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Nannochloropsis And Biofuels
''Nannochloropsis'' is a genus of alga within the heterokont line of eukaryotes, that is being investigated for biofuel production. One marine ''Nannochloropsis'' species has been shown to be suitable for algal biofuel production due to its ease of growth and high oil content (28.7% of dry weight), mainly unsaturated fatty acids and a significant percentage of palmitic acid. It also contains enough unsaturated fatty acid linolenic acid and polyunsaturated acid (>4 double bonds) for a quality biodiesel. Conditions that lead to oil content increase Oil productivity is defined as the oil produced by the algae per day per liter of culture, which is dependent on both growth rate and lipid content. Growth rate indicates how rapid the algae grow and lipid content indicates the percentage of dry weight that is lipid. In most of the studies, these two factors are investigated independently. Under normal growth conditions, ''Nannochloropsis'' does not reach its optimal oil production. Severa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to absorb energy from light. Chlorophylls absorb light most strongly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as the red portion. Conversely, it is a poor absorber of green and near-green portions of the spectrum. Hence chlorophyll-containing tissues appear green because green light, diffusively reflected by structures like cell walls, is less absorbed. Two types of chlorophyll exist in the photosystems of green plants: chlorophyll ''a'' and ''b''. History Chlorophyll was first isolated and named by Joseph Bienaimé Caventou and Pierre Joseph Pelletier in 1817. The presence of magnesium in chlorophyll was discovered in 1906, and was that element's first detection in living tissue. After initial work done by German chemi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Choricystis
''Choricystis'' is a genus of green algae in the class Trebouxiophyceae, considered a characteristic picophytoplankton in freshwater ecosystems. ''Choricystis'', especially the type species ', has been proposed as an effective source of fatty acids for biofuels. ''Choricystis'' algacultures have been shown to survive on wastewater. In particular, ''Choricystis'' has been proposed as a biological water treatment system for industrial waste produced by the processing of dairy goods. ''Choricystis'' has been observed as an endosymbiont of freshwater sponges. They have been found in natural bodies of water in South America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Antarctica. Use as a biofuel Triglycerides and other lipids can be transesterified to produce fatty acid methyl esters, the primary component of biodiesel fuels. Because of their high lipid content and rate of lipid production, ''Choricystis'' algae have been suggested as effective microalgae for industrial biofuel production. M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Algae Fuels
Algae fuel, algal biofuel, or algal oil is an alternative to liquid fossil fuels that uses algae as its source of energy-rich oils. Also, algae fuels are an alternative to commonly known biofuel sources, such as corn and sugarcane. When made from seaweed (macroalgae) it can be known as seaweed fuel or seaweed oil. It is also carbon negative unless the dead plant matter is burned, as the energy (stored as hydrogen gas) is produced by solar photosynthesis and comes from the sun. The emissions from burning the hydrogen make up only water and air. Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable. Like fossil fuel, algae fuel releases when burnt, but unlike fossil fuel, algae fuel and other biofuels only release recently removed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis as the algae or plant grew. The energy crisis and the world food crisis have ignited interest in algaculture (farmi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flue Gas
Flue gas is the gas exiting to the atmosphere via a flue, which is a pipe or channel for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, oven, furnace, boiler or steam generator. Quite often, the flue gas refers to the combustion exhaust gas produced at power plants. Its composition depends on what is being burned, but it will usually consist of mostly nitrogen (typically more than two-thirds) derived from the combustion of air, carbon dioxide (), and water vapor as well as excess oxygen (also derived from the combustion air). It further contains a small percentage of a number of pollutants, such as particulate matter (like soot), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides. Most fossil fuels are combusted with ambient air (as differentiated from combustion with pure oxygen). Since ambient air contains about 79 volume percent gaseous nitrogen (N2), which is essentially non-combustible, the largest part of the flue gas from most fossil-fuel combustion is uncombusted nitrogen. Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alginic Acid
Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. With metals such as sodium and calcium, its salts are known as alginates. Its colour ranges from white to yellowish-brown. It is sold in filamentous, granular, or powdered forms. It is a significant component of the biofilms produced by the bacterium ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'', a major pathogen found in the lungs of some people who have cystic fibrosis. The biofilm and ''P. aeruginosa'' have a high resistance to antibiotics, but susceptible to inhibition by macrophages. Structure Alginic acid is a linear copolymer with homopolymeric blocks of (1→4)-linked β-D- mannuronate (M) and α-L- guluronate (G) residues, respectively, covalently linked together in different sequences or blocks. The monomers may appear in homopolymeric blocks of consecutive G-residues (G-blocks), consecutive M-residues (M-blocks) or alterna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
