Use of highly alkaline conditions to improve cost-effectiveness of algal biotechnology

Canon-Rubio, Karen A.; Sharp, Christine E.; Bergerson, Joule; Strous, Marc; De la Hoz Siegler, Hector

doi:10.1007/s00253-015-7208-7

Mini-Review
Published: 22 December 2015

Use of highly alkaline conditions to improve cost-effectiveness of algal biotechnology

Karen A. Canon-Rubio¹,
Christine E. Sharp²,
Joule Bergerson¹,
Marc Strous² &
Hector De la Hoz Siegler¹

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology volume 100, pages 1611–1622 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Phototrophic microorganisms have been proposed as an alternative to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) and to produce biofuels and other valuable products. Low CO₂ absorption rates, low volumetric productivities, and inefficient downstream processing, however, currently make algal biotechnology highly energy intensive, expensive, and not economically competitive to produce biofuels. This mini-review summarizes advances made regarding the cultivation of phototrophic microorganisms at highly alkaline conditions, as well as other innovations oriented toward reducing the energy input into the cultivation and processing stages. An evaluation, in terms of energy requirements and energy return on energy invested, is performed for an integrated high-pH, high-alkalinity growth process that uses biofilms. Performance in terms of productivity and expected energy return on energy invested is presented for this process and is compared to previously reported life cycle assessments (LCAs) for systems at near-neutral pH. The cultivation of alkaliphilic phototrophic microorganisms in biofilms is shown to have a significant potential to reduce both energy requirements and capital costs.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the University of Calgary’s Vice-President of Research, and the Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair to Marc Strous.

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Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Karen A. Canon-Rubio, Joule Bergerson & Hector De la Hoz Siegler
Energy Bioengineering and Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Christine E. Sharp & Marc Strous

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Karen A. Canon-Rubio
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Christine E. Sharp
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Joule Bergerson
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Marc Strous
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Hector De la Hoz Siegler
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Correspondence to Hector De la Hoz Siegler.

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Canon-Rubio, K.A., Sharp, C.E., Bergerson, J. et al. Use of highly alkaline conditions to improve cost-effectiveness of algal biotechnology. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100, 1611–1622 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-7208-7

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Received: 05 September 2015
Revised: 24 November 2015
Accepted: 28 November 2015
Published: 22 December 2015
Issue Date: February 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-7208-7

Keywords

Algal biofilms
Alkaliphiles
Biogas production
CO₂ absorption
Alkaline cultures
Bioenergy