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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
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Cultivation of Green Microalgae in Bubble Column Photobioreactors and an Assay for Neutral Lipids
Published on: January 7, 2019
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An Engineered Community Approach for Industrial Cultivation of Microalgae
Elena Kazamia1, Anthony S Riseley2, Christopher J Howe2
1Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Industrial Biotechnology (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
|March 3, 2015
Summary
Single-species algal cultures are common in biotechnology, but multi-species consortia offer potential for biofuel production. Exploring interspecific interactions can improve yields and culture stability.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Microbiology
- Algal Biology
Background:
- Traditional biotechnology often uses single-species cultures for high-purity products, necessitating costly contamination control.
- Axenic (pure) cultures are not always required for lower-margin applications like biofuel production, if contaminants do not impact desired strain yields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review interspecific interactions in natural algal communities.
- To explore the potential of multi-species algal consortia for improving biotechnological applications, particularly biofuel production.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of interspecific interactions in natural algal communities.
- Analysis of how these interactions might apply to industrial algal cultivation systems.
Main Results:
- Interspecific interactions in natural algal communities provide insights into potential contaminants in industrial systems.
- Multi-species consortia present opportunities to enhance both the yield and stability of algal cultures.
Conclusions:
- Moving beyond single-species approaches in biotechnology can be beneficial, especially for biofuel production.
- Understanding and leveraging interspecific algal interactions in consortia can lead to more efficient and stable algal cultivation systems.
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