A novel porous nickel-foam filled CO2 absorptive photobioreactor system to promote CO2 conversion by microalgal biomass.

In order to solve problems associated with a short residence time and low conversion efficiency when CO2 gas is aerated directly into raceway ponds, a novel porous nickel-foam filled CO2 absorptive photobioreactor system was developed to promote CO2 conversion to NaHCO3 in a short time to improve photosynthesis of microalgal cells. Numerical simulation showed that the porous nickel-foam promoted the Na2CO3 solution radial velocity and CO2 volume fraction in the CO2 absorption reactor, which enhanced the reaction rate of CO2 gas and soluble Na2CO3. The conversion efficiency of CO2 gas to soluble NaHCO3 gradually increased with an increasing nickel-foam pore diameter and a decreasing CO2 gas outflow rate, while it first increased and then decreased with an increasing relative nickel-foam height in the CO2 absorption reactor. The conversion efficiency from soluble NaHCO3 to microalgal biomass first increased and then decreased with an increasing nickel-foam pore diameter (peaking at 2 mm) and relative height (peaking at 0.24); and CO2 gas outflow rate (peaking at 2 L/min). The chlorophyll fluorescence measurements showed that a sufficient HCO3- supply promoted the quantum ratio used for electron transfer (from 0.19 to 0.23) and the maximum photochemical efficiency (from 0.48 to 0.52), resulting in an increased biomass growth rate (by 1.1 times) when the nickel-foam pore diameter increased from 0.1 to 2 mm.

The effect of NaCl stress on photosynthetic efficiency and lipid production in freshwater microalga-Scenedesmus obliquus XJ002.

Rapid industrialization and population growth have increased the world's energy demands, resulting in a shortage of conventional fossil fuels. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop sustainable and renewable forms of energy. Microalgae have emerged as a potential feedstock for biofuel production. Under stress conditions, lipid production is enhanced in algal cells due to changes in the lipid biosynthetic pathways that produce neutral lipids. In this study, we examined the physiological and biochemical effects of salinity stress (0.00, 0.01, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20M) on the freshwater microalga Scenedesmus obliquus XJ002. We found that the biomass and the content of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids decreased with increasing NaCl concentration. NaCl stress damaged the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) and the PSII (photosystem II) reaction center and subsequently suppressed electron transport at the donor and receptor sides of the reaction center, influencing the absorption, transfer, and application of light energy. Additionally, the total lipid content of cells was significantly increased under NaCl stress treatment. The highest lipid content (32.26%) was found in cells cultured in the presence of 0.20M NaCl, which was about 2.52-fold higher than that of cells grown in medium lacking NaCl (12.82%). In addition to providing insight into the physiological and biochemical responses of S. obliquus XJ002 to salinity stress, these findings show that lipid production, and hence biofuel feedstock production, can be boosted by adjusting salt levels in the growth medium.