Abed Raeid M M, Al Battashi Huda, Muthukrishnan Thirumahal, Al-Bartamani Hamzah, Al-Hinai Mahmood, Al-Baluchi Maryam
Biology Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khoud, Sultanate of Oman.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 17;20(6):e0325759. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325759. eCollection 2025.
The prospects of using produced water (PW), a by-product of oil extraction, as a cultivation medium to not only grow microalgae but also generate value-added by-products has not been much investigated. This study demonstrates the ability of a newly isolated microalga, Asterarcys sp. RA100, for growth in PW and biodiesel production. Although the used PW was slightly alkaline (pH < 10), nutrient deficient and high in boron content, Asterarcys sp. RA100 exhibited good growth with phosphate, and nitrate, reaching optimal growth at 1% salinity, 25°C, 150 rpm, and 4000-8000 Lux LED light intensity. To test for its scalability in a greenhouse, Asterarcys sp. RA100 exhibited areal productivity of 10.3 ± 0.5 g m-2 day-1. Lipid accumulation in Asterarcys sp. RA100 reached 27.0 ± 5.1% of dry weight when grown in PW. The resulting fatty acids methyl esters (FAME) displayed properties aligning with international biodiesel standards. The FAME profiles showed elevated contents of palmitic acid (C16:0), elaidic acid (C18:1n9t), stearic acid (C18:0) and palmitoleic acid (C16:1n7C). This study demonstrates the immense potential of Asterarcys sp. RA100 to grow in PW and to serve as valuable feedstock for biodiesel production thereby, providing an eco-friendly method to re-use PW and sustain future energy demands.
将采油副产品产出水（PW）用作培养微藻的培养基，不仅能培育微藻，还能产生增值副产品，这方面的研究并不多。本研究展示了新分离出的微藻Asterarcys sp. RA100在产出水中生长及生产生物柴油的能力。尽管所用的产出水呈弱碱性（pH < 10）、营养不足且硼含量高，但Asterarcys sp. RA100在添加磷酸盐和硝酸盐后生长良好，在盐度1%、25°C、150转/分钟和4000 - 8000勒克斯LED光照强度下达到最佳生长状态。为测试其在温室中的可扩展性，Asterarcys sp. RA100的单位面积生产力为10.3±0.5克/平方米·天。在产出水中生长时，Asterarcys sp. RA100的脂质积累量达到干重的27.0±5.1%。所得脂肪酸甲酯（FAME）的性质符合国际生物柴油标准。FAME谱显示棕榈酸（C16:0）、反油酸（C18:1n9t）、硬脂酸（C18:0）和棕榈油酸（C16:1n7C）的含量升高。本研究证明了Asterarcys sp. RA100在产出水中生长以及作为生物柴油生产有价值原料的巨大潜力，从而提供了一种生态友好的方法来再利用产出水并满足未来能源需求。
