Descrizione del progetto
Coltivare alghe come fonte di biomassa rinnovabile
Nella ricerca di fonti di energia rinnovabile per l’industria, il fitoplancton, noto come diatomee, svolge un ruolo promettente grazie alla sua produzione naturale di preziosi acidi grassi utilizzati come energia per un’ampia fascia di vita marina, anche in condizioni di freddo e scarsa illuminazione. Nonostante l’onnipresenza delle diatomee nell’acqua, la loro coltivazione estensiva è ostacolata dal costo elevato di tali processi. Il progetto MMM-Rebio mira a utilizzare ceppi locali per studiare e sviluppare metodi di coltivazione mixotrofici o combinati sulla costa occidentale svedese per un potenziale uso industriale.
Obiettivo
Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic algae (microalgae) and one of the most common and diverse type of marine phytoplankton. Thanks to a flexible cell metabolism, they dominate in environmental conditions normally unfavorable for photosynthesis, i.e. freezing seawater, low light intensity and short photoperiod. Moreover, diatoms are able to synthesize storage lipids (20-50% of cell dry weight) that can be used for production of renewable biomass and high-value fatty acids. However, the success of these microalgae as feedstock depends on lowering the production cost. The proposed project aims to develop mixotrophic cultivation (i.e. the simultaneous use of light and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and organic carbon for respiration) to maximize growth and outdoor productivity for selected strains from the Swedish west coast. The focus will be on the bloom-forming coastal diatom Skeletonema marinoi (S. marinoi) whose sequence annotation is ongoing, and the recent knowledge on mixotrophic growth of the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum will be employed. The main objectives will be: i) using the bloom-forming S. marinoi to better understand mixotrophic metabolism in diatoms; ii) exploring the optimal mixotrophic conditions for enhanced productivity of S. marinoi; iii) investigating the potential industrial applications of S. marinoi when cultivated under mixotrophy. To achieve these objectives, an interdisciplinary approach including computational, biophysical, analytical, biotechnological and biological methods will be employed. A mixotrophic outdoor cultivation of marine microalgae in the dynamic climate of the Swedish west coast could provide a higher total production of renewable biomass for industry.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinatore
405 30 Goeteborg
Svezia