A cost-effective strategy for the bio-prospecting of mixed microalgae with high carbohydrate content: diversity fluctuations in different growth media.

In recent years, widespread efforts have been directed towards decreasing the costs associated with microalgae culture systems for the production of biofuels. In this study, a simple and inexpensive strategy to bio-prospect and cultivate mixed indigenous chlorophytes with a high carbohydrate content for biomethane and biohydrogen production was developed. Mixed microalgae were collected from four different water-bodies in Queretaro, Mexico, and were grown in Bold's basal mineral medium and secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant using inexpensive photo-bioreactors. The results showed large fluctuations in microalgal genera diversity based on different culture media and nitrogen sources. In secondary effluent, Golenkinia sp. and Scenedesmus sp. proliferated. The carbohydrate content, for secondary effluent, varied between 12% and 57%, and the highest volumetric and areal productivity were 61 mg L(-1)d(-1) and 4.6 g m(-2)d(-1), respectively. These results indicate that mixed microalgae are a good feedstock for biomethane and biohydrogen production.

Biogenic hydrogen conversion of de-oiled jatropha waste via anaerobic sequencing batch reactor operation: process performance, microbial insights, and CO2 reduction efficiency.

We report the semicontinuous, direct (anaerobic sequencing batch reactor operation) hydrogen fermentation of de-oiled jatropha waste (DJW). The effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) was studied and results show that the stable and peak hydrogen production rate of 1.48 L/L ∗ d and hydrogen yield of 8.7 mL H2/g volatile solid added were attained when the reactor was operated at HRT 2 days (d) with a DJW concentration of 200 g/L, temperature 55 °C, and pH 6.5. Reduced HRT enhanced the production performance until 1.75 d. Further reduction has lowered the process efficiency in terms of biogas production and hydrogen gas content. The effluent from hydrogen fermentor was utilized for methane fermentation in batch reactors using pig slurry and cow dung as seed sources. The results revealed that pig slurry was a feasible seed source for methane generation. Peak methane production rate of 0.43 L CH4/L ∗ d and methane yield of 20.5 mL CH4/g COD were observed at substrate concentration of 10 g COD/L, temperature 30 °C, and pH 7.0. PCR-DGGE analysis revealed that combination of cellulolytic and fermentative bacteria were present in the hydrogen producing ASBR.