Special Issue "Cultivation of Microalgae and Sustainability"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Chemical Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Simona Carfagna
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: plant physiology; microalgae cultivation; plant cell metabolism; mineral nutrition
Dr. Giovanna Salbitani
E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: microalgae cultivation; bioactive compounds; CO2 mitigation; sulphur metabolism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are responsible for most of CO2 utilization and oxygen production into the earth. In aquatic systems, these microorganisms are the basis of food chain, thus representing a fundamental pillar in the sustainability of the planet. Microalgae cultivation has increased in recent decades due to the wide range of applications associated with these photosynthetic microorganisms that can be utilized as sources of biofuels, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health, and dietary supplements. Algae have for many years been utilized as a human food supplement and feed in aquaculture hatcheries thanks to a nutritionally complete profile of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. In addition, microalgae represent promising biological systems for treating a variety of sources of wastewater due to their metabolic flexibility, i.e., their ability to perform photoautotrophic, mixotrophic, or heterotrophic metabolism. Additionally, some extremophilic microalgae can tolerate and even grow in highly acidic pH or extreme temperatures often found in industrial wastewater.

Microalgae can play an important role in a circular bio-economy by providing high-quality products, such as proteins, lipids, and colorants, within the biomass produced by the wastewater treatment cleaning process.

Scientific research, in recent years, has been looking for solutions to make the cultivation and use of these microorganisms as sustainable as possible from an environmental but also economic point of view for their more advantageous use.

The purpose of this Special Issue is the presentation of new and actual research results on microalgal cultivation and sustainability, aiming at the following main subject areas:

  • Sustainable utilization of resources such as water and nutrients;
  • Microalgae and sustainable production of biomolecules;
  • Microalgae and wastewater treatment;
  • System analysis methods, including life cycle assessment (LCA) and management;
  • Microalgae for mitigating carbon dioxide.

Prof. Simona Carfagna
Dr. Giovanna Salbitani
Guest Editors

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 papers will be 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. Sustainability 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 1900 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

  • microalgae
  • bioproducts
  • CO2 mitigation
  • wastewater
  • LCA

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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Article
Utilisation of CO2 from Sodium Bicarbonate to Produce Chlorella vulgaris Biomass in Tubular Photobioreactors for Biofuel Purposes
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9118; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169118 - 14 Aug 2021
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Abstract
Microalgae are one of the most promising sources of renewable substrates used for energy purposes. Biomass and components accumulated in their cells can be used to produce a wide range of biofuels, but the profitability of their production is still not at a [...] Read more.
Microalgae are one of the most promising sources of renewable substrates used for energy purposes. Biomass and components accumulated in their cells can be used to produce a wide range of biofuels, but the profitability of their production is still not at a sufficient level. Significant costs are generated, i.a., during the cultivation of microalgae, and are connected with providing suitable culture conditions. This study aims to evaluate the possibility of using sodium bicarbonate as an inexpensive alternative CO2 source in the culture of Chlorella vulgaris, promoting not only the increase of microalgae biomass production but also lipid accumulation. The study was carried out at technical scale using 100 L photobioreactors. Gravimetric and spectrophotometric methods were used to evaluate biomass growth. Lipid content was determined using a mixture of chloroform and methanol according to the Blight and Dyer method, while the carbon content and CO2 fixation rate were measured according to the Walkley and Black method. In batch culture, even a small addition of bicarbonate resulted in a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in the amount of biomass, productivity and optical density compared to non-bicarbonate cultures. At 2.0 g∙L–1, biomass content was 572 ± 4 mg·L−1, the maximum productivity was 7.0 ± 1.0 mg·L–1·d–1, and the optical density was 0.181 ± 0.00. There was also an increase in the lipid content (26 ± 4%) and the carbon content in the biomass (1322 ± 0.062 g∙dw–1), as well as a higher rate of carbon dioxide fixation (0.925 ± 0.073 g·L–1·d–1). The cultivation of microalgae in enlarged scale photobioreactors provides a significant technological challenge. The obtained results can be useful to evaluate the efficiency of biomass and valuable cellular components production in closed systems realized at industrial scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultivation of Microalgae and Sustainability)
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Review

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Review
Ammonium Utilization in Microalgae: A Sustainable Method for Wastewater Treatment
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020956 - 19 Jan 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 632
Abstract
In plant cells, ammonium is considered the most convenient nitrogen source for cell metabolism. However, despite ammonium being the preferred N form for microalgae, at higher concentrations, it can be toxic, and can cause growth inhibition. Microalgae’s tolerance to ammonium depends on the [...] Read more.
In plant cells, ammonium is considered the most convenient nitrogen source for cell metabolism. However, despite ammonium being the preferred N form for microalgae, at higher concentrations, it can be toxic, and can cause growth inhibition. Microalgae’s tolerance to ammonium depends on the species, with various taxa showing different thresholds of tolerability and symptoms of toxicity. In the environment, ammonium at high concentrations represents a dangerous pollutant. It can affect water quality, causing numerous environmental problems, including eutrophication of downstream waters. For this reason, it is important to treat wastewater and remove nutrients before discharging it into rivers, lakes, or seas. A valid and sustainable alternative to conventional treatments could be provided by microalgae, coupling the nutrient removal from wastewater with the production of valuable biomass. This review is focused on ammonium and its importance in algal nutrition, but also on its problematic presence in aquatic systems such as wastewaters. The aim of this work is to provide recent information on the exploitation of microalgae in ammonium removal and the role of ammonium in microalgae metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultivation of Microalgae and Sustainability)
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