Carbohydrate polymers in desert reclamation: the potential of microalgal biofertilizers

doi:10.1016/0144-8617(93)90081-E

Carbohydrate Polymers

Volume 20, Issue 2, 1993, Pages 77-86

https://doi.org/10.1016/0144-8617(93)90081-E Get rights and content

Abstract

The use of fast-growing, microscopic soil (edaphic) algae as ‘green manure’ seems to offer the only realistic hope of halting and reversing desert encroachment in the Sahel and other semi-arid regions. The capsular and sheath proteoglycans produced by green and blue-green edaphic algae are of central significance in soil neogenesis. Fundamental studies of their water-retaining and particle-aggregating properties, their ability to release phosphate and trace elements from insoluble minerals, and their ability to store nitrogen and release it slowly under field conditions are essential to the development of biofertilizer technology.

References (94)

C. Bertocchi et al.
Carbohydr. Polym.
(1990)
A. Cesàro et al.
Int. J. Biol. Macromol.
(1990)
A. Flaibani et al.
Carbohydr. Res.
(1989)
E.I. Friedmann et al.
R.F. Harris et al.
Adv. Agron.
(1966)
B. Klubek et al.
Soil Biol. Biochem.
(1980)
L. Navarini et al.
Carbohydr. Polym.
(1990)
T.J. Painter
M. Schnitzer
O. Smidsrød et al.
Carbohydr. Res.
(1984)

L. Verma et al.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

(1976)

R. Ascione et al.

Science

(1966)

D. Bailey et al.

J. Phycol.

(1973)

W. Barclay et al.

Plant and Soil

(1985)

J.C. Bartholomew

The World Atlas

C.T. Bishop et al.

Can. J. Chem.

(1954)

M.D. Brasier

Chem. Brit.

(1979)

B.M. Bristol-Roach

New Phytol.

(1919)

B.M. Bristol-Roach

Ann. Bot.

(1920)

T.D. Brock

Oikos

(1973)

D.H. Campbell

Amer. Nat.

(1909)

J.L. Carson et al.

J. Phycol.

(1978)

P. Cloud

Paleobiology

(1976)

R. Craig et al.

W.N. Doemel et al.

Arch. Mikrobiol.

(1970)

W.F. Dudman

G. Florenzano et al.

Arch. Microbiol.

(1985)

H.S. Forest et al.

J. Phycol.

(1966)

F.E. Fritsch

J. Ecol.

(1922)

F.E. Fritsch et al.

Ann. Bot.

(1923)

D.W. Goodall

A. Gottschalk

A. Grainger

The Threatening Desert

(1990)

R.F. Griggs

Amer. J. Bot.

(1933)

M. Herdman

L. Hough et al.

J. Chem. Soc.

(1952)

M.M. Kononova

Soil Organic Matter

(1961)

W.K. Kroen

J. Phycol.

(1984)

W.K. Kroen et al.

J. Phycol.

(1984)

A.R.G. Lang

Austral. J. Chem.

(1967)

R.A. Lewin

Can. J. Microbiol.

(1956)

R.A. Lewin

Can. J. Bot.

(1957)

R.A. Lewin

Centros de Investigacion de Baja California and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Transactions

(1977)

R.A. Lewin

Chin. J. Oceanol. Limnol.

(1984)

U. Lindahl et al.

C.B. Lipman

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club

(1941)

J.W.G. Lund

Cited by (38)

