Production and Testing of Algal Biofuels
Algae have various positive factors, such as fast growth, CO 2 sequestration, wastewater treatment potential and the absence of interference with food crops. The successful commercial implementation of algae-based biodiesel will depend on maximizing lipid content, increasing the rate of cell growth, identifying superior chemical inducers, utilizing metabolic engineering and genomics as well as developing simple and efficient bioreactor systems and raceway ponds, suitable harvesting, lighting, extraction and refinery systems. Algal growth and lipid accumulation can be improved through metabolism engineering. Annotation of the algal genome will aid in the identification of potential genes to target the manipulation of growth rate. Algal growth can exceed the current cell density limits via manipulation of pathways and identification of chemically regulated genes. Genetic engineering must still be exploited properly to increase the lipid production rate of algae and possibly to induce the evolution of new transgenic algae with better biofuel production prospects. Selection of optimal strain for maximum oil production is one of the critical steps in designing high efficiency algal systems. Then the optimization of various growth parameters, effects of other pollutants present in wastewater, cost effective algae harvesting and oil extraction technology, mass cultivation in open ponds/ photobioreactors, molecular level studies to understand the mechanism, etc. are some of the major objectives of our research team. All these efforts would help in the identification of alternative renewable source of energy which can maintain environmental and economic sustainability.
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Carbon Sequestration using Algae
Increase of carbon dioxide besides methane and oxides of nitrogen in the atmosphere is leading to climate change. These greenhouse gases (GHGs) cause depletion of ozone layer, which protects the atmosphere against UV radiation, thereby warming the atmosphere. There has been a 35% increase in CO 2 emissions worldwide since 1990. A large fraction of the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide result from combustion of fossil fuels for energy production. Sequestration, capturing and storing carbon emitted from the global energy system, could be a major tool for reducing atmospheric CO 2 emitted from fossil fuel usage. While chemical and physical means exist to capture CO 2 from smoke stack emissions, the cost of utilizing these technologies would result in a significant increase in the cost of power. Photosynthesis has long been recognized as a means, at least in theory, to capture anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Aquatic algae are among the fastest growing photosynthetic organisms, having carbon fixation rates an order of magnitude higher than those of land plants. More importantly, some cyanobacteria can capture solar energy to fix nitrogen and generate H 2 , thereby serving as a source of biofertilizer and biofuels, while simultaneously consuming atmospheric CO 2 . Whereas flue gas of thermal power plants is loaded with some other constituents like sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, soot particles and heavy metals along with CO 2 which affects the algal growth. However, some strains that have tolerance to heavy metal contamination and high temperature could possibly be grown. Our lab aims to study the carbon sequestration from thermal power plants using metal tolerant cyanobacterial species. Our research group is heading towards the development such algae technology which takes nutrients from wastewater, carbon dioxide from flue gas of thermal power plants and gives us biodiesel, a renewable source of energy.
