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Energies
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Marine Biotechnology: Applications and Challenges
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Marine Biotechnology: Applications and Challenges

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (19 March 2021) | Viewed by 17673
The submission system is still open. Please contact the journal editor Adele Min ([email protected]) before submitting a paper.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Paraskevi N. Polymenakou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 71500 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Interests: marine biotechnology; bioenergy; molecular microbial ecology; extreme environments; submarine volcanoes; hydrothermal vents; microbiology of the deep subsurface; novel microbes and functions

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Marine ecosystems are among the most biologically diverse environments on Earth that can host microbes capable of extraordinary functional and metabolic properties, as well as macroorganisms with an enormous potential in biotechnological applications. The rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of biotechnology provides significant advancements in exploring and exploiting marine genetic resources and in addressing the global challenges of energy, food, and health. Despite the vast possibilities of marine biotechnology in providing goods and services, only a small fraction of the enormous biodiversity in the oceans has been explored to date.

This Special Issue of Energies invites papers related to the biosynthetic capabilities, the bioproduction capacity, and the biotechnological applications of aquatic organisms. Studied organisms may originate from all types of marine ecosystems, such as coastal and deep sea, oligotrophic and eutrophic environments, underwater hydrothermal vents and volcanic systems, coral reefs, marine caves, etc. We invite article submissions that are related to (i) the application of -omics technologies (e.g., genomics, metagenomics, metabolomics) for the discovery of novel enzymes in energy, food and health, (ii) the study and potential beneficial functionalities of various marine organisms, such as bacteria, archaea, microalgae, fungi, sponges, and corals, and (iii) future challenges in marine biotechnology. We particularly encourage submissions pertaining to the exploration of new extreme sites characterized by key bioenergy processes, such as microbial methanogenesis, biohydrogen or ethanol production, and to the study of various marine organisms, such as bacteria, archaea, and microalgae for the generation of bio-energy.

Dr. Paraskevi N. Polymenakou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquatic organisms
  • marine genetic resources
  • biotechnological applications
  • -omics technologies
  • novel enzymes
  • bioenergy

