Аннотация:Developing alternatives to fossil fuels is one of the most urgent demands of today. Oleaginous algae are most popular in the microbial biofuel field, because of their ability to produce substantial amounts of triacylglycerols (TAG). Algae produced more oil in stressed condition as compared to their optimal growth conditions. We developed industrial biotechnology cultivation A. platensis in laboratory, in field experiments and in greenhouse complexes of different regions of Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Estonia. We investigated the effects of high and low light intensity, suboptimal temperatures and nitrogen starvation on lipid content in the cells A. platensis. It is shown that cyanobacteria are excellent candidates with high significance in producing third generation biofuels. The analysis of energy balances of solar energy conversion to biomass of oleaginous microalgae confirms the principled possibility of achieving the record productivities of biomass and oil. At the optimal organization of the process, the energy content of the final product can exceed the cost of additional energy for the cultivation of microalgae, even without the use of energy equivalent anthropogenic CO2 as a nutrient. In this case the energy of biomass waste after lipid extraction constitutes a significant portion in the total energy content of the obtained products. Production of the valuable associated products with high added value (astaxanthin, β-carotene, phycocyanin, and chlorophyll) can also significantly increase the profitability of production. There are significant opportunities to improve the technology. For example, improvement of efficiency of light energy conversion into biomass, the increase in lipid content in the microalgae biomass, optimization of constructions of the cultivators and bioreactors for reduced capital cost. The extended studies in this interdisciplinary area involving experts from different fields of science and technology are needed to implement these opportunities. The research is supported by the grants Russian Foundation for Basic Research № 15-08-02596.
Keywords: microalgae, lipid (oils) production, biofuel, biodiesel, photosynthesis, energy conversion, energy efficiency.