Strategy For Co-production Research Articles

Simultaneous Production of MK-7 and Iturin A by Bacillus velezensis ND.

Bacillus velezensis can produce various secondary metabolites, such as the antibacterial compound iturin A and the coagulation-promoting menaquinone-7 (MK-7). To enhance the economic feasibility of the fermentation process, a co-production strategy, involving the simultaneous production of MK-7 and iturin A by Bacillus velezensis ND, was investigated in this study. Firstly, the effects of cultivation temperature and initial pH on the synthesis of MK-7 and iturin A were investigated. Considering the co-production of iturin A and MK-7, the optimal temperature and pH were determined as 32°C and 7, respectively. Subsequently, important nutrients for the co-production process were investigated. It was observed that glycerol, soybean meal, yeast extract, and L-glutamate had a significant effect on the co-produce process. An optimal medium composed of glycerol (72.19mL L-1), L-glutamate (1.4g L-1), yeast extract (16.88g L-1), and soybean meal (130.95g L-1) was obtained by response surface methodology (RSM). This co-produce process was further scaled up in a biofilm reactor, and the maximum concentration of MK-7 and iturin A reached 46.88mg L-1 and 5.58g L-1, respectively. Finally, we established an effective method for separately extracting the two metabolites from the fermentation broth. The superiority of this co-production fermentation strategy demonstrates its significant potential for industrial production.

Situations of anomie and the health workforce crisis: Policy implications of a socially sensitive and inclusive approach to human resources.

Health systems in most jurisdictions are facing an unprecedented workforce crisis, manifesting as labour shortages, high staff turnover, and increasing rates of absenteeism and burnout. These issues affect professional and occupational groups in both health and social care and individuals at early and later stages of their career. The intensity and pervasiveness of the crisis suggests that it is a multicausal phenomenon. Studies have focused on the relationship between working environments and worker satisfaction and well-being. However, these are of limited use in understanding the deeper mechanisms behind the large-scale workforce crisis. The subjective experience of work, while rooted in a particular work context, is also shaped by broader social and cultural phenomena that put social norms and individuals' ability to conform to them in tension. The concept of anomie, initially developed by Durkheim and redefined by Merton, focuses on the way social norms that guide conduct and aspirations lose influence and become incompatible with each other or unsuited to contemporary work contexts. Understanding the workforce crisis from the perspective of anomie enables the development and implementation of novel policies based on co-production strategies where concerned publics engage collaboratively in framing the problem and searching for solutions.

PdOs bimetallene for energy-saving hydrogen production coupled with ethanol electro-oxidation

The replacement of sluggish oxygen evolution reaction by more thermodynamically favorable ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is a promising strategy for coproduction of hydrogen and valuable chemicals in energy-saving mode. Here, we propose the synthesis of highly curved PdOs bimetallene, which possesses high active sites atomic utilization and conductivity. Furthermore, alloy effect can regulate electronic structure and optimize adsorption energy of reactants. Therefore, PdOs bimetallene exhibits superior performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and EOR under basic solutions, with overpotential of 36 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and mass activity of 1.51 mA/μgPd, respectively. In the EOR-HER coelectrolysis system, PdOs bimetallene requires low voltage of 0.801 V for concurrent production of hydrogen and acetate at 50 mA/cm2, which greatly reduces energy consumption compared to conventional water electrolysis (1.976 V). This method provides a promising strategy for designing bimetallic electrocatalysts toward simultaneous energy-saving generation of hydrogen and high-value chemicals by replacing sluggish oxygen evolution reaction with more favorable EOR.

Implementing co-production to enhance patient safety: the introduction of the patient safety consent tool, an example of a simple local solution to a common challenge.

