Characterization of factors influencing the growth of Anabaena variabilis in a bubble column reactor

The effect of Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2, a hydrocarbon-metabolising organism, on gas holdup in a 4-phase bubble column bioprocess

To design bioprocesses utilising hydrocarbon-metabolising organisms (HMO) as biocatalysts, the effect of the organism on the hydrodynamics of bubble column reactor (BCR), such as gas holdup, needs to be investigated. Therefore, this study investigates the first use of an HMO, Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2, as a solid phase in the operation and hydrodynamics of a BCR. The study investigated the gas holdup in 3-phase and 4-phase systems in a BCR under ranges of superficial gas velocities (U_G) from 1 to 3 cm/s, hydrocarbon (chain length C₁₃-₂₁) concentrations (H_C) of 0, 5, and 10% v/v and microbial concentrations (M_C) of 0, 0.35, 0.6 g/l. The results indicated that U_G was the most significant parameter, as gas holdup increases linearly with increasing U_G from 1 to 3 cm/s. Furthermore, the addition of hydrocarbons into the air-deionized water -SK2 system showed the highest increase in the gas holdup, particularly at high U_G (above 2 cm/s). The solids (yeast, cornflour, and SK2) phases had differing effects on gas holdup, potentially due to the difference in surface activity. In this work, SK2 addition caused a reduction in the fluid surface tension in the bioprocess which therefore resulted in an increase in the gas holdup in BCR. This work builds upon previous investigations in optimising the hydrodynamics for bubble column hydrocarbon bioprocesses for the application of alkane bioactivation.

Reconstruction of a regulated two-cell metabolic model to study biohydrogen production in a diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413

Anabaena variabilis is a diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacterium that differentiates to heterocysts and produces hydrogen as a byproduct. Study on metabolic interactions of the two differentiated cells provides a better understanding of its metabolism especially for improving hydrogen production. To this end, a genome-scale metabolic model for Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413, iAM957, was reconstructed and evaluated in this research. Then, the model and transcriptomic data of the vegetative and heterocyst cells were applied to construct a regulated two-cell metabolic model. The regulated model improved prediction for biomass in high radiation levels. The regulated model predicts that heterocysts provide an oxygen-free environment and then, this model was used to find strategies for improving hydrogen production in heterocysts. The predictions indicate that the removal of uptake hydrogenase improves hydrogen production which is consistent with previous empirical research. Furthermore, the regulated model proposed activation of some reactions to provide redox cofactors which are required for improving hydrogen production up to 60% by bidirectional hydrogenase.

Development of a novel multi-column airlift photobioreactor with easy scalability by means of computational fluid dynamics simulations and experiments

Aiming to culture algae with high efficiency, a novel vertical multi-column airlift photobioreactor (VMAPBR) has been developed. It was constructed with a series of vertically arranged parallel columns with easy scalability. The hydrodynamic, irradiation and shear stress characteristics of the photobioreactor were studied by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Accordingly, the optimal aeration manner and aeration rate were determined. When the novel airlift PBR was alternately aerated with aeration rate of 0.2vvm, the biomass concentration of Chlorella pyrenoidosa under outdoor condition reached 1.30gL^-1 within the prototype PBR and was further increased to 1.56gL^-1 within the optimized PBR. The result of cultivation experiment had good agreement with that of CFD prediction.

Optimization of photobioreactor growth conditions for a cyanobacterium expressing mosquitocidal Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins

An Anabaena strain (PCC 7120#11) that was genetically engineered to express Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cry genes has shown good larvicidal activity against Anopheles arabiensis, a major vector of malaria in Africa. Response surface methodology was used to evaluate the relationship between key growth factors and the volumetric productivity of PCC 7120#11 in an indoor, flat-plate photobioreactor. The interaction of input CO₂ concentration and airflow rate had a statistically significant effect on the volumetric productivity of PCC 7120#11, as did the interaction of airflow rate and photosynthetic photon flux density. Model-based numerical optimization indicated that the optimal factor level combination for maximizing PCC 7120#11 volumetric productivity was a photosynthetic photon flux density of 154 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and air enriched with 3.18% (v/v) CO₂ supplied at a flow rate of 1.02 vessel volumes per minute. At the levels evaluated in the study, none of the growth factors had a significant effect on the median lethal concentration of PCC 7120#11 against An. arabiensis larvae. This finding is important because loss of mosquitocidal activity under growth conditions that maximize volumetric productivity would impact on the feasibility of using PCC 7120#11 in malaria vector control programs. The study showed the usefulness of response surface methodology for determination of the optimal growth conditions for a cyanobacterium that is genetically engineered to have larvicidal activity against malaria vectors.

