Halophyte biorefinery for polyhydroxyalkanoates production from Ulva sp. Hydrolysate with Haloferax mediterranei in pneumatically agitated bioreactors and ultrasound harvesting

Supratim Ghosh*, Jim Coons, Chris Yeager, Peter Halley, Alexander Chemodanov, Bogdan Belgorodsky, Michael Gozin, Guo Qiang Chen, Alexander Golberg

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The present study tested the outdoor cultivation of Haloferax mediterranei for PHA production from green macroalgae Ulva sp. in pneumatically agitated bioreactors and applied ultrasonic separation for enhanced settling of archaeal cells. Scaled-up cultivation (40 L) yielded maximum biomass productivity of 50.1 ± 0.11 mg·L-1·h−1 with a PHA productivity of 27 ± 0.01 mg·L-1·h−1 and conversion yield of 0.107 g PHA per gram UlvaDW. The maximum mass fraction of PHA achieved in biomass was calculated to be 56% w/w. Ultrasonic harvesting of Hfx. mediterranei cells approached 30% removal at energy inputs around 7.8 kWh·m−3, and indicated no significant aggregation enhancement by Ca2+ addition. Molecular weight analysis showed an increase in Polydispersity Index (PDI) when the corresponding air velocities were increased suggesting that the polymer was more homogeneous at lower mixing velocities. The current study demonstrated scalable processes for PHA production using Ulva sp. feedstock providing new technologies for halophilic biorefinery.

Original languageEnglish
Article number125964
JournalBioresource Technology
Volume344
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2022

Funding

FundersFunder number
Aaron Frenkel Air Pollution Initiative
TAU XIN Centre
Tel Aviv University

    Keywords

    • Haloferax mediterranei, pneumatically agitated bioreactors
    • Halophyte biorefinery
    • Polyhydroxyalkanoates
    • Ultrasonic separation

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