Zero harm is one of the priorities that all healthcare systems are aspiring for. However, more than two decades after 'To Err is Human' report, many systems are struggling to identify or implement strategies to achieve this important goal [1]. One of the very powerful, yet underutilized strategies towards transforming patient safety and achieving Zero Harm is 'co-production' [2]. Co-production of health is defined as 'the interdependent work of users and professionals who are creating, designing, producing, delivering, assessing, and evaluating the relationships and actions that contribute to the health of individuals and populations' [2]. Simply put, co-production means that patients contribute alongside professionals to the provision of health services [3]. While we know the importance and potential value of co-production, many health systems are underutilizing the approach. Actions to effectively implement and sustain changes to service provision to use co-production are elusive [4]. To realize improvements, a key requirement for health professionals is addressing the question: how can we implement and sustain co-production in efficient, effective ways? To address this challenge, and thereby improve patient safety and work towards zero harm, we introduce the 'Patient Safety Consent' (PSC) tool, a simple co-production tool to empower patients and families to become more active members in their own healthcare. Implementing the co-production of care, requires a shift in the traditional attitudes and power dynamics between healthcare professionals and patients [2]. Professionals explicitly share service information, diagnosis assessments, treatment options, decision-making and involve patients and their families in determining the direction and actions for their care; conversely, patients and families take on an active role in engaging in discussions, potential care pathways, and ongoing decisions about their treatment and care. Hence, the PSC tool is a direct, engaging, comprehensive and, where used effectively, a powerful strategy for changing the dynamics and outcomes of care. The co-production process using the PSC tool involves engaging the patient/family in discussing and recording the patient risk profile. This means addressing potential clinical risks that could take place during the care process such as: venous thromboembolism; patient falls; hospital acquired infections (HAIs); medication side effects or errors; and, adverse events that are specific to the patient and their treatment plan. The patient risk profile is also a tool for the care team to assess and understand an individual patient's self-care ability, capacity for comprehending medical information, treatment directions and decisions, their goals from treatment and, emotional and psychological resilience. Once the patient risk profile is identified and recorded, the co-production process continues by determining the responsibilities of the patient/families and different healthcare professionals on how to monitor, prevent and, where necessary, respond and alleviate them. The PSC tool recognizes that a patient's thoughts, emotions, expectations, needs and resilience changes during the care process; hence is it an evolving document that is updated regularly across the care process. The PSC tool integrates and personalizes the responsibilities of patients/families and healthcare professionals across the three phases of the patient journey: 1. Pre-admission phase; 2. Admission (hospital) Phase; 3. Post-discharge phase. 1.Pre-admission phase: during this phase, together the healthcare professionals and patient/family assess the patient risk profile, based on their medical history and treatment plan, recording the details on the Patient Safety Consent form. 2. Admission phase: on admission to the ward the care team and patient review the Patient Safety Consent form to confirm the details and ensure its implementation. These tasks can involve, as necessary, (re)assessing potential risks, the responsibilities of each person, and how and when the PSC approach will be reviewed. 3. Post-discharge phase: during the discharge phase, the care team discuss and document with the patient/family outcomes, ongoing care actions, future medical requirements and potential risks and remedy actions. Successful implementation of a co-production strategy or tools that challenge and change practice, such as the PSC tool, requires a project to create a 'learning health system' [2]. Making co-production a consistent, standard philosophy and behavior in care practice necessitates: strong organizational endorsement support, including support and adoption by managers; education and training of healthcare personnel to change practice interactions; planning and integration into care processes, supervision arrangements and information systems; evolution of organizational and services cultures; investigation of staff and patient experiences; and, ongoing review and evaluation of the project. There are important research studies into health systems driving such changes: see the collaborative, comparative work in Sweden and England [4]. In conclusion, we know that co-production in healthcare has a positive impact on patient safety, and experience, and staff wellbeing [2]. By bringing patients and professionals together and placing the patient at the center of the care process, co-production creates a more collaborative, and transparent healthcare system. Developing and translating co-production strategies into specific tools, such as PSC tool, standardizes and institutionalizes new expectations, behaviors and cultures to improve patient care and outcomes.

Sustainable implementation of co-production: exploring conflicts and coping behavior employed by street-level professionals

PurposeThis study explores how street-level professionals translate and implement a co-production strategy, formulated by top management, in their professional practices, focusing on conflicts that arise during this process and the effectiveness of the coping strategies employed by these professionals to manage them.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a lower-level inquiry into three care services in Denmark. It adopted the translation perspective in organizational research to analyze the consequences of street-level professionals' translation choices. Data were collected through interviews and observations.FindingsThis study found that street-level professionals' translation choices contribute to conflicts of varying forms and extents. The finding suggests that the way conflicts are managed makes the difference between the actual organizational change and the more symbolic acceptance of co-production.Originality/valueThis study contributes to discourses on challenges in co-production implementation by deepening knowledge about the role of coping behavior and translation in sustainable implementation of co-production.