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4529 KiB  
Article
Production of High Purity Biosurfactants Using Heavy Oil Residues as Carbon Source
by Athina Mandalenaki, Nicolas Kalogerakis and Eleftheria Antoniou
Energies 2021, 14(12), 3557; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14123557 - 15 Jun 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2374
Abstract
Typically, oil pollution cleanup procedures following first response actions include dispersion. Crude oil is biodegradable, and its bioavailability can be increased when dispersed into very fine droplets by means of chemical surfactants. Although their use is widely spread in many applications, the latter [...] Read more.
Typically, oil pollution cleanup procedures following first response actions include dispersion. Crude oil is biodegradable, and its bioavailability can be increased when dispersed into very fine droplets by means of chemical surfactants. Although their use is widely spread in many applications, the latter may prove toxic, depending on the extent of use. The use of biological means, such as bioremediation and biosurfactants, has emerged over the past years as a very promising ‘green’ alternative technology. Biosurfactants (BSs) are amphiphilic molecules produced by microorganisms during biodegradation, thus increasing the bioavailability of the organic pollutants. It is their biodegradability and low toxicity that render BSs as a very promising alternative to the synthetic ones. Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2 strain ability to produce BSs, without any impurities from the substrate, was investigated. The biosurfactant production was scaled up by means of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and a heavy oil residue substrate as the carbon source. The product is free from substrate impurities, and its efficiency is tested on oil bioremediation in the marine environment. The product’s dispersion efficiency was determined by the baffled flask test. The production method proposed can have a significant impact to the market, given the ever-increasing demand for ecologically friendly, reliable, commercially viable and economically competitive environmental cleanup techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biotechnology: Applications and Challenges)
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18 pages, 2602 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Consortia from Surface and Deep Waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Characterization and Degradation Potential
by Georgia Charalampous, Efsevia Fragkou, Konstantinos A. Kormas, Alexandre B. De Menezes, Paraskevi N. Polymenakou, Nikos Pasadakis, Nicolas Kalogerakis, Eleftheria Antoniou and Evangelia Gontikaki
Energies 2021, 14(8), 2246; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14082246 - 16 Apr 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4053
Abstract
The diversity and degradation capacity of hydrocarbon-degrading consortia from surface and deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were studied in time-series experiments. Microcosms were set up in ONR7a medium at in situ temperatures of 25 °C and 14 °C for the Surface [...] Read more.
The diversity and degradation capacity of hydrocarbon-degrading consortia from surface and deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were studied in time-series experiments. Microcosms were set up in ONR7a medium at in situ temperatures of 25 °C and 14 °C for the Surface and Deep consortia, respectively, and crude oil as the sole source of carbon. The Deep consortium was additionally investigated at 25 °C to allow the direct comparison of the degradation rates to the Surface consortium. In total, ~50% of the alkanes and ~15% of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were degraded in all treatments by Day 24. Approximately ~95% of the total biodegradation by the Deep consortium took place within 6 days regardless of temperature, whereas comparable levels of degradation were reached on Day 12 by the Surface consortium. Both consortia were dominated by well-known hydrocarbon-degrading taxa. Temperature played a significant role in shaping the Deep consortia communities with Pseudomonas and Pseudoalteromonas dominating at 25 °C and Alcanivorax at 14 °C. Overall, the Deep consortium showed a higher efficiency for hydrocarbon degradation within the first week following contamination, which is critical in the case of oil spills, and thus merits further investigation for its exploitation in bioremediation technologies tailored to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biotechnology: Applications and Challenges)
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12 pages, 24691 KiB  
Communication
The Santorini Volcanic Complex as a Valuable Source of Enzymes for Bioenergy
by Paraskevi N. Polymenakou, Paraskevi Nomikou, Haris Zafeiropoulos, Manolis Mandalakis, Thekla I. Anastasiou, Stephanos Kilias, Nikos C. Kyrpides, Georgios Kotoulas and Antoniοs Magoulas
Energies 2021, 14(5), 1414; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14051414 - 4 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3293
Abstract
Marine microbial communities are an untapped reservoir of genetic and metabolic diversity and a valuable source for the discovery of new natural products of biotechnological interest. The newly discovered hydrothermal vent field of Santorini volcanic complex located in the Aegean Sea is gaining [...] Read more.
Marine microbial communities are an untapped reservoir of genetic and metabolic diversity and a valuable source for the discovery of new natural products of biotechnological interest. The newly discovered hydrothermal vent field of Santorini volcanic complex located in the Aegean Sea is gaining increasing interest for potential biotechnological exploitation. The conditions in these environments, i.e., high temperatures, low pH values and high concentration of heavy metals, often resemble harsh industrial settings. Thus, these environments may serve as pools of enzymes of enhanced catalytic properties that may provide benefits to biotechnology. Here, we screened 11 metagenomic libraries previously constructed from microbial mat samples covering the seafloor and the polymetallic chimneys of Kolumbo volcano as well as mat samples from Santorini caldera, to mine, in silico, genes associated with bioenergy applications. We particularly focused on genes encoding biomass hydrolysis enzymes such as cellulases, hemicellulases and lignin-degrading enzymes. A total of 10,417 genes were found for three specific groups of enzymes—i.e., the endoglucanases, the three different beta-glucosidases BGL, bglX and bglB, and the alpha-galactosidases melA, and rafA. Overall, we concluded that the Santorini–Kolumbo volcanic ecosystems constitute a significant resource of novel genes with potential applications in bioenergy that deserve further investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biotechnology: Applications and Challenges)
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9 pages, 1159 KiB  
Article
Polyhydroxyalkanoated-Rich Microbial Cells from Bio-Based Volatile Fatty Acids as Potential Ingredient for Aquaculture Feed
by Alice Botturi, Federico Battista, Marco Andreolli, Filippo Faccenda, Salvatore Fusco, David Bolzonella, Silvia Lampis and Nicola Frison
Energies 2021, 14(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14010038 - 23 Dec 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3030
Abstract
In this study, the production of polyhydroxyalkanoated PHA-rich microbial biomass as a novel feed additive in aquaculture was investigated at a lab-scale. Bio-based volatile fatty acids (VFAs), obtained from the acidogenic fermentation of agricultural residues in existing anaerobic digestion plants, were used as [...] Read more.
In this study, the production of polyhydroxyalkanoated PHA-rich microbial biomass as a novel feed additive in aquaculture was investigated at a lab-scale. Bio-based volatile fatty acids (VFAs), obtained from the acidogenic fermentation of agricultural residues in existing anaerobic digestion plants, were used as carbon and energy to cultivate the PHA-rich microbial biomass. The experimental activities were carried out using Thauera sp. Sel9 as pure strain, which was grown in a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) operated at three different hydraulic retention times (HRT). The highest productivity obtained of biomass cells was 0.69 g/L day, operating at one day HRT while the observed PHAs production yield was 0.14 gPHA/g soluble COD removed. At these conditions, the PHA concentration in the microbial cells was 41%. Although the sulfur amino acids were available at high concentrations and above the typical concentration found in fishmeal, the amino acids profile of the obtained biomass revealed a lack of histidine and threonine. A preliminary economic analysis showed that the production of a novel source of feed additive from the conversion of agro-residues could give higher benefits in terms of revenues compared to the production of biogas production through anaerobic digestion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biotechnology: Applications and Challenges)
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Review

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11 pages, 4953 KiB  
Review
Potential of an Automated- and Image-Based Cell Counter to Accelerate Microalgal Research and Applications
by Toshiyuki Takahashi
Energies 2020, 13(22), 6019; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13226019 - 18 Nov 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3253
Abstract
Efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have resulted in enhancement of the position of microalgae in feedstocks for food, feed, healthcare, and biofuels. However, stabile microalgal biorefineries require a sustainable and reliable management system of microalgae, which are sensitive to environmental changes. [...] Read more.
Efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have resulted in enhancement of the position of microalgae in feedstocks for food, feed, healthcare, and biofuels. However, stabile microalgal biorefineries require a sustainable and reliable management system of microalgae, which are sensitive to environmental changes. To expand microalgal applicability, assessment and maintenance of microalgal quality are crucial. Compared with conventional methods, including hemocytometry and turbidity, an automated- and image-based cell counter contributes to the establishment of routine management of microalgae with reduced work burden. This review presents the principle of an automated cell counter and highlights the functional capacities of the device for microalgal management. The method utilizing fluorescence function to evaluate the chlorophyll integrity of microalgae may lay the groundwork for making a large variety of microalgal biorefineries, creating an important step toward achieving SDGs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Biotechnology: Applications and Challenges)
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