Optimization of algae production on urine
2019, Algal Research
Citation Excerpt :
The design of a large-scale system for algae based urine is challenging since it must cheap. The economic returns of the process are coming from the algal biomass produced, which probably can only be used as a fertilizer or a soil improver closing the nutrient cycle and adding organic carbon to the soil [1,2]. In addition, the prevention of the need of traditional wastewater treatment systems presents an another source of income.
Urine is a potential source of nutrients to grow microalgal biomass to be re-used as fertilizer and soil conditioner. In this study the impact of photobioreactor dilution rate on microalgae productivity and photosynthetic efficiency was assessed and used to determine operating conditions to reach both full nitrogen removal from urine and high biomass productivity. In addition, the possibility to work under day/night cycling was tested. To this end, the microalga Chlorella sorokiniana was grown on artificial urine and real human urine in bench-scale panel photobioreactors with short optical paths.
At a light intensity of 1530 μmol⋅ m⁻²⋅s^-1 photobioreactor productivity and photosynthetic efficiency was demonstrated to be maximal at reactor dilution rates between 0.10 and 0.15 h^-1. A biomass yield of 1 g dry matter per mol of PAR photons was achieved. Biomass concentration, and accordingly nutrient removal efficiency, decreased at increasing reactor dilution rate. The experimental results could be reproduced by model simulations. These simulations allowed to demonstrate that the system must be operated at a dilution rate of less than 0.01 h^-1 in order to reach complete nitrogen removal. In that scenario more than half of the potential biomass productivity is lost due to severe self-shading within the algal culture. Experiments with real human urine illustrated the problem of incomplete nitrogen removal and ammonium inhibition of growth at too high dilution rates. It is therefore suggested to apply an optimized pre-dilution of pure urine prior to treatment in a photobioreactor.
Experiments under day-night cycles demonstrated that microalgal cultures quickly acclimate to such variable light conditions. Additional model simulations illustrated that a phototrophic system is most effective when diluted urine is fed to the photobioreactor during day time only. In that situation the lowest nitrogen concentration in the effluent can be reached at a maximal areal removal rate and photosynthetic efficiency.
Cell damage caused by ultraviolet B radiation in the desert cyanobacterium Phormidium tenue and its recovery process
2017, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Citation Excerpt :
Biological soil crusts (BSCs), which are distributed on the surface of arid and semiarid regions (Belnap, 2003), have a role in the colonization and stabilization of desert soil surfaces to improve the hydrological properties of the local environment (Painter, 1993; Mazor et al., 1996; Hu et al., 2003).
Phormidium tenue, a cyanobacterium that grows in the topsoil of biological soil crusts (BSCs), has the highest recovery rate among desert crust cyanobacteria after exposure to ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation. However, the mechanism underlying its recovery process is unclear. To address this issue, we measured chlorophyll a fluorescence, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, and repair of DNA breakage in P. tenue following exposure to UV-B. We found that UV-B radiation at all doses tested reduced photosynthesis and induced cell damage in P. tenue. However, P. tenue responded to UV-B radiation by rapidly reducing photosynthetic activity, which protects the cell by leaking less ROS. Antioxidant enzymes, DNA damage repair systems, and UV absorbing pigments were then induced to mitigate the damage caused by UV-B radiation. The addition of exogenous antioxidant chemicals ascorbate and N-acetylcysteine also mitigated the harmful effects caused by UV-B radiation and enhanced the recovery process. These chemicals could aid in the resistance of P. tenue to the exposure of intense UV-B radiation in desertified areas when inoculated onto the sand surface to form artificial algal crusts.
Genetic Engineering of Microalgae for Production of Value-added Ingredients
2015, Handbook of Marine Microalgae: Biotechnology Advances
Microalgae-based components, namely lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and pigments, are the feedstocks for applications in food and feed production, bioactive pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, functional foods, and biofuels. Microalgal lipids serve as feedstocks for biodiesel production whereas carbohydrates can serve as a carbon source in the fermentation process. Similarly, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid are important food supplements, and several other proteins and pigments have been relevant in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications for treatment of several diseases. Conceptually, improvements in economic feasibility through the process of biorefinery can be achieved with advanced genetic engineering and modeling of relevant metabolic pathways, where these microalgae will have the ability to simultaneously produce specific low and high value-added biomolecules and biofuels, an excellent solution toward meeting the soaring demands for tomorrow's bioenergy needs.
