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Response of Cyanobacterial Photosynthetic Rate to Different Conditions of Pulsed Light

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Abstract

In this paper, pulsed light (red light, 625 nm) with different parameters were set to study the response of cyanobacterial photosynthetic rate to pulse frequency, intensity, and duty ratio by using the oxygen electrode, in order to achieve optimized light mode for high-efficiency cultivation of microalgae. The results showed that pulsed light with high frequency and small-duty ratio could alleviate photoinhibition under high light stress and achieve similar even higher photosynthetic rate compared to continuous light with the same peak intensity. Photosynthetic rate of cyanobacteria under the same intensity and duty ratio rose with the increase of frequency and reached a relatively stable high level when the frequency went above 100 Hz. Interestingly, under the condition of 2100-µmol photon m−2 s−1 peak intensity, 33% duty ratio, and 200 Hz, the photosynthetic rate was 1.13 times that under continuous light (2100 µmol photon m−2 s−1), saving nearly 67% of the input light energy and improving the conversion rate of light energy by 3.4 times. Mechanisms of pulsed light effect are also analyzed, based on the consumption and accumulation of intermediate substance. The conclusion of this study plays a positive role in reducing the operating cost of algal cultivation by the photobioreactor and even provides a new idea in the microalgal growth under outdoor stress conditions.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

ADP:

Adenosine diphosphate

ATP:

Adenosine triphosphate

Chl:

Chlorophyll

DCL:

Direct current light

LED:

Light-emitting diode

NADP(H):

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate

NADP+ :

Oxidized NADP(H)

OD730 :

Optical density at 730 nm

Pi :

Phosphate

PI model:

Photosynthesis-intensity model

PL:

Pulsed light

PPFD:

Photosynthetic photon flux density

PQ:

Plastoquinone

PSU:

Photosynthetic units

PWM:

Pulse width modulation

QA:

Quinone A

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Funding

This article was published with the support of the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant no. 2017YFB0403504) and the Development of Various Medical Instruments Based on Pulsed Light funded by the Zhongshan Municipal Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Light Source and Illuminating Engineering, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Rd, Shanghai, 200438, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaolin Zhang, Wenqi Li, Haiping Shen & Muqing Liu

  2. Zhongshan Fudan Joint Innovation Center, 6 Xiangxing Rd, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, 528403, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaolin Zhang, Wenqi Li & Muqing Liu

  3. College of Life Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Rd, Shanghai, 200234, People’s Republic of China

    Jiaohong Zhao & Weimin Ma

Authors
  1. Xiaolin Zhang
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  2. Jiaohong Zhao
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  3. Wenqi Li
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  4. Haiping Shen
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Xiaolin Zhang, Weimin Ma, and Muqing Liu designed the study. Xiaolin Zhang and Jiaohong Zhao collected the experimental data. Xiaolin Zhang, Wenqi Li, and Haiping Shen performed the analysis. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Xiaolin Zhang and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Muqing Liu.

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Zhang, X., Zhao, J., Li, W. et al. Response of Cyanobacterial Photosynthetic Rate to Different Conditions of Pulsed Light. Bioenerg. Res. 16, 593–600 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-022-10432-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-022-10432-2

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