Polar Lipid Profile of Nannochloropsis oculata Determined Using a Variety of Lipid Extraction Procedures.

Lipid compositions obtained from microalgae species are affected by both the cultivation conditions and the extraction method used. In this study, the extraction of lipids from Nannochloropsis oculata using traditional and modern extraction technologies with several solvents has been compared. Because important polyunsaturated fatty acids are bound to polar lipids, these polar lipids were the main focus of this study. The dominant compounds in the glycolipid fractions were monogalactosyldiglycerides and digalactosyldiglycerides bearing fatty acid chains containing at least one site of unsaturation. Phosphatidylcholine and trimethylhomoserines were detected in the phospholipid fractions. The fatty acid profile comprised large fractions of C16:0, C16:1, C20:5, and C18:3. Extraction of specific compounds was determined by extraction efficiency as well as differences in the selectivity of the method used. The composition derived from a glycolipid fraction was observed to be affected by the method used to a greater extent than the phospholipid fraction.

Microbial processes as key drivers for metal (im)mobilization along a redox gradient in the saturated zone.

Two sites representing different aquifer types, i.e., Dommel (sandy) and Flémalle (gravelly loam) along the Meuse River, have been selected to conduct microcosm experiments. Various conditions ranging from aerobic over nitrate- to sulphate reducing were imposed. For the sandy aquifer, nitrate reducing conditions predominated, which specifically in the presence of a carbon source led to pH increases and enhanced Zn removal. For the calcareous gravelly loam, sulphate reduction was dominant resulting in immobilization of both Zn and Cd. For both aquifer types and almost all redox conditions, higher arsenic concentrations were measured in the groundwater. Analyses of different specific microbial populations by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed the dominance of denitrifiers for the Dommel site, while sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) were the prevailing population for all redox conditions in the Flémalle samples.