Biological CO2 capture using microalgae is a promising new method for reducing CO2 emission of coal-fired flue gas. The strain of microalgae used in this process plays a vital role in determining the rate of CO2 fixation and characteristics of biomass production. High requirements are put forward for algae strains due to high CO2 concentration and diverse pollutants in flue gas. CO2 can directly diffuse into the cytoplasm of cells by extra- and intracellular CO2 osmotic pressure under high CO2 concentrations. The flue gas pollutants, such as SOx, NOx and fly ashes, have negative effects on the growth of microalgae. This work reviewed the state-of-the-art advances on microalgae strains used for CO2 fixation, focusing on the modification and improvement of strains that are used for coal-fired flue gas. Methods such as genetic engineering, random mutagenesis, and adaptive evolution have the potential to facilitate photosynthesis, improve growth rate and reduce CO2 emission.
Digital library
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Remember a few years ago when everyone decided that using algae as a biofuel feedstock would be the best thing ever? Well, progress on that front is moving so slowly that companies have realized that that might not be where the money is. But there is still all this algae lying around.
So, instead, a handful of ambitious biofuel and algae production startups have decided to put their product into every segment imaginable — we're talking about putting algae in your makeup, your protein supplements and even your medication. Now Aurora Algae has unveiled its mysterious-sounding A2 Product Portfolio — a series of algae-based oils and powders that will be used in the biofuel, food, aquaculture, neutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. What will happen when all the products you use have everyone's favorite aquatic vegetable added to them?
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The goal of the project was to protect guard Long Island Sound from the introduction of non-native organisms that may be imported via fishing bait worms and the seaweed packing material known as wormweed (Ascophyllum nodosum). The project examined bait for non-native invertebrate animals, macroalgae (also known as seaweeds), and harmful, toxin-producing microalgae. Bait was purchased from retail bait shops at locations ranging from northeastern Long Island Sound along the Connecticut shoreline to the southwestern part of the Sound in Long Island. Using a combination of visual and microscopic inspection, and sophisticated molecular biological techniques to detect the presence of microalgal cells, the study questioned whether (i) non-native organisms were being imported via bait worms, and if so whether; (ii) non-native organisms vary according to purchase location, or; (iii) time of year. Overall, 14 species of macroalgae, two species of harmful microalgae (Alexandrium fundyense, and Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries), and 23 different categories of invertebrate animals were discovered among the wormweed. Only one of the microalgal species was not native to Long Island Sound. Overall, location (eastern vs. western, northern vs. southern Long Island Sound) did not affect the number of algal or invertebrate species. Temperature did affect algal diversity and abundance, however, both in post-collection incubation (5° < 15° = 25°) and seasonally (summer produced highest numbers). Invertebrates were most abundant in summer as well. The Gulf of Maine now harbors a diverse suite of non-native organisms. These may be exported to other areas of the U.S. via national bait wholesalers and cause ecological harm to the receiving ecosystem. In addition to potential ecological impacts associated with the import of non-native organisms, economic harm is also possible. For example, commercial shellfishing beds may be closed when harmful microalgae bloom in coastal waters. With ca. 470 retail bait shops in NY and CT, the chances of introduction of harmful non-natives is not trivial. For example, in our 18 month study of four locations, we discovered the harmful non-native microalga Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries in 58% of our samples.
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Maine Sea Grant, based at the University of Maine, is joining hands with Maine shellfish farmers to build knowhow in growing kelp to better exploit the USD 6 billion worldwide seaweed industry.
