title: The acclimation of Chlorella to high-level nitrite for potential application in biological NOx removal from industrial flue gases.
abstract: Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the components of fossil flue gas that give rise to the greatest environmental concerns. This study evaluated the ability of the green algae Chlorella to acclimate to high level of NOx and the potential utilization of Chlorella strains in biological NOx removal (DeNOx) from industrial flue gases. Fifteen Chlorella strains were subject to high-level of nitrite (HN, 176.5 mmolL(-1) nitrite) to simulate exposure to high NOx. These strains were subsequently divided into four groups with respect to their ability to tolerate nitrite (excellent, good, fair, and poor). One strain from each group was selected to evaluate their photosynthetic response to HN condition, and the nitrite adaptability of the four Chlorella strains were further identified by using chlorophyll fluorescence. The outcome of our experiments shows that, although high concentrations of nitrite overall negatively affect growth and photosynthesis of Chlorella strains, the degree of nitrite tolerance is a strain-specific feature. Some Chlorella strains have an appreciably higher ability to acclimate to high-level of nitrite. Acclimation is achieved through a three-step process of restrict, acclimate, and thriving. Notably, Chlorella sp. C2 was found to have a high tolerance and to rapidly acclimate to high concentrations of nitrite; it is therefore a promising candidate for microalgae-based biological NOx removal.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: 1105107837@qq.com.
authors.forename: Tianpei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: xug14@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address: rongjf.ripp@sinopec.com.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China. Electronic address: chenhui@ihb.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China. Electronic address: hechenliu@ihb.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Chenliu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Fisiologia delle Alghe, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy; Institute of Microbiology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Trebon, Czech Republic; National Research Council, Institute of Marine Science, Venezia, Italy. Electronic address: m.giordano@me.com.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China. Electronic address: qwang@ihb.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000187:drug effects*; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002708:Chlorella / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D005453:Fluorescence; D005740:Gases / Q000378:metabolism; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005740:Gases; D009573:Nitrites; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D002734:Chlorophyll
keywords: Acclimation; Biological NOx removal; Chlorella; Flue gas; NOx