Driving Green Job Opportunities in Sustainable Waste Management through Co-Production Strategies: Informal Recycling Workers, Municipalities, and the National Agenda—A Case Study of İzmir

Informal recycling workers (IRWs), including waste pickers (WPs) and waste sorters, are essential constituents of sustainable ecosystems in many cities in the Global South. Despite their valuable contributions to the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable urban waste recycling, most IRWs work in precarious conditions. This paper examines recent efforts by local municipalities in Izmir to implement co-production design as a new institutional arrangement to generate green jobs for informal workers that provide high and stable incomes, job security, and social recognition. Using qualitative analyses of recent developments in the legal framework and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this paper identifies the following challenges associated with the current co-production efforts as its main findings: the lack of fiscal and legislative support from the central government; failure to include all IRWs in the co-production schemes; and the potential exclusion of marginalized communities due to the arbitrary requirements of a security clearance, which limit the inclusion of IRWs in co-production efforts.

Enhanced n-propanol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution by electrocatalytic membrane structured reactor via flow-through operation

An electrocatalytic membrane structured reactor (EMSR) fabricated by loading MnO2 catalyst in Ti membrane pores for oxidation of n-propanol coupled with hydrogen evolution. During the process of n-propanol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution by MnO2@Ti EMSR via flow-through mode, the conversion rate of n-propanol was increased by 44%, the selectivity of propionic acid was increased by 33%, and the Faraday efficiency was increased by 59%, compared with those of MnO2/Ti membrane with MnO2 immobilized on the membrane surface. Enhanced contact and mass transfer are two contributors for the catalytic performance improvement by MnO2@Ti EMSR via flow-through mode. Besides, the cell voltage during n-propanol oxidation coupled with hydrogen production is decreased by 305 mV with energy consumption reduced by 0.73 kWh NmH2-3, compared with those of hydrogen evolution by water splitting with oxygen evolution reaction. The achievements of this work provide a promising strategy for coproduction of propionic acid and hydrogen.

Whole-cell biotransformation for simultaneous synthesis of allitol and d-gluconic acid in recombinant Escherichia coli

Allitol and gluconic acid (GA) are important industrial compounds that are preferably produced via bio-production processes. In this research, d-psicose-3-epimerase (DPEase), glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), and ribitol dehydrogenase (RDH) were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, realizing the co-production of allitol and GA. Compared to the loss of carbon flux from formate dehydrogenase (FDH), glucose dehydrogenase can produce GA while generating NAD(H). The recombinant strain Ec/pAd-pRrg boosted NADH production to 2.4 μmol/gDCW, 118% higher than with the control strain. Under the optimized conditions, 12.0 g/L allitol and 14.8 g/L GA were produced from 25 g/L d-fructose and 20 g/L d-glucose; i.e., 66.7% and 66.3% higher yields compared to the case of fermentation without optimization, respectively. Furthermore, 42.7 g/L allitol and 56.2 g/L GA can be obtained from pretreated molasses (containing 139.2 g/L d-fructose and 149.1 g/L d-glucose). This work provides a practicable strategy for industrial and efficient co-production of allitol and GA from a cheap raw substrate.

Co-production of knowledge for climate-resilient design and planning in Naples, Italy

In terms of both understanding risk and creating urban resilience measures, integrated knowledge and commu-nity involvement are recognized as crucial to activating risk-reduction processes embedded in decision-making, the social fabric and daily life of risk-affected communities. This article outlines a path to implementing co-production in urban planning and design practices to overcome the issue of knowledge transfer in the fields of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in order to build collective learning processes at multiple dimensions (community, academia, education, institutions). For this aim the case of Naples (Italy) is analyzed as an urban context in which marginalization phenomena coupled with high environmental risks have been over-looked by configured a scenario of socio-ecological stress in which traditional planning and business as usual urban policies have demonstrated a systematic failure. Climate-resilient design experiments with participatory tools were used to investigate the everyday dimension of risk and contextualize climate change effects in the urban fabric and their relationship with community issues. It is concluded that participatory mapping tools in cases of socio-environmental vulnerability can foster a more inclusive learning process about urban risks and ways to respond that. A comprehensive co-production strategy carried out at analysis, design and implementation levels has the potential to promote community-based processes and influence the inclusiveness of planning decisions.

Candida glycerinogenes-Promoted α-Pinene and Squalene Co-production Strategy Based on α-Pinene Stress.

