Department of Chemistry, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, UK.
J R Soc Interface. 2010 May 6;7(46):703-26. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2009.0322. Epub 2009 Dec 23.
Microalgae provide various potential advantages for biofuel production when compared with 'traditional' crops. Specifically, large-scale microalgal culture need not compete for arable land, while in theory their productivity is greater. In consequence, there has been resurgence in interest and a proliferation of algae fuel projects. However, while on a theoretical basis, microalgae may produce between 10- and 100-fold more oil per acre, such capacities have not been validated on a commercial scale. We critically review current designs of algal culture facilities, including photobioreactors and open ponds, with regards to photosynthetic productivity and associated biomass and oil production and include an analysis of alternative approaches using models, balancing space needs, productivity and biomass concentrations, together with nutrient requirements. In the light of the current interest in synthetic genomics and genetic modifications, we also evaluate the options for potential metabolic engineering of the lipid biosynthesis pathways of microalgae. We conclude that although significant literature exists on microalgal growth and biochemistry, significantly more work needs to be undertaken to understand and potentially manipulate algal lipid metabolism. Furthermore, with regards to chemical upgrading of algal lipids and biomass, we describe alternative fuel synthesis routes, and discuss and evaluate the application of catalysts traditionally used for plant oils. Simulations that incorporate financial elements, along with fluid dynamics and algae growth models, are likely to be increasingly useful for predicting reactor design efficiency and life cycle analysis to determine the viability of the various options for large-scale culture. The greatest potential for cost reduction and increased yields most probably lies within closed or hybrid closed-open production systems.
与“传统”作物相比，微藻在生物燃料生产方面具有各种潜在优势。具体而言，大规模微藻培养无需与耕地竞争，而从理论上讲，其生产力更大。因此，人们对藻类燃料项目的兴趣再次高涨，项目如雨后春笋般涌现。然而，尽管从理论上讲，微藻每英亩可能产生 10 到 100 倍的油，但这种产能尚未在商业规模上得到验证。我们批判性地审查了藻类培养设施的当前设计，包括光生物反应器和开放池塘，以了解其光合生产力以及相关的生物质和产油量，并分析了使用模型、平衡空间需求、生产力和生物质浓度以及养分需求的替代方法。鉴于人们对合成基因组学和遗传修饰的兴趣，我们还评估了对微藻脂质生物合成途径进行潜在代谢工程的选择。我们得出的结论是，尽管关于微藻生长和生物化学的文献很多，但仍需要做更多的工作来理解和潜在地操纵藻类的脂质代谢。此外，关于藻类脂质和生物质的化学升级，我们描述了替代燃料合成途径，并讨论和评估了传统上用于植物油脂的催化剂的应用。结合财务元素的模拟，以及流体动力学和藻类生长模型，对于预测反应器设计效率和生命周期分析以确定各种大规模培养选项的可行性可能会越来越有用。降低成本和提高产量的最大潜力可能在于封闭或混合封闭-开放生产系统。
