds to 1.3- and 1.4-fold increase in total fatty acids and triacylglycerols, respectively. The orchestrated expression of the three genes resulted in 49% and 39% g · gDW-1, which is 1.2-folds increase in total fatty acids and triacylglycerols. Single expression of LPAT, GPAT, and DGAT genes resulted in higher lipid productivities during starvation without a significant effect on growth and photosynthetic activity during replete conditions. On the other hand, the simultaneous expression of LPAT, GPAT, and DGAT genes resulted in 52% lower growth rate, 14% lower photosynthetic activity and 4-folds increase in cell diameter. Moreover, the multigene expressing line showed a decrease in carbohydrates and protein content and an increase in pigments during nitrogen starved condition. The single and multiple expression of heterologous genes LPAT, GPAT, and DGAT showed to significantly enhanced the lipid accumulation in N. oleoabundans. Single gene expression resulted in higher lipid production and productivities without having a significant impact in the physiological status of the strains. This approach shows the potential for the generation of microalgal strains with higher economical potential for the production of lipids.

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“…Despite great advantages offered by microalgae exploitation, production of third generation biodiesel is still far from being commercially viable [ 58 ]. As an alternative, biogas generation through anaerobic digestion of microalgal biomass has been proposed as a more energetically-favorable process [ 59 ].…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomass from microalgae: the potential of domestication towards sustainable biofactories

et al. 2018

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Interest in bulk biomass from microalgae, for the extraction of high-value nutraceuticals, bio-products, animal feed and as a source of renewable fuels, is high. Advantages of microalgal vs. plant biomass production include higher yield, use of non-arable land, recovery of nutrients from wastewater, efficient carbon capture and faster development of new domesticated strains. Moreover, adaptation to a wide range of environmental conditions evolved a great genetic diversity within this polyphyletic group, making microalgae a rich source of interesting and useful metabolites. Microalgae have the potential to satisfy many global demands; however, realization of this potential requires a decrease of the current production costs. Average productivity of the most common industrial strains is far lower than maximal theoretical estimations, suggesting that identification of factors limiting biomass yield and removing bottlenecks are pivotal in domestication strategies aimed to make algal-derived bio-products profitable on the industrial scale. In particular, the light-to-biomass conversion efficiency represents a major constraint to finally fill the gap between theoretical and industrial productivity. In this respect, recent results suggest that significant yield enhancement is feasible. Full realization of this potential requires further advances in cultivation techniques, together with genetic manipulation of both algal physiology and metabolic networks, to maximize the efficiency with which solar energy is converted into biomass and bio-products. In this review, we draft the molecular events of photosynthesis which regulate the conversion of light into biomass, and discuss how these can be targeted to enhance productivity through mutagenesis, strain selection or genetic engineering. We outline major successes reached, and promising strategies to achieving significant contributions to future microalgae-based biotechnology.

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Towards microalgal triglycerides in the commodity markets

Cited by 21 publications

References 68 publications

How to combine CO2 abatement and starch production in Chlorella vulgaris

How to combine CO2 abatement and starch production in Chlorella vulgaris

Effect of Single and Combined Expression of Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase, Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase, and Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase on Lipid Accumulation and Composition in Neochloris oleoabundans

Biomass from microalgae: the potential of domestication towards sustainable biofactories

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