Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a dominant bloom forming species and potential biofuel feedstock. To control P. tricornutum bloom or to release lipids from P. tricornutum, we previously screened and identified the lytic bacterium Labrenzia sp. KD531 toward P. tricornutum. In the present study, we evaluated the lytic activity of Labrenzia sp. KD531 on microalgae and investigated its lytic mechanism...

Microalgae have recently attracted considerable interest worldwide, due to their extensive application potential in the renewable energy, biopharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries. Microalgae are renewable, sustainable, and economical sources of biofuels, bioactive medicinal products, and food ingredients. Several microalgae species have been investigated for their potential as value-adde...

Biofuels from algae are highly interesting as renewable energy sources to replace, at least partially, fossil fuels, but great research efforts are still needed to optimize growth parameters to develop competitive large-scale cultivation systems. One factor with a seminal influence on productivity is light availability. Light energy fully supports algal growth, but it leads to oxidative stress ...

Sustainable non-food energy biomass and cost-effective ways to produce renewable energy technologies from this biomass are continuously emerging. Algae are capable of producing lipids and hydrocarbons quickly and their photosynthetic abilities make them a promising candidate for an alternative energy source. In addition, their favorable carbon life cycle and a renewed focus on rural economic de...

The microalgae Tetradesmus obliquus is able to maintain a high photosynthetic efficiency under nitrogen limitation and is considered a promising green microalgae for sustainable production of diverse compounds, including biofuels. Here, we report the first draft whole-genome shotgun sequencing of T. obliquus The final assembly comprises 108,715,903 bp with over 1,368 scaffolds.

Among the technologies being examined to produce renewable fuels, microalgae are viewed by many in the scientific community as having the greatest potential to become economically viable. Algae are capable of producing greater than 50,000 kg/acre/year of biomass [1]. Additionally, most algae naturally accumulate energy-dense oils that can easily be converted into transportation fuels. To reach ...

A number of transportation fuels can be produced from renewable resources. The major fractions of lignocellulosic biomass, cellulose and hemicellulose, can be broken down into sugars that can be fermented into ethanol. Biomass can also be gasified to a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen for catalytic conversion into methanol. Algae could consume carbon dioxide from power plants and other s...

In the Unites States, the production of biofuels is primarily driven by the use of corn for ethanol and soy beans for biodiesel. Unfortunately, the competition for these raw materials has had an adverse effect on the price of food stuffs produced from these crops. The search for alternative and more efficient sources of raw materials for biodiesel production is ongoing. Biodiesel can be made fr...

Hydrothermal liquefaction uses high temperatures and pressures to break organic compounds into smaller fractions, and is considered the most promising method to convert wet microalgae feedstock to biofuel. Although, hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae has received much attention, the specific roles of temperature, pressure, heating rate and reaction time remain unclear. We present a microfl...

Microalgae are a promising source of biofuels and bioproducts, as they consume CO2 to grow, multiply quickly, and can be cultivated in wastewater and on marginal land. Development of low-cost and high-efficiency microalgal cultivation systems is important to the cost-competitiveness of algae. A floating horizontal photobioreactor (HBR) was developed that is inexpensive and scalable, as it is ma...