α-Pinene is a naturally occurring monoterpene, which is widely used in fragrances, cosmetics, and foods. Due to the high cellular toxicity of α-pinene, this work considered the application of Candida glycerinogenes, an effective industrial strain with high resistance, in α-pinene synthesis. It was found that α-pinene-induced stress resulted in an intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species with an increased formation of squalene as a cytoprotective compound. As squalene is a downstream product in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway for α-pinene synthesis, a strategy based on the promotion of α-pinene and squalene co-production under α-pinene stress is proposed. By introducing the α-pinene synthesis pathway and enhancing the MVA pathway, the production of both α-pinene and squalene is increased. We have demonstrated that intracellular synthesis of α-pinene is effective in promoting squalene synthesis. The generation of intercellular reactive oxygen that accompanies α-pinene synthesis promotes squalene synthesis with a resultant cellular protection and upregulation of MVA pathway genes that facilitate α-pinene production. In addition, we have overexpressed phosphatase and introduced NPP as a substrate to synthesize α-pinene, where co-dependent fermentation yielded 208 mg/L squalene and 12.8 mg/L α-pinene. This work establishes a viable strategy to promote terpene-co-dependent fermentation based on stress.

A roadmap to the Co-production of a decision support tool for coastal ecosystems

Coastal ecosystems are complex and often support a broad spectrum of functions with competing objectives. In addition to their ecological value, they offer socio-economic benefits (i.e., ecosystem services) to coastal communities. One potential way to help address this complexity is to use decision support systems to help natural resources managers understand system dynamics and evaluate strategies to maintain the health and integrity of these ecosystems. This paper presents a roadmap and detailed application of co-production strategies where managers and researchers are fully engaged in a collaborative manner in the design of a decision support tool for coastal ecosystems. It also emphasizes the importance of capturing end-users’ (i.e., natural resource managers) priorities to refine the conceptual design of the decision support tool, while maintaining a sound scientific and modeling framework. The case study presented here centers on the Northern Gulf of Mexico, but the concept can be exported globally to other systems. This effort highlights foundational co-production strategies, including transdisciplinary team assembly, a knowledge sharing workshop, Toolbox Dialogue Initiative workshops to facilitate working across disciplines, core team and focus group meetings, and design charrettes. Further, this paper articulates the benefits and difficulties of executing a co-production process through virtual collaborations.

Co-producing a physical activity intervention with and for people with severe mental ill health – the spaces story

ABSTRACT SPACES (Supporting Physical Activity through Co-production in people with Severe Mental Illness) is a study which aims to develop an intervention to increase physical activity created with and for people with severe mental ill health (SMI), their carers and professionals involved in physical activity and/or severe mental ill health. People with SMI are less physically active than the general population and have an increased likelihood of experiencing long-term physical health conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes and obesity. The SPACES team employed a comprehensive process of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) work embedded within a co-production strategy. Researchers worked together from the point of inception with people with lived experience, two of whom became co-applicants, to design and carry out the intervention development stage of the study. This included PPIE work and an iterative process of focus groups and interviews with various stakeholders and a consensus group made up of multiple stakeholders with lived, caring and professional experience. Here, we describe the co-production model we used, the benefits, challenges, achievements and areas for learning and improvement. We offer co-production principles and practical strategy, which we hope will be used, modified, personalised and built on by others. We also offer the idea that laying out the co-production strategy to be employed prior to a study commencing and then comparing how that strategy was or was not met could be a step towards creating more accountability and academic rigour in co-production.

Developing a co-production strategy to facilitate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based colorectal cancer screening interventions for rural health systems: a pilot study

