title: Methane production from glycolate excreting algae as a new concept in the production of biofuels.
abstract: It is the aim of the present work to introduce a new concept for methane production by the interaction of a glycolate-excreting alga (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) and methanogenic microbes operating in separate compartments within one photobioreactor. This approach requires a minimum number of metabolic steps to convert light energy to methane thereby reducing the energetic and financial costs of biomass formation, harvest and refinement. In this feasibility study it is shown that the physiological limitations for sustained glycolate production can be circumvented by the use of C. reinhardtii mutants whose carbon concentrating mechanisms or glycolate dehydrogenase are suppressed. The results also demonstrate that methanogenic microbes are able to thrive on glycolate as single carbon source for a long time period, delivering biogas composed of CO(2)/methane with only very minor contamination.
authors: University of Leipzig, Institute of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology, Johannisallee 23, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Anja
authors: A
authors: Günther
authors: Torsten
authors: T
authors: Jakob
authors: Reimund
authors: R
authors: Goss
authors: Swetlana
authors: S
authors: König
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Spindler
authors: Norbert
authors: N
authors: Räbiger
authors: Saskia
authors: S
authors: John
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Heithoff
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Fresewinkel
authors: Clemens
authors: C
authors: Posten
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Wilhelm
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000378:metabolism*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D006016:Glycolates / Q000378:metabolism*; D060847:Metabolic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D008697:Methane / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D058433:Photobioreactors
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D006016:Glycolates; C031149:glycolic acid; D008697:Methane