Sustainable Cultivation of Microalgae for Biofuels: Supplying Organic Carbon and Other Nutrients from Low-cost Biomass

Biofuel;Microalgae cultivation;Low-cost biomass;Environmental Engineering

Su, ChunyangBouwer, Edward J. ;

Johns Hopkins University

关键词: Biofuel;    Microalgae cultivation;    Low-cost biomass;    Environmental Engineering;   

Others  :  https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/39241/SU-THESIS-2014.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: JOHNS HOPKINS DSpace Repository

【 摘 要 】

Algal biofuels may provide a viable alternative to fossil fuels; however, this technology must overcome a number of hurdles before it can compete in the fuel market and be broadly deployed. These challenges include strain identification and improvement, nutrient and resource allocation and use, and the production of co-products to improve the economics of the entire system. In this study, the low-priced duckweed and filamentous algae were investigated as potential source of sugars for algal cultivation. The results showed that a certain part of sugars could be released from biomass and fed to algae as a source of carbon. The combination of acid/alkaline and enzyme pretreatment can be used for biomass hydrolysis, but still needs be optimized, since highest efficiency of sugar hydrolysis obtained is up to 50%. Different strains of algae were also cultured on acetic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid as different carbon sources under heterotrophic and mixotrophic conditions. Results obtained showed that acetic acid outcompeted other organic acids applied in this experiment as potential feedstock for algae cultivation mixotrophically. Strains including UTEX CS-01, UTEX 1230, UTEX 2714 displayed better growth than any other strains investigated in the experiments, with highest cells density of up to 3×108 cells/mL. This study shows that low-cost biomass and acetic acid can be potentially used as organic carbon source.