BackgroundEvidence-based colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) interventions have not been broadly adopted in rural primary care settings. Co-production of implementation strategies through a bundled approach may be promising in closing this gap by helping rural healthcare practitioners select and implement the best fitting CRCS interventions to the local context. This paper describes the process and outcomes of co-development and delivery of the bundled implementation strategy to improve adoption and implementation of CRCS interventions with two rural clinics.MethodsWe used a bundle of implementation strategies with a core focus on academic-clinical partnership development (strategy 1) and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles (strategy 2) to identify clinical partner interests/preferences on delivery methods and content needed to facilitate intervention identification and implementation that improves CRCS. We also developed an implementation blueprint for each clinic (strategy 3) through an online blueprinting process based on adapted “Putting Public Health Evidence in Action” (PPHEA) training curriculum. Clinic physicians and staff (n = 7) were asked to evaluate the bundled approach based on overall reactions and perceptions of innovation characteristics using 5-point Likert scale. After completing the bundled approach, we collected implementation outcomes and limited intervention effectiveness of the CRCS evidence-based interventions (EBIs) developed through the process.ResultsOur co-production strategy yielded a prototype online blueprinting process consisting of 8 distance-learning PPHEA modules that guide selection and implementation of EBIs tailored to CRCS. Modules were delivered to clinic participants with minor adaptations, using PDSA cycle to improve quality of module contents and formats. Overall, participants in both clinics reported positive reactions toward the bundled approach. Both clinics reported improvements in how they perceived the characteristics of the innovation (the bundled approach) to tailor selected CRCS EBIs. As a result of the bundled strategies, each clinic selected and adopted specific EBI(s) with the varying degrees of implementation and CRCS outcomes.ConclusionsThe bundle of implementation strategies used were feasible and acceptable in rural primary care practices to facilitate the use of EBIs to improve CRCS.

Co-production of l-Lysine and Heterologous Squalene in CRISPR/dCas9-Assisted Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Corynebacterium glutamicum is widely used for a large-scale industrial producer of feed additive amino acids, such as l-lysine. Moreover, C. glutamicum has been engineered for producing various non-native chemicals, including terpenes. For the first time, C. glutamicum was engineered for co-production of l-lysine and heterologous squalene. To control metabolic fluxes for either the l-lysine biosynthesis pathway or the squalene biosynthesis pathway, pyruvate, an intermediate in the central metabolism, a node was regulated by a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) interference system. Repressing pyc encoding for pyruvate carboxylase in the l-lysine producer (DM1919) and its derivatives resulted in 99.24 ± 7.63 mg/L total squalene and 6.25 ± 0.20 g/L extracellular lysine at 120 h. Furthermore, various oil overlays were tested for efficient co-productions. In situ extraction with corn oil (10%, v/v) exhibited a separation of 99.75% (w/v) of total squalene (intra- and extracellular squalene), while l-lysine can be secreted in the medium. This co-production strategy will help a potential bioprocess of amino acid production with various terpenes.

African Indigenous Female Entrepreneurs (IFÉs): A Closed-Looped Social Circular Economy Waste Management Model

Uncontrolled waste disposal sites remain prevalent in low- and lower-middle-income countries, with organic waste constituting between 50 and 80% of the total openly dumped waste volumes. Waste-to-wealth initiatives focused on biowaste enterprises through female entrepreneurs can advance the eradication of open dumps while creating economic opportunities. This study, therefore, proposes an organizational model that leverages Indigenous female institutions, circular economy concepts, and a closed-loop biowaste management technique that mitigates the open-dump challenge. The Indigenous female entrepreneur (IFÉ) business model leverages circular economy and social circular economy models in the application of a low-tech insect-based biowaste conversion that valorizes municipal solid waste into products that can be reintegrated into the environment and community. The model will be utilized in a Tanzanian pilot study using co-production strategies to derive a sustainable biowaste enterprise. Co-production sees users as authorities in their own circumstances and treats them as primus inter pares with experts, thus facilitating the integration of the relational element of Indigenous societies and motivating cultural appreciation. Conversely, co-production will necessitate revisions to the model in every location where it is applied. The model was successfully test-run in a high-income country, but future research, including the pilot study, will validate the model and highlight innovations.

Co-Productive Strategies and Grassroots Responses to COVID-19 Pandemic in Urban Settings of Zambia

Abstract This paper focuses on the systemic and grassroots response to the COVID-19 health crisis in the urban settings of Zambia. The research examines the cooperative strategies of local actors – traditional health practitioners, pastors and prophets of Pentecostal and Spirit-type churches and actors of non-governmental and state health organizations in addressing the COVID-19 crisis in Zambian urban settings of Lusaka and Livingstone. The paper explores the levels of perception and conceptualization of the disease held by local community authorities (cultural brokers) and explains how they may differ from state-orchestrated medical explanations and recommendations. The authors argue that local cultural epistemologies, which are activated in times of crisis, can be seen as co-productive strategies in the systemic and executive response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A strategy for promoting carbon flux into fatty acid and astaxanthin biosynthesis by inhibiting the alternative oxidase respiratory pathway in Haematococcus pluvialis

