Abstract
In photosynthesis, a very small amount of the solar energy absorbed is transformed into chemical energy, while the rest is wasted as heat and fluorescence. This excess energy can be harvested through biophotovoltaic platforms to generate electrical energy. In this study, algal biofilms formed on ITO anodes were investigated for use in the algal biophotovoltaic platforms. Sixteen algal strains, comprising local isolates and two diatoms obtained from the Culture Collection of Marine Phytoplankton (CCMP), USA, were screened and eight were selected based on the growth rate, biochemical composition and photosynthesis performance using suspension cultures. Differences in biofilm formation between the eight algal strains as well as their rapid light curve (RLC) generated using a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometer, were examined. The RLC provides detailed information on the saturation characteristics of electron transport and overall photosynthetic performance of the algae. Four algal strains, belonging to the Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria) Synechococcus elongatus (UMACC 105), Spirulina platensis. (UMACC 159) and the Chlorophyta Chlorella vulgaris (UMACC 051), and Chlorella sp. (UMACC 313) were finally selected for investigation using biophotovoltaic platforms. Based on power output per Chl-a content, the algae can be ranked as follows: Synechococcus elongatus (UMACC 105) (6.38×10−5 Wm−2/µgChl-a)>Chlorella vulgaris UMACC 051 (2.24×10−5 Wm−2/µgChl-a)>Chlorella sp.(UMACC 313) (1.43×10−5 Wm−2/µgChl-a)>Spirulina platensis (UMACC 159) (4.90×10−6 Wm−2/µgChl-a). Our study showed that local algal strains have potential for use in biophotovoltaic platforms due to their high photosynthetic performance, ability to produce biofilm and generation of electrical power.
Highlights
Algae are amongst the most efficient photosynthetic organisms with fast growth rates, diverse products and tolerance to extreme environments
Algae cultures Fourteen local tropical algal strains from the University of Malaya Algae Culture Collection (UMACC) [27] and two strains from the Culture Collection of Marine Phytoplankton (CCMP), USA were screened for growth rate, biochemical composition and photosynthetic performance to be used for compiling the algal libraries of potential candidates for BPV platforms
Lipid content ranged from 24.9266.07 (Chlorococcum sp.) to 63.6462.20% dry weight (DW)
Summary
Algae are amongst the most efficient photosynthetic organisms with fast growth rates, diverse products and tolerance to extreme environments. The biomass productivity of microalgae was estimated to be 50 times higher than switchgrass, which is the fastest growing terrestial plant [2]. With the increased interest in alternative energy sources, algae are being investigated as feedstock for biodiesel, bioethanol, biohydrogen and bioelectricity production [3,4,5]. Microalgae have oil content exceeding 80% DW, grow fast and can be mass cultured using open ponds or enclosed photobioreactors [6]. The filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena was reportedly the first to be used for hydrogen generation [7,8]. In 1997, electricity was generated using 2-
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