Scientists at Michigan State University have found a way to allow microorganisms to work together to increase the production of bio-oil. The new proof of this concept, published in the journal Biofuel Technology (Biotechnology for biofuels), is a biofuel production platform that uses two species of marine algae and soil fungi.
It lowers the cost of planting and receiving and increases productivity, which currently hinders the widespread use of biofuels. Algae, marine small Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and fungal spores can produce oil that can be used by humans.
For example, they can provide ingredients in products such as biofuels that are powered by automobiles, and ingredients in Omega -3 (omega-3) fatty acids that benefit heart health. When scientists put the two creatures in the same environment, the tiny algae attached to the fungus formed a large particle mass that was visible to the naked eye.
This polymerization method is called biological flocculation method.
When they are harvested together, these creatures produce more oil than are planted and harvested alone. ' We use natural organisms with strong affinity for each other, ' said Du Zhiyan, a research partner and researcher at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular biology. ' The production of algae is very high, and the fungi we use are neither toxic nor edible.
' This is a very common soil fungus that can be found in your backyard.
Experimental observation and data analysis The researchers discussed other benefits of discovering biofuel systems, including: -Sustainability, as it is not dependent on fossil fuels.
Fungi grow on sewage or food residues, while algae grow in seawater.
-Cost savings, because a large number of algae and fungi are easy to capture with simple tools, such as a net. -Easy to expand because these organisms are wild strains without GMO.
They do not pose an infection risk to any environment in which they are exposed.
The researchers also discussed how their findings address two issues that impede the production of biofuels. Bio-Flocculation is a relatively new method. Biofuels systems often rely on a species, such as algae, but they are constrained by productivity and cost issues.
The first problem arises because of the low output of oil-based systems that rely only on algae. ' When algae growth is hindered by environmental pressures such as nitrogen deficiency, they can produce a lot of oil. ' The most popular method of algae oil in the laboratory is to raise cells to a high density level, then separate cells from nutrients by centrifugation and several washing methods, leaving the cells hungry. This approach involves many steps, time and labor, not suitable for industrial-scale production.
' The new method uses ammonia to feed algae, and ammonia is a source of nitrogen that algae can use to grow quickly. However, the supply of ammonia sources is artificially controlled, allowing the algae to produce the maximum cell density and automatically enter the nitrogen starvation state.
Close monitoring of nitrogen supply can increase the production of bio-oil and reduce costs. The second problem is high production costs because the algae are small and difficult to collect.
The cost of oil production could be as high as 50% of the cost of bio-oil.
' Through biological flocculation, fungi and algae aggregates are easily harvested with simple, inexpensive tools, ' said Du. Looking ahead, scientists hope to use the system to produce biofuels on a large scale.
They also know that the entire genome of both organisms can be further improved by using genetic engineering.
The study is currently conducted at laboratories in Christoph Benning and Gregory Bonito.
Original report: Https://biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13068-018-1172-2 Using algae and fungi to create new biofuel systems
