• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.313-321
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• 2003

This review summarizes the recent advances in high-density algal cultures in the field of algal biotechnology. Photobioreactor engineering for economical and effective utilization of algae and its products has made impressive and promising progress. Bioprocess engineers have expedited the design and the operation of algal cultivation systems. Many of them in use today are open systems due to cost considerations, and closed photobioreactors have recently attracted a considerable attention for the production of valuable biochemicals or for special applications. For high-density cultures, the optimization of environmental factors in the photobioreactors have been explored, including light delivery, CO$_2$and O$_2$gas transfer, medium supply, mixing and temperature. It is expected that further advanced photobioreactor engineering will enable the commercialization of noble algal products within the next decade.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1123-1132
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• 2014

This study evaluated the growth and nutrient removal ability of an indigenous algal consortium on real untreated municipal wastewater in a high rate algal pond (HRAP). The HRAP was operated semicontinuously under different hydraulic retention times (HRT: 2, 4, 6, and 8 days). The average removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand, and total nitrogen and phosphate of real municipal wastewater were maintained at $85.44{\pm}5.10%$, $92.74{\pm}5.82%$, and $82.85{\pm}8.63%$, respectively, in 2 day HRT. Algae dominated the consortium and showed high settling efficiency (99%), and biomass and lipid productivity of $0.50{\pm}0.03g/l/day$ and $0.103{\pm}0.0083g/l/day$ (2day HRT), respectively. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis revealed a predominance of palmitate (C16:0), palmitoleate (C16:1), linoleate (C18:2), and linolenate (C18:3). Microalgal diversity analyses determined the presence of Chlorella, Scenedesmus, and Stigeoclonium as the dominant microalgae. The algal consortium provides significant value not only in terms of energy savings and nutrient removal but also because of its bioenergy potential as indicated by the lipid content (20-23%) and FAME profiling.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1613-1621
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• 2006

Isolation and identification of algal lytic bacteria were carried out. Nine strains of algal lytic bacteria were isolated by the double-layer method using Anabaena flos-aquae as a sole nutrient. The isolate, AFK-13, showing the highest algal lytic activity was identified as Sinorhizobium kostiense based on the l6S rDNA sequence. The algal lytic experiments of the culture supernatants of AFK-13 demonstrated that the bacterial cell growth reached a maximum at 36-h culture, but the supernatant of 72-h culture exhibited the highest activity. Components among the extracellular products in the crude enzyme of the supernatant from S. kostiense AFK-13 culture were responsible for degradation of cell walls of Anabaena flos-aquae. Algal lytic assay tests of the culture supernatants suggest that the main substances for algal lytic activity could be proteinaceous. The activity of glucosidase was observed highly by polysaccharolytic analysis using the crude enzyme from S. kostiense AFK-13, whereas activities of galactosidase, mannosidase, rhamnosidase, and arabinosidase were also detected in low levels. The molecular weights (MW) of ${\alpha}-\;and\;{\beta}$-glucosidases were estimated to be approximately 50-100 kDa by the ultrafiltration method.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.189-193
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• 2001

Critical cell density (CCD), the maximum cell concentration without mutual shading in algal cultures, can be used as a new operating parameter for high-density algal cultures and for the application of the flashing light effect on illuminated algal cultures. CCD is a function of average cell volume and light illumination area. The CCD is thus proposed as an index of estimation of mutual shading in algal cultures. Where cell densities are below the CCD, all the cells in photobioreactors can undergo photosysnthesis at their maximum rate. At cell densities over CCD, mutual shading will occur and some cells in the illumination chamber cannot grow photoautotrophically. When the cell concentration is higher than the CCD, specific oxygen production rates under flashing light were higher than those under continuous light. The CCD was found to be a useful engineering parameter for the application of flashing light, particularly in high-density algal cultures.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.61-68
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• 2013

