1 research outputs found
Sustainable Growth and Lipid Production from <i>Chlorella pyrenoidosa</i> Using N‑Doped Carbon Nanosheets: Unravelling the Role of Graphitic Nitrogen
The
advent of novel carbonaceous nanomaterials (CMs) associated
with microalgae paved an alternate way for the bioeconomic production
of biofuels as well as high value added compounds. Herein, we for
the first time, present a holistic approach for sustainable biomass
and lipid production from Chlorella pyrenoidosa, wherein CMs, namely N-doped carbon nanosheets (CNS) and N-doped
graphene nanosheets (NGS) were used as one of the algal growth supporting
factors. Doping carbon nanomaterials with nitrogen can effectively
tune its electronic structure and other intrinsic properties for efficient
photocatalysis. The utilization of CNS and NGS in this process lead
to rapid, environment friendly, and facile assimilation of biomass
and lipids for the development of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals,
and other bioenergy associated applications. Employing a suite of
characterization methods, the intrinsic structural and morphological
properties of CMs were revealed. Compared with control, the lipid
content obtained in the presence of undoped carbonized carbon materials
(CCM), CNS, and NGS were found to be around 1.5-, 2-, and 6-fold higher,
respectively, at similar growth conditions. We, therefore, envisage
that graphitic nitrogen rich NGS plays a pivotal role in enhancing
the lipid production from algae. This finding, therefore, exhibits
a promising potential to bring about a paradigm shift in the field
of bioenergy frameworks