Algal photosynthesis as the primary driver for a sustainable development in energy, feed, and food production.
High oil prices and global warming that accompany the use of fossil fuels are an incentive to find alternative forms of energy supply. Photosynthetic biofuel production represents one of these since for this, one uses renewable resources. Sunlight is used for the conversion of water and CO₂ into biomass. Two strategies are used in parallel: plant-based production via sugar fermentation into ethanol and biodiesel production through transesterification. Both, however, exacerbate other problems, including regional nutrient balancing and the world's food supply, and suffer from the modest efficiency of photosynthesis. Maximizing the efficiency of natural and engineered photosynthesis is therefore of utmost importance. Algal photosynthesis is the system of choice for this particularly for energy applications. Complete conversion of CO₂ into biomass is not necessary for this. Innovative methods of synthetic biology allow one to combine photosynthetic and fermentative metabolism via the so-called Photanol approach to form biofuel directly from Calvin cycle intermediates through use of the naturally transformable cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Beyond providing transport energy and chemical feedstocks, photosynthesis will continue to be used for food and feed applications. Also for this application, arguments of efficiency will become more and more important as the size of the world population continues to increase. Photosynthetic cells can be used for food applications in various innovative forms, e.g., as a substitute for the fish proteins in the diet supplied to carnivorous fish or perhaps--after acid hydrolysis--as a complex, animal-free serum for growth of mammalian cells in vitro.
Anemaet
Ida G
IG
Molecular Microbial Physiology Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Bekker
Martijn
M
Hellingwerf
Klaas J
KJ
D000821:Animal Feed; D017756:Aquaculture; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000378:metabolism; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D017377:Diatoms / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D005523:Food Supply; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D058086:Microalgae / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000378:metabolism; D013472:Sunlight
D056804:Biofuels; D005579:Fossil Fuels