Experimental Model for High-Throughput Screening of Microalgae Strains Useful for CO2 Fixation †
by
and
Eliza-Gabriela Mihaila
1,2, 
Daria Gabriela Popa
1,3,
Maria Daria Dima
4,
Ioana Marcela Stoian
5,
Cristian Florian Dinca
2,
Diana Constantinescu-Aruxandei
1 and
Florin Oancea
1,3,*
1
INCDCP-ICECHIM Bucharest, 202 Spl. Independentei, 6th District, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
2
Power Engineering Faculty, University Politehnica Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
3
Faculty of Biotechnologies, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
4
International Computer High School of Bucharest, 032622 Bucharest, Romania
5
Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University Politehnica Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 17th International Symposium “Priorities of Chemistry for a Sustainable Development”
PRIOCHEM, Bucharest, Romania, 27–29 October 2021.
Chem. Proc. 2022, 7(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemproc2022007025
Published: 7 March 2022
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 17th International Symposium “Priorities of Chemistry for a Sustainable Development” PRIOCHEM)
In this study, we developed an experimental model for microalgae cultivation and CO2 fixation. We used three different species of microalgae and several cultivation media. The industrial gas emissions contain a significant proportion of CO2 (3–30%) [1]. Addition of extra CO2 to microalgae culture initially boosts its development, but further acidification processes limit microalgae development [2]. In this study, three strains of microalgae were cultivated: Chlorella sorokiniana NIVA-CHL 176, Desmodesmus communis NIVA-CHL 7, and Raphidocelis subcapitata ATCC22662, using three different cultivation media, BG11 [3], BBM, and, Z8, respectively. The experimental model used for the cultivation of the microalgae was developed using a GLS80 glass reactor with an LED stripe for illumination. Nitrogen containing 7% CO2 was discontinuously added (90 min/day), at 25 °C, 200 RPM and approximately 10 µE, in order to avoid acidification of the cultivation medium [4]. Microalgae growth was monitored via optical density, turbidity, chlorophyll content, biomass, pH, and cell number. The best cultivation protocol was selected after the initial experiments. C. sorokiniana NIVA-CHL 176 was raised in BG11 medium and D. communis NIVA CHL-7 in Z8 medium. R. subcapitata ATCC22662 had around half the growth rate of the other two microalgae, and experiments were discontinued. Subsequent to CO2 bubbling, the pH dropped with one unit after the first 7 days (from pH 6 to 5), from day 7 to day 10 the values were constant (pH = 4), and, for 4 more days, the pH increased (to 6 and 6.5, depending on the microalgae). The control culture had a constant pH of 8. Based on optical density, the growth rates of the studied microorganisms were monitored. D. communis had the best results, and showed eight times greater growth rate than the control, and C. sorokiniana was two times greater compared to the control, not supplemented with CO2. A higher rate of CO2 significantly increases growth rates, but pH monitoring is needed. Our experimental model is efficient for high-throughput screening of microalgae strains useful for CO2 fixation.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, F.O. and D.C.-A.; methodology, E.-G.M. and D.G.P.; software, C.F.D.; validation, E.-G.M., D.C.-A. and F.O.; formal analysis, M.D.D.; investigation, I.M.S.; resources, F.O.; data curation, D.C.-A.; writing—original draft preparation, E.-G.M.; writing—review and editing, D.C.-A. and F.O.; visualization, D.G.P.; supervision, F.O.; project administration, C.F.D.; funding acquisition, C.F.D. and F.O. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by the Government of Romania, Ministry of Research and Innovation, UEFISCDI Contract296PED/2020 ASOCIAT.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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MDPI and ACS Style
Mihaila, E.-G.; Popa, D.G.; Dima, M.D.; Stoian, I.M.; Dinca, C.F.; Constantinescu-Aruxandei, D.; Oancea, F. Experimental Model for High-Throughput Screening of Microalgae Strains Useful for CO2 Fixation. Chem. Proc. 2022, 7, 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemproc2022007025
AMA Style
Mihaila E-G, Popa DG, Dima MD, Stoian IM, Dinca CF, Constantinescu-Aruxandei D, Oancea F. Experimental Model for High-Throughput Screening of Microalgae Strains Useful for CO2 Fixation. Chemistry Proceedings. 2022; 7(1):25. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemproc2022007025
Chicago/Turabian StyleMihaila, Eliza-Gabriela, Daria Gabriela Popa, Maria Daria Dima, Ioana Marcela Stoian, Cristian Florian Dinca, Diana Constantinescu-Aruxandei, and Florin Oancea. 2022. "Experimental Model for High-Throughput Screening of Microalgae Strains Useful for CO2 Fixation" Chemistry Proceedings 7, no. 1: 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemproc2022007025