UV-A
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight, and constitutes about 10% of the total electromagnetic radiation output from the Sun. It is also produced by electric arcs and specialized lights, such as mercury-vapor lamps, tanning lamps, and black lights. Although long-wavelength ultraviolet is not considered an ionizing radiation because its photons lack the energy to ionize atoms, it can cause chemical reactions and causes many substances to glow or fluoresce. Consequently, the chemical and biological effects of UV are greater than simple heating effects, and many practical applications of UV radiation derive from its interactions with organic molecules. Short-wave ultraviolet light damages DNA and sterilizes surfaces with which it comes into contact. For huma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere of the Earth. Carbon is the main component of biological compounds as well as a major component of many minerals such as limestone. Along with the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle, the carbon cycle comprises a sequence of events that are key to make Earth capable of sustaining life. It describes the movement of carbon as it is recycled and reused throughout the biosphere, as well as long-term processes of carbon sequestration to and release from carbon sinks. Carbon sinks in the land and the ocean each currently take up about one-quarter of anthropogenic carbon emissions each year. Humans have disturbed the biological carbon cycle for many centuries by modifying land use, and moreover with the recent industrial-scale mining of fossil carbon (coal, petroleum and natural gas, gas extraction, and cement manufacture) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seventh in total abundance in the Milky Way and the Solar System. At standard temperature and pressure, two atoms of the element bond to form N2, a colorless and odorless diatomic gas. N2 forms about 78% of Earth's atmosphere, making it the most abundant uncombined element. Nitrogen occurs in all organisms, primarily in amino acids (and thus proteins), in the nucleic acids ( DNA and RNA) and in the energy transfer molecule adenosine triphosphate. The human body contains about 3% nitrogen by mass, the fourth most abundant element in the body after oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. The nitrogen cycle describes the movement of the element from the air, into the biosphere and organic compounds, then back into the atmosphere. Many indus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nannochloropsis
''Nannochloropsis'' is a genus of algae comprising six known species. The genus in the current taxonomic classification was first termed by Hibberd (1981). The species have mostly been known from the marine environment but also occur in fresh and brackish water. All of the species are small, nonmotile spheres which do not express any distinct morphological features that can be distinguished by either light or electron microscopy. The characterisation is mostly done by rbcL gene and 18S rRNA sequence analysis. The algae of the genus ''Nannochloropsis'' differ from other related microalgae in that they have '' chlorophyll a'' and completely lack ''chlorophyll b'' and ''chlorophyll c''. In addition they are able to build up a high concentrations of a range of pigments such as astaxanthin, zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin. They have a diameter of about 2 to 3 micrometers and a very simple ultrastructure with reduced structural elements compared to neighbouring taxa. ''Nannochloropsis'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biotechnol Bioeng
''Biotechnology and Bioengineering'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering biochemical engineering science that was established in 1959. In 2009, the BioMedical & Life Sciences Division of the Special Libraries Association listed ''Biotechnology and Bioengineering'' as one of the 100 most influential journals in biology and medicine of the past century. The journal focuses on applied fundamentals and application of engineering principles to biology-based problems. Initially, fermentation processes, as well as mixing phenomena and aeration with an emphasis on agricultural or food science applications were the major focus. The scale up of antibiotics from fermentation processes was also an active topic of publication. ''Biotechnology and Bioengineering'' publishes Perspectives, Articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and Communications to the Editor that embrace all aspects of biotechnology. In addition to regular submissions, the journal publishes Viewpoints and Virtual Issues on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with an alcohol, producing a methyl, ethyl or propyl ester by the process of transesterification. Unlike the vegetable and waste oils used to fuel converted diesel engines, biodiesel is a drop-in biofuel, meaning it is compatible with existing diesel engines and distribution infrastructure. However, it is usually blended with petrodiesel (typically to less than 10%) since most engines cannot run on pure Biodiesel without modification. Biodiesel blends can also be used as heating oil. The US National Biodiesel Board defines "biodiesel" as a mono-alkyl ester. Blends Blends of biodiesel and conventional hydrocarbon-based diesel are most commonly distributed for use in the retail diesel fuel marketplace. Much of the world uses a system know ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