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Marine natural products have as of now been acknowledged as the most important source of bioactive substances and drug leads. Marine flora and fauna, such as algae, bacteria, sponges, fungi, seaweeds, corals, diatoms, ascidian etc. are important resources from oceans, accounting for more than 90% of the total oceanic biomass. They are taxonomically different with huge productive and are pharmacologically active novel chemical signatures and bid a tremendous opportunity for discovery of new anti-cancer molecules. The water bodies a rich source of potent molecules which improve existence suitability and serve as chemical shield against microbes and little or huge creatures. These molecules have exhibited a range of biological properties antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumour etc. In spite of huge resources enriched with exciting chemicals, the marine floras and faunas are largely unexplored for their anticancer properties. In recent past, numerous marine anticancer compounds have been isolated, characterized, identified and are under trials for human use. In this write up we have tried to compile about marine-derived compounds anticancer biological activities of diverse flora and fauna and their underlying mechanisms and the generous raise in these compounds examined for malignant growth treatment in the course of the most recent quite a long while.
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Ocean Acidification - Flourishing seaweed:
Macroalgae (seaweed) form an important component of rocky shore ecosystems, so an understanding of their sensitivity to ocean acidification is important for understanding the wider ocean acidification impacts on coastal ecosystems.
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Beyond their significant contribution to the dietary and industrial supplies, marine algae are considered to be a potential source of some unique metabolites with diverse health benefits. The pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol homeostasis, protein clearance and anti-amyloidogenic potentials of algal metabolites endorse their protective efficacy against oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired proteostasis which are known to be implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders and the associated complications after cerebral ischemia and brain injuries. As was evident in various preclinical studies, algal compounds conferred neuroprotection against a wide range of neurotoxic stressors, such as oxygen/glucose deprivation, hydrogen peroxide, glutamate, amyloid β, or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and, therefore, hold therapeutic promise for brain disorders. While a significant number of algal compounds with promising neuroprotective capacity have been identified over the last decades, a few of them have had access to clinical trials. However, the recent approval of an algal oligosaccharide, sodium oligomannate, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease enlightened the future of marine algae-based drug discovery. In this review, we briefly outline the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries for identifying the targets of pharmacological intervention, and then review the literature on the neuroprotective potentials of algal compounds along with the underlying pharmacological mechanism, and present an appraisal on the recent therapeutic advances. We also propose a rational strategy to facilitate algal metabolites-based drug development.
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The seaweeds are a diverse group of large marine macroalgae that are as important to our nearshore coastal marine world as land plants are to our terrestrial world. Seaweeds were the evolutionary precursors to land plants, and like land plants, they are critical primary producers, forming living links between the inorganic and the organic world, using photosynthesis to convert CO2 and nutrients into living biomass. These primary producers support other marine life through the production of oxygen, their contribution to marine food webs, and by providing structure and habitat for fish and invertebrates. Seaweeds are also an important resource for humans. Historically, coastal peoples have relied on seaweeds for food, minerals, medicine, insulation, fertilizer and fodder. Today seaweeds are a multibillion dollar industry worldwide, providing food, fertilizers, nutritional supplementation, and valuable phycocolloid extracts including agar, carrageenan, and alginate.
Although wild harvest supports a significant portion of seaweed industry, there is an everincreasing amount of seaweed production from aquaculture, principally in Asia and South America (Chile). Seaweed aquaculture makes up a significant portion of organisms cultured worldwide (~19 million metric tons) with a value of ~US $5.65 billion (FAO, 2012). Aquaculture production is dominated by kelps (Saccharina japonica and Undaria pinnatifida), tropical red algal species (carrageenophytes species including Kappaphycus and Eucheuma), nori (including Porphyra and Pyropia species), and the red algal agarophyte species known as Gracilaria. China is the world’s top producer of cultured seaweeds, though other countries in Asia (Japan, Korea, and the Philippines) and in Europe (France, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, and Spain) also grow seaweed. In North America, the seaweed industry is comprised of small wildharvest cottage operations located along the East and West Coasts of Canada and the United States. Recent development in culture technologies, however, have led the to development of a small sugar kelp industry in the Northeast. As populations expand, culture of seaweed will be important to supplement the wild resource. Seaweeds can be cultivated in the sea on suspended lines, rafts, or nets, or on land in tankbased culture systems. A sustainable, low impact process, seaweed culture can provide much needed employment and independence to rural coastal communities. The development of a seaweed aquaculture industry can also encourage development of other aquacultured species that are higher up in the food chain. Seaweeds are bioextractive organisms, taking up excess nutrients generated by other species, such as fish or shrimp. The integrated culture of fed aquaculture (fish and shrimp) with extractive aquaculture (seaweed and shellfish) is called ‘Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture’, or IMTA. The IMTA concept is an ecologicallybased model that couples an inorganic bioextractive organism (seaweed) with an organic bioextractive organism (shellfish) to balance the intensive culture of fed organisms (finfish and shrimp), in order to produce a more sustainable, cleaner, and diversified aquaculture system (Neori et al., 2007). The development of new, ecologically based, sustainable culture technologies will ensure future employment for coastal communities, healthier coastal ecosystems, and the protection of important wild populations.
