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Microalgae screening under CO2 stress: Growth and micro-nutrients removal efficiency.
Fida Hussain1, Syed Zahir Shah2, Wenguang Zhou3
1School of Resources, Environmental & Chemical Engineering and Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China; Department of Botany, Qurtuba University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar 25100, KPK, Pakistan; Department of Botany, Islamia College Peshawar 25100, Pakistan; Center for Biorefining, Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Department, University of Minnesota, 1390 Eckles Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55108, United States.
Microalgae strains show promise for reducing greenhouse gases and producing biofuels. Certain strains efficiently capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and remove nutrients, even at high CO2 concentrations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Biotechnology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Algae are crucial for aquatic ecosystems, aiding in carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction and micro-nutrient removal.
- Developing efficient technologies for algae cultivation is key for greenhouse gas mitigation and biofuel production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the CO2 biofixation efficiency and micro-nutrient removal capabilities of selected microalgae strains.
- To assess microalgae adaptability and biomass production under varying CO2 concentrations.
Main Methods:
- Cultivation of eight locally isolated and two pure microalgae strains.
- Monitoring growth, biomass production, and CO2 biofixation under different CO2 concentrations (up to 20%).
- Evaluation of nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, ammonia) removal from simulated media.
Main Results:
- Three strains (UMN266, UMN268, UTEX 2714) demonstrated high biomass production (1.3-1.4 g/L) at 20% CO2.
- Step-wise CO2 feeding improved growth for strains UTEX 78 and UMN 230, yielding 0.9-0.97 g/L biomass.
- All strains exhibited high growth rates at 2% CO2 and significant removal of nitrogen, phosphorus, and ammonia.
Conclusions:
- Fast-growing microalgae tolerant to high CO2 concentrations (up to 20%) are suitable for flue gas mitigation and valuable product generation.
- Microalgae represent a potential alternative for effective CO2 fixation and bio-based product development.