Microalgae can grow autotrophically with the supply of light, carbon dioxide and inorganic nutrients in water through photosynthesis. Generally, microalgal growth is limited by the concentrations and relative ratio of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) among the nutrients in the aquatic environment. Each microalga has its specific optimum N : P ratio resulting in dominance in a particular water having similar nutrient composition. Algal bloom is an immense growth of certain microalga commonly cyanobacterium and can be sequestrated by reducing the limiting nutrient, generally P in the freshwater. Moreover, dominance of a less toxic blooming strain can be established by manipulating N : P ratio in the water. On the other hand, microalgal biomass of a certain species can be enhanced by increasing limiting nutrient and adjusting the N : P ratio to the target species. The above-mentioned eco-physiological features of microalgae can be more completely interpreted in connection with their genomic informations. Consequently, microalgal growth regulation which can be achieved on the basis of its eco-physiological and further genomic insights would be helpful not only in the control of algal bloom, but also for an increased yield of algal biomass.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.214-216
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• 1993

Cow's liquid manure (CLM), an animal waste, was treated by a batch algal culture to remove inorganic nutrients. CLM used in this study was especially high in concentrations of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus. The optimum dilution ratio of the CLM for maximum algal growth was 1:25. Ninety five percent of inorganic nitrogen and 100％ of inorganic phosphorus were removed from the CLM with a dilution ratio of 1:25.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.352-358
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• 2001

Because algal cells are so efficient at absorbing incoming light energy, providing more light energy to photobioreactors would simply decrease energy conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the algal biomass productivity in photobioreactor is always proportional to the total photosynthetic rate. In order to optimize the productivity of algal photobioreactors (PBRs), the oxygen production rate should be estimated. Based on a simple model of light penetration depth and algal photosynthesis, the oxygen production rate in high-density microalgal cultures could be calculated. The estimated values and profiles of oxygen production rate by this model were found to be in accordance with the experimental data. Optimal parameters for PBR operations were also calculated using the model.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1566-1573
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• 2014

Although most algae cultivation systems are operated in suspended culture, an attached growth system can offer several advantages over suspended systems. Algal cultivation becomes light-limited as the microalgal concentration increases in the suspended system; on the other hand, sunlight penetrates deeper and stronger in attached systems owing to the more transparent water. Such higher availability of sunlight makes it possible to operate a raceway pond deeper than usual, resulting in a higher areal productivity. The attached system achieved 2.8-times higher biomass productivity and total lipid productivity of $9.1g\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$ and $1.9g\;m^{-2}day^{-1}$, respectively, than the suspended system. Biomass productivity can be further increased by optimization of the culture conditions. Moreover, algal biomass harvesting and dewatering were made simpler and cheaper in attached systems, because mesh-type substrates with attached microalgae were easily removed from the culture and the remaining treated wastewater could be discharged directly. When the algal biomass was dewatered using natural sunlight, the palmitic acid (C16:0) content increased by 16% compared with the freeze-drying method. There was no great difference in other fatty acid composition. Therefore, the attached system for algal cultivation is a promising cultivation system for mass biodiesel production.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.78-81
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• 1999

Light penetration depth in high-density Chlorella cultures can be successfully estimated by Beer-Lambert's law. The efficiency of light energy absorption algal cultures was so high that algal cells near the illuminating surface shade the cells deep in the culture. To exploit the potential of high-density algal cultures, this mutual shading should be eliminated or minimized. However, providing more light energy will not ease the situation and it will simply drop the overall light utilization efficiency.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.92-98
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• 2013

Microalgal cultivation using wastewater is now regarded as essential for biodiesel production, as two goals can be achieved simultaneously; that is, nutrient removal efficiency and biomass production. Therefore, this study examined the effects of carbon sources, the N:P ratio, and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) to identify the optimal conditions for nutrient removal efficiency and biomass production. The effluent from a 2nd lagoon was used to cultivate microalgae. Whereas the algal species diversity and lipid content increased with a longer HRT, the algal biomass productivity decreased. Different carbon sources also affected the algal species composition. Diatoms were dominant with an increased pH when bicarbonate was supplied. However, 2% $CO_2$ gas led to a lower pH and the dominance of filamentous green algae with a much lower biomass productivity. Among the experiments, the highest chlorophyll-a concentration and lipid productivity were obtained with the addition of phosphate up to 0.5 mg/l P, since phosphorus was in short supply compared with nitrogen. The N and P removal efficiencies were also higher with a balanced N:P ratio, based on the addition of phosphate. Thus, optimizing the N:P ratio for the dominant algae could be critical in attaining higher algal growth, lipid productivity, and nutrient removal efficiency.