Enhanced removal of carbon dioxide and alleviation of dissolved oxygen accumulation in photobioreactor with bubble tank

Reduction of carbon loss from the effluent is one of the most important aspects of photobioreactors design. In this study, a novel gas sparger of bubble tank was adopted in a photobioreactor to enhance carbon dioxide (CO(2)) mass transfer rate as well as alleviate dissolved oxygen (DO) accumulation. The results showed that low DO level in the culture can be obtained due to the turbulent hydrodynamic condition provided by the bubble tank. The effects of CO(2) concentration, flow rate of influent, and light intensity on CO(2) removal efficiency were investigated. The maximum CO(2) removal efficiency was 94% at flow rate of 30 mL min(-1), light intensity of 179 μmol m(-2) s(-1) and CO(2) concentration of 10%, implying that the novel gas sparger is a promising alternative for CO(2) removal from CO(2)-enriched air by cultivating microalgae in the photobioreactor.

The cultivation of Anabaena variabilis in a bubble column operating under bubbly and slug flows

In a bubble column reactor with an inner diameter of 6cm and a height of 63cm for the culture of cyanobacteria two different shapes of bubbles can be generated, resulting in bubbly flow or slug flow. Growth of Anabaena variabilis under slug flow (1.9g/l/day) was 1.73 times higher than that under bubbly flow (1.1g/l/day) when the specific irradiation rate was maintained above 10μmol/s/g dry cell. Although a stepwise increase in superficial gas velocity enhanced the average cell growth rate under bubbly flow by 1.57 times, the average cell growth rate during the deceleration phase under bubbly flow (1.98g/l/day) was 0.61 times smaller than that under slug flow (3.22g/l/day). These results demonstrate that the bubble shape in the slug flow was advantageous in regards to the radial circulation of cells.

Utilization of the cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. CH1 in biological carbon dioxide mitigation processes

Before switching totally to alternative fuel stage, CO(2) mitigation process has considered a transitional strategy for combustion of fossil fuels inevitably. In comparison to other CO(2) mitigation options, such as oceanic or geologic injection, the biological photosynthetic process would present a far superior and sustainable solution under both environmental and social considerations. The utilization of the cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. CH1 in carbon dioxide mitigation processes is analyzed in our research. It was found that an original developed photobioreactor with internal light source exhibits high light utilization. Anabaena sp. CH1 demonstrates excellent CO(2) tolerance even at 15% CO(2) level. This enables flue gas from power plant to be directly introduced to Anabaena sp. CH1 culture. Double light intensity and increased 47% CO(2) bubble retention time could enhance CO(2) removal efficiencies by 79% and 67%, respectively. A maximum CO(2) fixation rate of 1.01 g CO(2)L(-1)day(-1) was measured experimentally.

Lumostatic strategy for microalgae cultivation utilizing image analysis and chlorophyll a content as design parameters

Cultivation of microalgae Chlorella sp. was performed in draft-tube photobioreactors. Effect of light intensity on the microalgae growth performance was conducted under a light intensity range of 82-590 μmol/m(2)s. A lumostatic strategy was proposed based on the light distribution profiles obtained by image analysis and specific chlorophyll a content. The proposed lumostatic strategy allowed a maximum biomass dry weight of 5.78 g/L and a productivity of 1.29 g/Ld, which were 25.7% and 74.3% higher than that achieved by the optimal constant light intensity, respectively. A comparison with other lumostatic strategies reported in the literature indicated that the proposed lumostatic strategy in the current study can be a promising approach in improving the growth of microalgae.

Hydrogen production from formic acid in pH-stat fed-batch operation for direct supply to fuel cell

Enterobacter asburiae SNU-1 harvested after cultivation was used as a whole cell biocatalyst, for the production of hydrogen. Formic acid was efficiently converted to hydrogen using the harvested cells with an initial hydrogen production rate and total hydrogen production of 491 ml/l/h and 6668 ml/l, respectively, when 1 g/l of whole cell enzyme was used. Moreover, new pH-stat fed-batch operation was conducted, and total hydrogen production was 1.4 times higher than that of batch operation. For practical application, bio-hydrogen produced from formic acid using harvested cells was directly applied to PEMFC for power generation.