Abstract
Growth of Spirulina sp. (MCRC-A0003), a cyanobacterium, was evaluated under different concentrations of carbon-dioxide (CO2) (4–50 %) in a closed glass photobioreactor. Although significant CO2 utilization by the cyanobacterial strain was observed up to 50 % concentration, complete utilization was observed only at 4, 10 and 20 % concentrations on 3rd, 6th and 8th day respectively. However, considerable reduction was witnessed in reactors containing 30–50 % CO2 only between 6th and 9th day. A corresponding increase in the biomass and primary metabolites like chlorophyll-a, carbohydrate and protein were observed. Biomass productivity of Spirulina in reactors sparged with 4, 10 and 20 % CO2 were 13.7, 43 and 44 % more than that in control reactor without CO2. While CO2 increased the levels of primary metabolites in the cyanobacterial cells, it was quite prominent in 10 % CO2 concentration with the chlorophyll-a, carbohydrate and protein contents were 64, 183 and 626 mg g−1 respectively. While 10 and 6.6 % increase were noticed in chlorophyll-a and protein, 17 % increase in carbohydrate levels was observed in Spirulina cells, which could be attributed to the conversion of CO2 to carbohydrate by the cyanobacterium.
References
Becker EW (1981) Algae mass cultivation–production and utilization. In: Metzner (ed) Photosynthesis and plant productivity. Joint Meeting of O.E.C.D. and Studienzentrum Weikersheim, Ettlingen Castle, Germany, 11–14 October
Hanagata N, Takeuchi T, Fukuju Y, Barnes DJ, Karube I (1992) Tolerance of microalgae to high CO2 and high temperature. Phytochemistry 31(10):3345–3348
Ho SH, Chun-Yen C, Duu-Jong L, Chang JS (2011) Perspectives on microalgal CO2-emission mitigation systems—a review. Biotechnol Adv 29:189–198
Ho SH, Lu WB, Chang JS (2012) Photobioreactor strategies for improving the CO2 fixation efficiency of indigenous Scenedesmus obliquus CNW-N: statistical optimization of CO2 feeding, illumination and operation mode. Bioresour Technol 105:106–113
Hu Q (2007) Industrial production of microalgal cell mass and secondary products—major industrial species: Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis. In: Richmond A (ed) Handbook of microalgal culture: biotechnology and applied phycology. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 264–272
Jeffrey SW, Humphrey GF (1975) New spectrophotometric equations for determining chlorophyll a, b c1 and c2 in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochem Physiol Pflanz 167:191–194
John RP, Anisha GS, Nampoothiri KM, Pandey A (2011) Micro and macroalgal biomass: a renewable source for bioethanol. Bioresour Technol 102(1):186–193
Jones CS, Mayfieldt SP (2012) Algae biofuels: versatility for the future of bioenergy. Curr Opin Biotechnol 23(3):346–351
Kapplan A, Badger MR, Berry JA (1980) Photosynthesis and the intracellular inorganic carbon pool in the bluegreen alga Anabaena variables: response to external CO2 concentration. Planta 149(3):219–226
Lowry LH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
Michele GM, Jorge AVC (2007) Biofixation carbon-dioxide by Spirulina sp. and Scenedesmus obliquus cultivated in a three stage serial tubular photobioreactor. J Biotechnol 129:439–445
Mohite YS, Wakte PSJ (2011) Photosynthesis, growth and cell composition of Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira) under elevated atmospheric CO2 and nitrogen supplement. J Algal Biomass Util 2(1):77–94
Morais MG, Costa JAV (2007) Biofixation of carbon-dioxide by Spirulina sp. and Scenedesmus obliquus cultivated in a three-stage serial tubular photobioreactor. J Biotechnol 129(3):439–445
Nagase H, Eguchi K, Yoshihara K, Hirata K, Miyamoto K (1998) Improvement of microalgal NOx removal in bubble column and airlift reactors. J Ferment Bioeng 86(4):421–423
Packer M (2009) Algal capture of carbon-dioxide; biomass generation as a tool for greenhouse gas mitigation with reference to New Zealand energy strategy and policy. Energy Policy 37:3428–3437
Pons A, Rola P, Agvilo C, Garcia FJ, Alemarry M, Paloo A (1981) A method for the simultaneous determinations of total carbohydrate and glycerol in biological samples with the anthrone reagent. J Biochem Biophys Methods 4(3–4):227–231
Ramanan R, Kannan K, Deshkar A, Yadav R, Chakrabarti T (2010) Enhanced algal CO2 sequestration through calcite deposition by Chlorella sp. and Spirulina platensis in a mini-raceway pond. Bioresour Technol 101:2616–2622
Ramirez-Perez JC, Janes HW (2009) Carbon dioxide sequestration by Spirulina platensis in photo-bioreactors. Habitation 12(1):65–77
Richmond A, Vonshak A, Arad SM (1980) Environmental limitations in outdoor production of algal biomass. In: Shelef G, Soeder CJ (eds) Algae biomass. Elsevier, Armsterdam, pp 65–72
Suali E, Sarbatly R (2012) Conversion of microalgae to biofuel. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 16:4316–4342
Takagi M, Karseno S, Yoshida T (2006) Effect of salt concentration on intracellular accumulation of lipids and triacylglyceride in marine microalgae Dunaliella cells. J Biosci Bioeng 101:223–226
Travieso L, Hall DO, Rao KK, Benítez F, Sánchez E, Borja R (2001) A helical tubular photobioreactor producing Spirulina in a semicontinuous mode. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad 47(3):151–155
Venkatraman LV, Becker EW (1985) Biotechnology and utilization of algae. The Indian Experience. Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi
Weissnman JC, Goebel RP, Benemann JR (1988) Photobioreactor design: mixing, carbon utilization and oxygen accumulation. Biotechnol Bioeng 31:336–344
Yahya L, Chik MN, Mohd A, Pang A (2013) Biological carbon fixation: a study of Isochrysis sp. growth under actual coal-fired power plant’s flue gas. In: 4th International Conference on Energy and Environment 2013 (ICEE2013), IOP Publishing. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 16
Zarrouk C (1966). Influence de divers facteuors physiques et chimiques sur lacroissance et la photosynthese de, Geitle, Spirulina maxima. Ph. D. thesis, University of Paris, France
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi for the financial support and Shri AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre, Chennai for providing necessary facilities to conduct the experiment.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sivakumar, M., Ranjith Kumar, R., Shashirekha, V. et al. Influence of carbon-dioxide on the growth of Spirulina sp. (MCRC-A0003) isolated from Muttukadu backwaters, South India. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 30, 2775–2781 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-014-1688-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-014-1688-y