Effects of photobioreactor configuration, nitrogen source and light intensity on the fed-batch cultivation of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis. Bioenergetic aspects

Autor(es)

Bezerra, Raquel Pedrosa ^{[1, 2]} ; Matsudo, Marcelo Chuei ^[1] ; Sato, Sunao ^[1] ; Perego, Patrizia ^[2] ; Converti, Attilio ^[2] ; Monteiro de Carvalho, Joao Carlos ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Biochem & Pharmaceut Technol, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Genoa, Dept Chem & Proc Engn GB Bonino, I-16145 Genoa - Italy

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: BIOMASS & BIOENERGY; v. 37, p. 309-317, FEB 2012.
• Citações Web of Science: 9

Resumo

Bioenergetic analysis may be applied in order to predict microbial growth yields, based on the Gibbs energy dissipation and mass conservation principles of the overall growth reaction. The bioenergetics of the photoautotrophic growth of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis was investigated in different bioreactor configurations (tubular photobioreactor and open ponds) using different nitrogen sources (nitrate and urea) and under different light intensity conditions to determine the best growing conditions in terms of Gibbs energy dissipation, number of photons to sustain cell growth and phototrophic energy yields distribution in relation to the ATP and NADPH formation, and release of heat. Although an increase in the light intensity increased the Gibbs energy dissipated for cell growth and maintenance with both nitrogen sources, it did not exert any appreciable influence on the moles of photons absorbed by the system to produce one C-mol biomass. On the other hand, both bioenergetic parameters were higher in cultures with nitrate than with urea, likely because of the higher energy requirements needed to reduce the former nitrogen source to ammonia. They appreciably increased also when open ponds were substituted by the tubular photobioreactor, where a more efficient light distribution ensured a remarkably higher cell mass concentration. The estimated percentages of the energy absorbed by the cell showed that, compared with nitrate, the use of urea as nitrogen source allowed the system to address higher energy fractions to ATP production and light fixation by the photosynthetic apparatus, as well as a lower fraction released as heat. The best energy yields values on Gibbs energy necessary for cell growth and maintenance were achieved in up to 4-5 days of cultivation, indicating that it would be the optimum range to maintain cell growth. Thanks to this better bioenergetic situation, urea appears to be a quite promising low-cost, alternative nitrogen source for Arthrospira platensis cultures in photobioreactors. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 06/54959-3 - Cultivo descontinuo alimentado de spirulina platensis (arthrospira) em reator tubular utilizando ureia como fonte de nitrogenio e co2 puro ou proveniente de fermentacao alcoolica.
• Beneficiário: Raquel Pedrosa Bezerra
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 06/56976-2 - Cultivo de Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira) em reator tubular utilizando ureia como fonte de nitrogênio e CO2 puro ou proveniente de fermentação alcoólica
• Beneficiário: João Carlos Monteiro de Carvalho
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular