Solar-to-fuel conversion in algae and cyanobacteria

102 Pages·2015·2.7 MB·English

by  Cinzia Formighieri (auth.)

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Cinzia Formighieri
Solar-to-Fuel
Conversion
in Algae and
Cyanobacteria
123
SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science
More information about this series at h ttp://www.springer.com/series/8868

Cinzia Formighieri
Solar-to-Fuel Conversion
in Algae and Cyanobacteria
Cinzia Formighieri
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
The University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley , CA , USA
ISSN 2191-5547 ISSN 2191-5555 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science
ISBN 978-3-319-16729-9 ISBN 978-3-319-16730-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-16730-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015936051
Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015
T his work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
T he use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
T he publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors
or omissions that may have been made.
Printed on acid-free paper
S pringer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media
(www.springer.com)
Contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 1
2 Biofuels: An Emerging Industry ............................................................ 3
3 Exploring Novel Feedstocks and Technologies
for Advanced Biofuels: The Promises of Algae .................................... 7
4 Bioethanol from Algae Polysaccharides ................................................ 13
5 Biodiesel from Microalgae ...................................................................... 19
6 Processing of Algal Biomass for the Production
of Biogas and Bio-oil ............................................................................... 27
7 Cyanobacteria as a Platform for Direct
Photosynthesis-to-Fuel Conversion ....................................................... 31
8 Economic Viability of Algal Biodiesel ................................................... 39
9 Photosynthesis: A Dynamic Process ...................................................... 43
10 Solar-to-Biomass Conversion Efficiency ............................................... 51
11 Light Saturation of Photosynthesis ....................................................... 55
12 Downstream Biochemical Reactions: Carbon Assimilation ................ 59
13 Light-Utilization Inefficiency of Wild-Type Algal
Mass Cultures .......................................................................................... 65
14 Genetic Modification of the Pigment Optical Density ......................... 69
15 Development of Microalgae Cultivation and Biomass
Harvesting Systems for Biofuel Production .......................................... 83
v
vi Contents
16 Environmental Sustainability of Biofuel Production
from Algae ............................................................................................... 89
17 Concluding Remarks .............................................................................. 95
About the Author ............................................................................................ 97
Glossary ........................................................................................................... 99
Author’s Publications (Cited in the Text) ..................................................... 101
Index ................................................................................................................. 103
Abbreviations
ACP Acyl carrier protein
ATP Adenosine triphosphate
ATPase ATP synthase
CAB Chlorophyll a /b binding protein
CAC Chlorophyll a /c binding protein
CCM Carbon dioxide concentrating mechanism
cpSRP Chloroplast signal recognition particle
DAG Diacylglycerol
FAEE Fatty acid ethyl ester
FAME Fatty acid methyl ester
FAS Fatty acid synthase complex
FFA Free fatty acid
GMO Genetically modifi ed organism
LEF Linear photosynthetic electron transport
LHC Light-harvesting complex
NADPH Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form
NPQ Non-photochemical energy quenching
PBS Phycobilisome
PC Plastocyanin
PCR Polymerase chain reaction
PQ Plastoquinone, the reduced form (PQH ) is plastoquinol
2
PS Photosystem, either photosystem II (PSII) or photosystem I (PSI)
PUFA Polyunsaturated fatty acid
ROS Reactive oxygen species
RuBisCO Ribulose-1,5 biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
SBPase Sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase
TA Tail anchored protein
vii
viii Abbreviations
TAG Triacylglycerol
TE Thioesterase
TIC Translocon of the inner envelope membrane of the chloroplast
TOC Translocon of the outer envelope membrane of the chloroplast
UV Ultraviolet light
Chapter 1
Introduction
Keywords Algae (cid:129) Biofuels (cid:129) Cyanobacteria (cid:129) Domestication (cid:129) Solar energy
P roduction of biofuels needs to rely on cheap and renewable resources, in order to
be economically viable and environmentally sustainable in the long term. An energy
carrier could not be more environmentally friendly than the process to generate it.
Solar energy represents the most abundant and renewable resource, and strategies
for solar-to-fuel conversion have the potentiality to sustain our energy demands in
the long term and to be carbon-dioxide neutral. On the other hand, development of
a single biofuel, as effi cient as it may be, would be insuffi cient in sustaining alone
the global energy demands. Generation of advanced biofuels explores alternative
technologies and feedstocks. Algae and cyanobacteria offer novel solar-to-fuel solu-
tions that would not compete with food for arable land. The economic viability is
discussed, with respect to potential future developments. Sustainability of the sys-
tem also depends on domestication and genetic improvement of algal strains, as
domestication of currently cultivated crops has been necessary for agriculture
development, turning wild ancestors into a resource for humans. Emphasis is given
to photosynthesis and light-utilization effi ciency, that in turn determine solar-to-
biomass yield, and to metabolic pathways converting primary products of photosyn-
thesis into fuels. General concepts are explained for the benefi t of both expert and
non-expert readers.
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 1
C. Formighieri, Solar-to-fuel conversion in algae and cyanobacteria,
SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-16730-5_1