Microalgae are widely viewed as a promising and sustainable source of renewable chemicals and biofuels. Botryococcus braunii synthesizes and secretes significant amounts of long-chain (C30 -C40 ) hydrocarbons that can be subsequently converted into gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel. B. braunii cultures are not axenic and the effects of co-cultured microorganisms on B. braunii growth and hydro...

The microalga Botryococcus braunii (B. braunii) can produce extracellular oil in the form of triterpenoid hydrocarbons up to 40 precent of their dry mass. These hydrocarbons with carbon chain lengths ranging from C30 to C40 including botryococcene, squalene and methylated squalenes, are ideal for the production of high quality liquid transport fuels and petrochemical alternatives. However, comm...

This study deals with an effective nucleic acids extraction method from various strains of Botryococcus braunii which possesses an extensive extracellular matrix. A method combining freeze/thaw and bead-beating with heterogeneous diameter of silica/zirconia beads was optimized to isolate DNA and RNA from microalgae, especially from B. braunii. Eukaryotic Microalgal Nucleic Acids Extraction (EMN...

Extraction of compounds from microalgae requires cell disruption as a pretreatment to increase extraction yield. Botryococcus braunii is a microalga with a significant content of carotenoids and other antioxidant compounds, such as chlorophylls. Cell disruption of B. braunii using CO2 rapid depressurization was studied as a pretreatment for the extraction of carotenoid and chlorophyll pigments....

Botryococcene biosynthesis is thought to resemble that of squalene, a metabolite essential for sterol metabolism in all eukaryotes. Squalene arises from an initial condensation of two molecules of farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) to form presqualene diphosphate (PSPP), which then undergoes a reductive rearrangement to form squalene. In principle, botryococcene could arise from an alternative rearrang...

Plants react to biotic and abiotic stresses with a variety of responses including the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may result in programmed cell death (PCD). The mechanisms underlying ROS production and PCD have not been well studied in microalgae. Here, we analyzed ROS accumulation, biomass accumulation, and hydrocarbon production in the colony-forming green microalga Bot...

The green algae Botryococcus braunii is widely recognized as a source of oil, including hydrocarbons. However, the slow rate of growth B. braunii hampers its commercial development. This study addresses this by examining the effects of three growth media on biomass and oil production in two B. braunii Race B strains, Kossou-4 and Overjuyo-3. Growth of B. braunii strains in BG11 medium resulted ...

Anaerobic co-digestion of lipid-spent Botryococcus braunii (LSBB) with waste activated sludge (WAS) and glycerol was studied. Different co-digestion mixtures were assessed in biochemical methane potential tests, performed at mesophilic temperature (35oC). The experimental methane yields obtained were compared to theoretical values calculated from the methane individual yields. No significant in...