Microalgal Engineering and Research Group, Centre for Energy Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Bioresour Technol. 2013 Jan;128:199-206. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.10.032. Epub 2012 Oct 22.
Cell disruption is an essential step in the release of cellular contents but mechanical cell disruption processes are highly energy intensive. This energy requirement may become a critical issue for the sustainability of low valued commodities such as microalgal biofuels derived from extracted lipids. By the use of an atomic force microscope (AFM), this study evaluated the force and energy required to indent and disrupt individual cells of the marine microalga, Tetraselmis suecica. It was found that the force and energy required for the indentation and disruption varies according to the location of the cell with the average being 17.43 pJ. This amount is the equivalent of 673 J kg(-1) of the dry microalgal biomass. In comparison, the most energy efficient mechanical cell disruption process, hydrodynamic cavitation, has specific energy requirement that is approx. 5 orders of magnitude greater than that measured by AFM. The result clearly shows that existing mechanical cell disruption processes are highly energy inefficient and further research and innovation is required for sustainable microalgal biofuels production.
细胞破碎是释放细胞内容物的一个重要步骤，但机械细胞破碎过程非常耗能。对于低价值商品（如从提取的脂质中获得的微藻生物燃料）的可持续性而言，这种能量需求可能成为一个关键问题。本研究使用原子力显微镜（AFM）评估了对海洋微藻 Tetraselmis suecica 的单个细胞进行压痕和破坏所需的力和能量。结果表明，压痕和破坏所需的力和能量根据细胞的位置而变化，平均值为 17.43 pJ。这个数量相当于干微藻生物质的 673 J kg(-1)。相比之下，最节能的机械细胞破碎过程——空化水力，其比 AFM 测量到的所需能量高出约 5 个数量级。结果清楚地表明，现有的机械细胞破碎过程非常低效，需要进一步的研究和创新，以实现可持续的微藻生物燃料生产。
