Browsing by Subject "Microorganisms"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Differential effects of nitrogen and sulfur deprivation on growth and biodiesel feedstock production of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
(2012) Cakmak, T.; Angun P.; Demiray, Y.E.; Ozkan, A.D.; Elibol, Z.; Tekinay, T.
Biodiesel production from microalgae is a promising approach for energy production; however, high cost of its process limits the use of microalgal biodiesel. Increasing the levels of triacylglycerol (TAG) levels, which is used as a biodiesel feedstock, in microalgae has been achieved mainly by nitrogen starvation. In this study, we compared effects of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) starvation on TAG accumulation and related parameters in wild-type Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC-124 mt(-) and CC-125 mt(+) strains. Cell division was interrupted, protein and chlorophyll levels rapidly declined while cell volume, total neutral lipid, carotenoid, and carbohydrate content increased in response to nutrient starvation. Cytosolic lipid droplets in microalgae under nutrient starvation were monitored by three-dimensional confocal laser imaging of live cells. Infrared spectroscopy results showed that relative TAG, oligosaccharide and polysaccharide levels increased rapidly in response to nutrient starvation, especially S starvation. Both strains exhibited similar levels of regulation responses under mineral deficiency, however, the degree of their responses were significantly different, which emphasizes the importance of mating type on the physiological response of algae. Neutral lipid, TAG, and carbohydrate levels reached their peak values following 4 days of N or S starvation. Therefore, 4 days of N or S starvation provides an excellent way of increasing TAG content. Although increase in these parameters was followed by a subsequent decline in N-starved strains after 4 days, this decline was not observed in S-starved ones, which shows that S starvation is a better way of increasing TAG production of C. reinhardtii than N starvation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Open Access
Induction of triacylglycerol production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: comparative analysis of different element regimes
(Elsevier, 2014) Çakmak, Z. E.; Ölmez, T. T.; Çakmak, T.; Menemen, Y.; Tekinay, T.
In this study, impacts of different element absence (nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus and magnesium) and supplementation (nitrogen and zinc) on element uptake and triacylglycerol production was followed in wild type Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC-124 strain. Macro- and microelement composition of C. reinhardtii greatly differed under element regimes studied. In particular, heavy metal quotas of the microalgae increased strikingly under zinc supplementation. Growth was suppressed, cell biovolume, carbohydrate, total neutral lipid and triacylglycerol levels increased when microalgae were incubated under these element regimes. Most of the intracellular space was occupied by lipid bodies under all nutrient starvations, as observed by confocal microscopy and transmission electron micrographs. Results suggest that sulfur, magnesium and phosphorus deprivations are superior to nitrogen deprivation for the induction triacylglycerol production in C. reinhardtii. On the other hand, FAME profiles of the nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus deprived cells were found to meet the requirements of international standards for biodiesel.
Open Access
Microalgae immobilized by nanofibrous web for removal of reactive dyes from wastewater
(American Chemical Society, 2015) Keskin, N. O. S.; Celebioglu A.; Uyar, Tamer; Tekinay, T.
In this study, we have developed microalgae immobilized by polysulfone nanofibrous web (microalgae/PSU-NFW) for the removal of reactive dyes (Remazol Black 5 (RB5) and Reactive Blue 221 (RB221). Here, an electrospinning technique was used to produce polysulfone nanofibrous web (PSU-NFW) as a free-standing material on which microalgae Chlamydomona reinhardtii was immobilized on PSU-NFW. The decolorization capacities of microalgae/PSU-NFW were significantly higher than that of pristine PSU-NFW. The decolorization rate for RB5 was calculated as 72.97 ± 0.3% for microalgae/PSU-NFW, whereas it was 12.36 ± 0.3% for the pristine PSU-NFW. In the case of RB221 solution, decolorization rates were achieved as 30.2 ± 0.23 and 5.51 ± 0.4% for microalgae/PSU-NFW and pristine PSU-NFW, respectively. Reusability tests revealed that microalgae/PSU-NFW can be used in at least three successive decolorization steps in which the decolorization rate of the RB5 was found to be 51 ± 0.69% after the third reuse step. These results are promising and therefore suggest that microalgae/PSU-NFW could be applicable for the decolorization of dyes because of their versatility and reusability.
Open Access
Novel one-step synthesis of silica nanoparticles from sugarbeet bagasse by laser ablation and their effects on the growth of freshwater algae culture
(Elsevier, 2014) San, N. O.; Kurşungöz, C.; Tümtaş, Y.; Yaşa, Ö.; Ortac, B.; Tekinay, T.
Scientific research involving nanotechnology has grown exponentially and has led to the development of engineered nanoparticles (NPs). Silica NPs have been used in numerous scientific and technological applications over the past decade, necessitating the development of efficient methods for their synthesis. Recent studies have explored the potential of laser ablation as a convenient way to prepare metal and oxide NPs. Due to its high silica content, low cost, and widespread availability, sugarbeet bagasse is highly suitable as a raw material for producing silica NPs via laser ablation. In this study, two different NP production methods were investigated: laser ablation and NaOH treatment. We developed a novel, one-step method to produce silica NPs from sugarbeet bagasse using laser ablation, and we characterized the silica NPs using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. EDS analysis and XPS confirmed the presence of silica NPs. The NPs produced by laser ablation were smaller (38-190 nm) than those produced by NaOH treatment (531-825 nm). Finally, we demonstrated positive effects of silica NPs produced from laser ablation on the growth of microalgae, and thus, our novel method may be beneficial as an environmentally friendly procedure to produce NPs.