Effects of irradiation and pH on fluorescence properties and flocculation of extracellular polymeric substances from the cyanobacterium Chroococcus minutus
2015, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces
Citation Excerpt :
The decomposition of EPS can therefore affect migration of elements such as carbon and nitrogen, as well as the release of heavy metals which have been adsorbed by the EPS. Elevated UV (ultraviolet) radiation is one of the most detrimental environmental factors for photosynthetic organisms in arid zones [9]. A few studies have shown that EPS protects the cells against the damage from UV irradiation [17,18].
Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) may flocculate or be decomposed when environmental factors change, which significantly influences nutrient cycling and transport of heavy metals. However, little information is available on the stability of EPS in natural environments. Fluorescence and flocculation properties of EPS from Chroococcus minutus under different irradiation and pH conditions were studied. Two aromatic protein-like fluorescence peaks and one tyrosine protein-like peak were identified from the excitation–emission-matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra of EPS. UVB (ultraviolet B) and solar irradiation increased the fluorescence intensity of all the three peaks while UVC (ultraviolet C) irradiation had little effect. EPS formed unstable flocs after exposure to UV (ultraviolet) irradiation and formed stable flocs under solar irradiation. EPS were prone to flocculation under highly acidic conditions and minimal fluorescence of peaks was observed. The fluorophores in EPS were relatively stable under neutral and alkaline conditions. These findings are helpful for understanding the behavior of EPS in aquatic environments and their role in biogeochemical cycles of the elements.
The response of carbohydrate metabolism to the fluctuation of relative humidity (RH) in the desert soil cyanobacterium Phormidium tenue
2012, European Journal of Soil Biology
The excreting of exopolysaccharides (EPS) is thought as one of the main protection ways for cyanobacteria in desert algal crusts to survive desiccation. But how cyanobacteria adjust their carbohydrate metabolism to survive this stress is not elucidated. In this study, we treated Phormidium tenue, a cyanobacterium isolated from biological soil crusts with the changes of relative humidity (RH) to simulate different levels of desiccation and investigated its carbohydrate metabolism. It was found that photosynthetic activity (Fv/Fm) and cellular total carbohydrates production decreased significantly at low RH. But the production of EPS, reducing sugar, sucrose and the activity of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) increased significantly at low RH and reached maximum at 75% RH. Low RH could also cause the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, malondialdehyde (MDA) production and DNA strand breaks. However, when pretreated with exogenous 100 mg/L EPS, Fv/Fm and carbohydrate production were improved significantly, while ROS generation, MDA production and DNA strand breaks decreased significantly at various levels of RH in P. tenue. These results indicated that P. tenue in arid regions could enhance desiccation tolerance by adjusting the carbohydrate metabolism to eliminate ROS and decrease oxidative damage.
Production of glucuronan oligosaccharides using a new glucuronan lyase activity from a Trichoderma sp. strain
2005, Journal of Biotechnology
Sinorhizobium meliloti M5N1CS synthesizes a homopolymer of glucuronic acids β-(1,4) linked and variably C₂ and/or C₃ O-acetylated. To obtain β-Δ-(4,5)-unsaturated oligoglucuronans, various acetylated forms of this bacterial polymer were cleaved by a Trichoderma sp. GL2 glucuronan lyase. Oligomers with polymerization degrees up to 8 were then produced, purified by liquid chromatography (size exclusion and anions exchange) and characterized using ¹H NMR and ESI-Q/TOF-MS. Finally, the production (in gram quantity) of pure unsaturated oligoglucuronans non-acetylated (di- and trisaccharide) was investigated thanks to the complete depolymerization of deacetylated glucuronan.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Review paperCarbohydrate polymers in desert reclamation: the potential of microalgal biofertilizers

Abstract

Carbohydr. Polym.

Int. J. Biol. Macromol.

Carbohydr. Res.

Adv. Agron.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Carbohydr. Polym.

Carbohydr. Res.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Science

J. Phycol.

Plant and Soil

The World Atlas

Can. J. Chem.

Chem. Brit.

New Phytol.

Ann. Bot.

Oikos

Amer. Nat.

J. Phycol.

Paleobiology

Arch. Mikrobiol.

Arch. Microbiol.

J. Phycol.

J. Ecol.

Ann. Bot.

The Threatening Desert

Amer. J. Bot.

J. Chem. Soc.

Soil Organic Matter

J. Phycol.

J. Phycol.

Austral. J. Chem.

Can. J. Microbiol.

Can. J. Bot.

Centros de Investigacion de Baja California and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Transactions

Chin. J. Oceanol. Limnol.

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club

Review paper
Carbohydrate polymers in desert reclamation: the potential of microalgal biofertilizers