There are many seaweed species in the Northeast with great economic and environmental potential. The three large kelp species Alaria esculenta, Laminaria digitata, and Saccharina latissima are eaten as healthy sea vegetables, usually sold as the “Atlantic” version of the similar Asian kelps (known as kombu or Wakame. They are an excellent source of iodine and other trace minerals, as well as a source of alginate, a phycocolloid used in many different industries (Sahoo and Yarish, 2005). Native red seaweeds include Gracilaria tikvahiae, Chondrus crispus, and Porphyra/Pyropia (previously referred to as Porphyra) species. Gracilaria species are cultivated at a large scale in some countries for food, as a feed for abalone, and for agar, an important phycocolloid in the food, medical, and microbiological industries. Chondrus crispus is eaten as a sea vegetable and used as a source of carrageenans, which are important in the food and consumer products industries as thickeners and stabilizers. Porphyra and Pyropia species (nori) species are cultivated on nets in Asia and are pressed and dried into the valuable nori sheets that are an integral part of the Asian diet. This manual serves as an introduction and instruction booklet for the nursery production and culture of the economically valuable seaweeds of New England, including locally occurring species of Saccharina, Gracilaria, Porphyra and Chondrus. It is our hope that it will be just the beginning of a successful and beneficial seaweed culture industry in the Northeast, whether for food, bioremediation, phycocolloids, animal feeds, biofuels, or any other of the potential uses of these versatile, wonderful seaweeds.
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The red seaweed Laurencia viridis is a rich source of secondary metabolites derived from squalene. New polyethers, such as iubol (2), 22-hydroxy-15(28)- dehydrovenustatriol (3), 1,2-dehydropseudodehydrothyrsiferol (4), and secodehydrothyrsiferol (5) have been isolated and characterized from this alga. The structures were determined through the interpretation of NMR spectroscopic data and the relative configuration was proposed on the basis of NOESY spectrum and biogenetic considerations. All new compounds exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against a panel of cancer cell lines.
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This study aims to evaluate seaweed Ulva reticulata preference for available nitrogen forms of eutrophic coastal waters for its growth rate. Simple experiment was developed for laboratorium testing of U. reticulata preference for NH 3 , NO 2 , NO 3 for 20 days. Levels of those nitrogen species and their composition were provided naturally from filtered eutrophic coastal waters of western coast of south Sulawesi Indonesia, without any exchange. The composition of NH 3 :NO 2 :NO 3 in the eutrophic water of the experiment was 1.0 : 2.4 : 3.3. The results showed that the NO 2 was the most preferred form of nitrogen for the growth. The average amount of uptake of NO 2 , NH 3 , and NO 3 was respectively 4.58 ± 1.71 μg/l/day, 2.70 ± 0.17 μg/l/day, and 1.98 ± 1.19 μg/l/day. The average growth rate of U. reaticulata was 15.40 ± 3.12 % day-1 .
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Marine Agronomy Group, CAFNRM, UH-Hilo
200 W. Kawili st., HI 96720, USA
Contact: Marine.Agronomy.Group@gmail.com
Funding for this web portal is provided by the World Wildlife Fund and the University of Hawaii-Hilo.