An Engineered Community Approach for Industrial Cultivation of Microalgae.

Although no species lives in isolation in nature, efforts to grow organisms for use in biotechnology have generally focused on a single-species approach, particularly where a product is required at high purity. In such scenarios, preventing the establishment of contaminants requires considerable effort that is economically justified. However, for some applications in biotechnology where the focus is on lower-margin biofuel production, axenic culture is not necessary, provided yields of the desired strain are unaffected by contaminants. In this article, we review what is known about interspecific interactions of natural algal communities, the dynamics of which are likely to parallel contamination in industrial systems. Furthermore, we discuss the opportunities to improve both yields and the stability of cultures by growing algae in multi-species consortia.EK acknowledges funding from the FP7 DEMA project (Reference number 309086). ASR received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/ under REA grant agreement n° 317184.This is the accepted manuscript. This is a copy of an article published in Industrial Biotechnology © 2014 [copyright Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.]; Industrial Biotechnology is available online at: http://online.liebertpub.com

A Young Algaeneers' perspective: Communication and networking are key to successful multidisciplinary research

In this Letter, we report the outcomes of the third biannual Young Algaeneers Symposium (YAS) that took place in April 2016 in Qawra, Malta. We are reviewing the importance of interdisciplinary communication and benefits of discussion panels. By communicating our experience of hosting YAS2016, we would like to encourage and instill scientific exchange amongst the new generation of scientists and suggest solutions to various problems arising from a lack of mutual understanding. (C) 2016 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved

Electrochemical Characterisation of Bio-Bottle-Voltaic (BBV) Systems Operated with Algae and Built with Recycled Materials.

Photobioelectrochemical systems are an emerging possibility for renewable energy. By exploiting photosynthesis, they transform the energy of light into electricity. This study evaluates a simple, scalable bioelectrochemical system built from recycled plastic bottles, equipped with an anode made from recycled aluminum, and operated with the green alga Chlorella sorokiniana. We tested whether such a system, referred to as a bio-bottle-voltaic (BBV) device, could operate outdoors for a prolonged time period of 35 days. Electrochemical characterisation was conducted by measuring the drop in potential between the anode and the cathode, and this value was used to calculate the rate of charge accumulation. The BBV systems were initially able to deliver ~500 mC·bottle−1·day−1, which increased throughout the experimental run to a maximum of ~2000 mC·bottle−1·day−1. The electrical output was consistently and significantly higher than that of the abiotic BBV system operated without algal cells (~100 mC·bottle−1·day−1). The analysis of the rate of algal biomass accumulation supported the hypothesis that harvesting a proportion of electrons from the algal cells does not significantly perturb the rate of algal growth. Our finding demonstrates that bioelectrochemical systems can be built using recycled components. Prototypes of these systems have been displayed in public events; they could serve as educational toolkits in schools and could also offer a solution for powering low-energy devices off-grid

Exploring the Potential of Algae-Bacteria Communities For Biotechnology

Microalgae are a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms ranging from prokaryotic cyanobacteria to eukaryotic algae spread across many phyla. Traditional algal biotechnology approaches have focused on growing algae in monoculture, in contrast to nature, where algae live in association with many other organisms. One association of interest is between the bacterium Mesorhizobium loti (Rhizobiales) and the green alga, Lobomonas rostrata deficient in the production of vitamin B12. The alga provides fixed carbon to the bacterium whereas the bacterium supplies vitamin B12 to the alga. In the course of a screen for bacterial mutants altered in the interaction, a novel symbiosis was serendipitously identified involving the non-Rhizobiales bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis and L. rostrata. This novel interaction, together with interaction of the more industrially relevant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain was characterized. Nitrogen is a major limiting nutrient for industrial scale algal production. An alternative option to the Haber-Bosch process of synthesising and supplementing fixed nitrogen into media is to utilise nitrogen fixing bacteria capable of secreting fixed nitrogen into the media otherwise known as biofertilisation. Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is a filamentous cyanobacteria that can fix its own nitrogen and engineered strains capable of releasing fixed nitrogen in the form of amino acids and ammonium were cultured with the industrially relevant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii metE—+ M. loti consortium and Chlorella vulgaris in nitrogen-free media. There are relatively few published studies investigating and outlining the challenges involved in scaling algae production from the laboratory through to pilot scale. Furthermore, these studies have typically focused on growing axenic cultures. The B12-dependent strain of C. reinhardtii metE— was grown in the presence of supplemented B12 and B12 producing M. loti at lab scale (50 mL), pre-pilot scale (10 L) and pilot scale (60 L). The growth efficiency as determined by growth rate, was measured and compared for both cultures at all scales.Anthony S. Riseley received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007–2013/under Research Executive Agency grant agreement no. 31718

Exploitation of microalgae

Microalgae are a diverse group of single-cell photosynthetic organisms that include cyanobacteria and a wide range of eukaryotic algae. A number of microalgae contain high-value compounds such as oils, colorants, and polysaccharides, which are used by the food additive, oil, and cosmetic industries, among others. They offer the potential for rapid growth under photoautotrophic conditions, and they can grow in a wide range of habitats. More recently, the development of genetic tools means that a number of species can be transformed and hence used as cell factories for the production of high-value chemicals or recombinant proteins. In this article, we review exploitation use of microalgae with a special emphasis on genetic engineering approaches to develop cell factories, and the use of synthetic ecology approaches to maximize productivity. We discuss the success stories in these areas, the hurdles that need to be overcome, and the potential for expanding the industry in general.This work was supported by the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/ under REA grant agreement n° 317184 and from “Plant Power: Light-Driven Synthesis of Complex Terpenoids Using Cytochromes P450” (12-131834) funded by the Danish Council for Strategic Research, Programme Commission on Strategic Growth Technologies (PEJ, CR). PDR was funded by the UK’s Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erv42

Biotechnological exploitation of microalgae.

Microalgae are a diverse group of single-cell photosynthetic organisms that include cyanobacteria and a wide range of eukaryotic algae. A number of microalgae contain high-value compounds such as oils, colorants, and polysaccharides, which are used by the food additive, oil, and cosmetic industries, among others. They offer the potential for rapid growth under photoautotrophic conditions, and they can grow in a wide range of habitats. More recently, the development of genetic tools means that a number of species can be transformed and hence used as cell factories for the production of high-value chemicals or recombinant proteins. In this article, we review exploitation use of microalgae with a special emphasis on genetic engineering approaches to develop cell factories, and the use of synthetic ecology approaches to maximize productivity. We discuss the success stories in these areas, the hurdles that need to be overcome, and the potential for expanding the industry in general