Abstract
A unicellular marine green alga, Chlamydomonas perigranulata, was demonstrated to synthesize starch through photosynthesis, store it in a cell, and ferment it under anaerobic conditions in the dark to produce ethanol, 2,3-butanediol (butanediol), acetic acid, and carbon dioxide (CO2). Previous fermentation data of an algal biomass cultivated outdoors in a 50-L tubular photo-bioreactor showed good carbon (C) recovery in the fermentation balance, with a higher ratio to alcohols and, therefore, lower ratio to CO2 in the C distribution of products than what would be expected from the embden-Myerhof-Parnas pathway. These findings led to a proposed concept for a CO2-ethanol conversion system (CDECS). The above data were evaluated in terms of hydrogen (H) recovery with the following results: C recovery at 105% was well balanced, although H recovery was as high as 139%, meaning an additional gain of H through fermentation. This finding was reproduced wholly in a set of experiments carried out in the same month of the following year, October, whereas another set of experiments was carried out in the following June provided ordinary fermentation results in terms of C and H recoveries with poor growth. Further analyses of these data revealed that butanediol is equal to ethanol as a product from a putative conversion system from CO2 to the detected fermentation products, leading to the revision of the CDECS concept to a CO2-alcohol conversion system (CDACS). The relevance of the CDACS will be discussed in relation to the cultivation conditions employed by chance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Claussen, E. (2004), Science, 306, 816.
Benemann, J.R. (2001), In: Photosynthetic Microorganisms in Environmental Biotechnology, Kojima, H. and Lee, Y.K., eds., Springer-Verlag, Hong Kong, pp. 1–10.
Pedroni, P., Davison, J., Beckert, H., Bergman, P., and Benemann, J. (2001), J. Energy. Environ. Res. 1, 136–150.
Hon-Nami, K. (2001), In: Photosynthetic Microorganisms in Environmental Biotechnoloy, Kojima, H. and Lee, Y.K., eds., Springer-Verlag, Hong Kong, pp. 291–310.
Smith, H. O., Friedman, R., and Venter, J. C. (2003), The BRIDGE, Summer, pp. 36–40; available at http://www.princeton.edu/~seasplan/lifesciences/NAE%20Bridge.pdf. Accessed date:Feb. 23, 2004.
Venter, J. C., Remington, K., Heidelberg, J. (2004), Science, 304, 66–77.
Deluga, G. A., Salge, J. R., Schmidt, L. D., and Verykios, X. E. (2004), Science 303, 993–997.
Hirayama, S., Ueda, R Nakayama, T., and Inoulye, I. (2001), Botanica Marina, 44, 41–46.
Hirayama, S., Ueda, R., Ogushi, Y., Hirano, A., Hon-Nami, K., and Kunito, S. (1997), In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Marine Biotechnology, Tokyo, June, pp. 78 (in Japanese).
Hirano, A., samejima, Y., Hon-Nami, K.., et al. (1997), In: Making Business from Biomass in Energy, Environment, Chemicals, Fibers and Materials, Overend, R. P. and Chornet E., eds., Pergamon, New York, pp. 1069–1076.
Hon-Nami, K., Hirano, A., Samejima, Y., et al. (1998), In: Biomass for Energy and Industry, Kopetz, H., Weber, T., Palz, W., Chartier, P., and Ferrero, G. L., eds., C.A.R.M.E.M., Rimpar, pp 602–605.
Ong, L. J., Glazer, A. N., and Waterbury, J. B. (1984), Science 224, 80–83.
Castenholz, R. W., (1988), Methods Enzymol. 167, 68–92.
Tatewaki, M. (1979), In: Sourui-Kenkyu-Hou, Nishizawa, K. and Chihara, M., eds., Kyoritsu Shuppan Ltd., Tokyo pp. 69–87 (in Japanese).
Ohta, s., Miyamoto, K., and Miura, y. (1987), Plant Physiol. 83, 1022–1026.
JIS K0102 22 (1996), In: JIS Handobukku Kankyousokutei, Japanese Standard Association, Tokyo (in Japanese), pp. 1083–1085.
JIS K0102 43. 2. 4. (1996), In: JIS Handobukku Kankyousokutei, Japanese Standard Association, Tokyo (in Japanese), pp. 159.
Gfeller, R. P. and Gibbs, M. (1984), Plant Physiol. 75, 212–218.
Martin, M. C. and Goodenough, U. W. (1975), J. Cell Biol. 67, 587–605.
Buchanan, B. B. (1991), Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 288, 1–9.
Huppe, H. C., Farr, T. J., and Turpin, D. H. (1994), Plant Physiol. 105, 1043–1048.
Poolman, M. G., Fell, D. A., and Raines, C. A. (2003), Eur. J. Biochem., 270, 430–439.
Schwender, J., Goffman, F., Ohlrogge, J. B., and Shachar-Hill, Y. (2004), Nature 432, 779–782.
Hon-Nami, K. (2004), In: Biotechnology of Lignocellulose Degradation and Biomass Utilization, Ohmiya, K., Sakka, K., Karita, S., Kimura, T., Sakka, M., and Ohnishi, Y., eds., Uni Publishers Co., Ltd., Tokyo, pp. 746–754.
Sheehan, J., Dunahay, T., Benemann, J., and Roessler, P. (1998), A look back at the US Department of Energy's aquatic species program-biodiesel from algae. Prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy operated by Midwest Research Institute, Under Contract No. DE-AC36-83CH10093. http://205.168.79.26/docs/legosti/fy98/24190.pdf. Accessed date: Oct. 21, 2005.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hon-Nami, K. A unique feature of hydrogen recovery in endogenous starch-to-alcohol fermentation of the marine microalga, Chlamydomonas perigranulata . Appl Biochem Biotechnol 131, 808–828 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1385/ABAB:131:1:808
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/ABAB:131:1:808