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Chemical and Physical Affinity of Microalga–Azospirillum Consortium Co-cultured in Suspension During CO2 Fixation from Biogas

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Abstract

This study evaluated the ability of the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense to establish a synergic association with the microalgae Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. co-cultured in suspension and supplied with biogas (75% CH4–25% CO2). The results demonstrated that under the stressful composition of biogas, signal molecule production, such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and tryptophan (Trp) production by the bacterium and microalgae, respectively, allowed the maintenance of their affinity and mutualistic association. Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. co-cultured in suspension with the bacterium showed higher CO2 fixation rates, 0.29 ± 0.05 and 0.31 ± 0.06 g·L−1·day−1, respectively, than cultured alone, 0.17 ± 0.04 and 0.22 ± 0.03 g·L−1·day−1. Similarly, biomass production of Chlorella sp. (1.4 ± 0.4 g·L−1) and Scenedesmus sp. (1.6 ± 0.5 g·L−1) and their cell composition—mainly carbohydrates and proteins—also enhanced in both microalgae interacting with the bacterium. Overall, these results indicate that, co-cultured in suspension, this consortium microalga–A. brasilense did not change its mutualistic interaction during the specific conditions of CO2 capture from biogas.

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Acknowledgements

Francisco J. Choix acknowledges the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT, Mexico) for the support under the Program-Project 90 Cátedras CONACyT and Martín Flores Martínez and Sergio Oliva León for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) service of CUCEI-UdG; to Diana Fischer for English edition.

Funding

This study was funded by the CONACyT- Frontiers of Science 2019 Project 15769.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Química, CUCEI-Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. M. García Barragán 1421, C.P. 44430, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

    Jorge Alejandro Barbosa-Nuñez

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Circuito Universitario S/N, C.P. 31125, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México

    Oskar A. Palacios, Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón & Francisco J. Choix

  3. The Bashan Institute of Science, 1730 Post Oak Court, Auburn, AL, 36830, USA

    Oskar A. Palacios

  4. Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología Y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco A.C., Camino Arenero 1227, C.P. 45019, Zapopan, Jalisco, México

    Pedro Mondragón-Cortez

  5. Departamento de Ecología, CUCBA-Universidad de Guadalajara, Ramón Padilla Sánchez 2100, C.P. 45200, Zapopan, Jalisco, México

    Héctor Ocampo-Alvarez & Amayaly Becerril-Espinosa

  6. CONACYT, CUCBA-Universidad de Guadalajara, Ramón Padilla Sánchez 2100, C.P. 45200, Zapopan, Jalisco, México

    Amayaly Becerril-Espinosa

  7. CONACYT – Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Circuito Universitario S/N, C.P. 31125, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico

    Francisco J. Choix

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  1. Jorge Alejandro Barbosa-Nuñez
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  2. Oskar A. Palacios
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  3. Pedro Mondragón-Cortez
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  4. Héctor Ocampo-Alvarez
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  6. Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón
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  7. Francisco J. Choix
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Contributions

Barbosa-Nuñez J.A.: investigation and formal analysis. Oskar Palacios: writing — original draft, development, or design of methodology. Mondragón-Cortez P.: investigation, visualization, and formal analysis. Ocampo-Álvarez H. and Becerril-Espinosa A.: visualization, data curation, and formal analysis. Nevárez-Moorillón G.V.: data curation and writing — review and editing. Francisco Choix: writing — original draft, funding acquisition, project administration, and conceptualization.

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Correspondence to Francisco J. Choix.

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12155_2022_10411_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Supplementary file 1. Qualitative biomass characterization and dissolved inorganic carbon uptake of A. brasilense cultured in suspension or immobilized in alginate beads under biogas. (PDF 262 KB)

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Barbosa-Nuñez, J.A., Palacios, O.A., Mondragón-Cortez, P. et al. Chemical and Physical Affinity of Microalga–Azospirillum Consortium Co-cultured in Suspension During CO2 Fixation from Biogas. Bioenerg. Res. 16, 579–592 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-022-10411-7

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