In the present study, the mechanisms for facilitating fatty acid and astaxanthin biosynthesis-related processes by inhibiting the alternative oxidase (AOX) respiratory pathway in Haematococcus pluvialis was investigated. The restriction of the AOX pathway induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, NAD(P)H and its substrates (acetyl-CoA, pyruvate and glyceraldehy-3-phosphate), which are required for fatty acid and astaxanthin production, thereby promoting the carbon flux into fatty acid and astaxanthin biosynthesis. During a 9-day incubation period, the fatty acid and astaxanthin contents increased by 20.6% and 20.7%, respectively, when the AOX pathway was inhibited approximately 37.7%. The AOX pathway may be inhibited by nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) removal, inhibitor addition and air/CO2 aeration adjustments in the large-scale cultivation of H. pluvialis. Therefore, the current study provides a useful enhancement strategy for fatty acid and astaxanthin coproduction and elucidates the roles of the AOX pathway in regulating fatty acid and astaxanthin biosynthesis.

Mechanistic understanding of cellulose β-1,4-glycosidic cleavage via photocatalysis

Photoreforming of lignocellulosic biomass is an emerging and sustainable strategy for coproduction of high-value chemicals and fuels. Challenges remain to selectively convert biomass macromolecular via sunlight-driven photocatalysis due to limited mass diffusion, insufficient charge separation and lack of mechanistic understanding. Herein, inspired by natural photosynthesis, we demonstrate a hierarchically threedimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) TiO2-Au-CdS Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst to improve mass diffusion, charge separation and light absorption efficiency. We show the photocatalytic cleavage pathway of cellulose β-1,4-glycosidic linkage (the most abundant linkage within biomass) over 3DOM TiO2-Au-CdS heterojunction by using cellobiose as a model component. Similar to the oxidative enzymes in nature, the all-solid-state Z-scheme photocatalyst demonstrates oxygen insertion at C1 position followed by the elimination reaction, which oxidatively cleaves the β-1,4-glycosidic bond and results in gluconic acid and glucose generation. In presence of oxygen, glucose is further oxidized into gluconic acid which is subsequently oxidized or decarboxylated into glucaric acid or arabinose. The present study may serve as a framework to rationally design photocatalyst to reveal mechanistic understanding of biomass photoreforming towards high-value fuels and chemical feedstocks.

Sodium chloride stimulates the biomass and astaxanthin production by Haematococcus pluvialis via a two-stage cultivation strategy

A major challenge facing by astaxanthin industrialization is the low productivity and high production costs. This study established a two-stage cultivation strategy based on the application of NaCl to improve the production of biomass and astaxanthin by Haematococcus pluvialis. During the first growth stage, 12.5 mg L-1 NaCl led to a remarkable enhancement in biomass, which was 1.28 times compared with the control. Moreover, 2 g L-1 NaCl stimulated the astaxanthin content from 12.18 mg g−1 to 25.92 mg g−1 during the second induction stage. Simultaneously, salinity stress application increased the lipids and GABA contents, as well as the levels of Ca2+ and carotenogenic genes’ expression, but suppressed the contents of carbohydrate and protein and high-light induced-ROS. This study proposed a simple and convenient strategy for efficient coproduction of biomass and astaxanthin and provides insights into the underlying mechanism of astaxanthin biosynthesis in H. pluvialis induced by salinity stress.

Sustainability Assessment of Combined Animal Fodder and Fuel Production from Microalgal Biomass.

We present a comparative environmental and social life cycle assessment (ELCA and SLCA) of algal fuel and fodder co-production (AF + fodder) versus algal fuel and energy co-production (AF + energy). Our ELCA results indicate that fodder co-production offers an advantage in the following categories: climate change (biogenic land use and land use change total), ecotoxicity, marine eutrophication, ionizing radiation, photochemical ozone creation, and land use. By contrast, the AF + energy system yields lower impacts in the other 11 out of 19 Environmental Footprint impact categories. Only AF + fodder offers greenhouse gas reduction compared to petroleum diesel (−25%). Our SLCA results indicate that AF + fodder yields lower impacts in the following categories: fair salaries, forced labor, gender wage gap, health expenditure, unemployment, and violation of employment laws and regulations. AF + energy performs favorably in the other three out of nine social indicators. We conclude that the choice of co-products has a strong influence on the sustainability of algal fuel production. Despite this, none of the compared systems are found to yield a consistent advantage in the environmental or social dimension. It is, therefore, not possible to recommend a co-production strategy without weighing environmental and social issues.