Enhancing methane yield from microalgae: abiotic stress and cells disruption with quartz powder

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Renewable Energy
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Microalgal biomass is a promising substrate for biogas production.
• Efficient extraction of intracellular components is crucial for maximizing methane yield.
• Current cell disruption methods can be energy-intensive or inefficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of microalgal biomass.
• To introduce and evaluate a novel mechanical cell disruption method using quartz powder (SiO2).
• To enhance methane (CH4) production from Chlorella vulgaris and Monoraphidium contortum.

Main Methods:

• Two-phase algae cultivation involving nitrogen deprivation and salinity shifts.
• Biochemical modification of microalgal biomass.
• Mechanical cell disruption using quartz powder (SiO2).
• Measurement of methane (CH4) yield (mL CH4/g volatile solids - VS).

Main Results:

• The novel cell disruption method significantly increased BMP.
• Chlorella vulgaris yielded 305 mL CH4/g VS (51% increase).
• Monoraphidium contortum yielded 324 mL CH4/g VS (86% increase).

Conclusions:

• The integrated approach of stress-based cultivation and mechanical cell disruption is effective for enhancing microalgal methane yield.
• This method offers a promising strategy for optimizing biogas production from microalgal biomass.
• The study highlights the potential of SiO2-assisted disruption for industrial-scale applications.