Microalgal Biotechnology Research Articles

Sedimentation-induced detachment of magnetite nanoparticles from microalgal flocs

The objective of this study is to develop a simple, one-step approach to separate adsorbed Fe3O4 nanoparticles from microalgal flocs for further downstream processing. Using the wild-type strain of fresh-water algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, effective removal of nanoparticles from microalgal flocs by both centrifugal sedimentation (at 1500 or 2000g) and magnetic sedimentation (at 1500 Oe) is demonstrated. At the physiological pH of the solution (i.e., pH 7.0), where the electrostatic force between the nanoparticles and the microalgal cells is strongly attractive, larger separation force was achieved by simply increasing the density and viscosity of the solution to 1.065g/mL and 1.244cP, respectively. The method described here offers significant opportunity for purifying microalgal biomass after nanoparticle-flocculation-based harvesting and decreasing the cost of microalgal biotechnology. This may also find avenues in other applications that apply flocculation, such as algal biofilm formation in photobioreactors and wastewater treatment.

Microalgal phycocyanin productivity: strategies for phyco‐valorization

AbstractPhyco‐valorization is the exploitation of microalgae and microalgal chemicals as valuable products. This paper discusses the optimization of microalgal bioreactor‐based systems for C‐phycocyanin pigment production. Various aspects contributing to system development and enhancement of phycocyanin productivity are described. A wide range of potential microalgal species have been identified for phycocyanin production; the selection of a species for mass culturing can be determined by desired bioreactor trophic mode and symbiotic relations. Research has demonstrated that species amenability to local lighting and climatic conditions, and to variations in bioreactor substrate concentrations and operational parameters, have significant impact on phycocyanin production. The simultaneous optimization of all factors contributing to system productivity may be accomplished efficiently through process modelling. A summary of established models for microalgal phycocyanin production is presented. A suggested strategy for increasing economic viability of phycocyanin production systems is their application in integrated resource recovery. Through the incorporation of phycocyanin productivity optimization principles within a phycoremediation process, the valorization of waste resources may be achieved. The simultaneous economic potential and environmentally‐forward concept of phyco‐valorization through phycocyanin production is a promising application of microalgal biotechnology awaiting further development for industrial implementation. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

Microalgal biofuel revisited: An informatics-based analysis of developments to date and future prospects

Microalgae have reported to be one of the most promising feedstock for biofuel production. To obtain a comprehensive and systematic overview of the current state of microalgal research, particularly microalgal biofuel research, we retrieved and analyzed manuscripts and patents related to this topic and published between 1900 and mid-2015. We found that there was a burst in microalgal biofuel research from 2006 to 2011 that significantly stimulated the development of microalgal biotechnology for the production of high value-added commodities and for environmental applications and microalgal mass culturing, in an attempt to make the entire process of biofuel production economically viable for industrialization. However, a lag in basic microalgal research has kept production costs high, resulting in a decline in investments, funding, and research efforts in the fields of microalgal biofuel production, microalgal biotechnology, and mass culturing since 2012. Based on a review of the challenges/problems of microalgae biofuel production and recent advances of their solution, the perspective view of the future R&D needs and trends were proposed. To bypass the price bottleneck of microalgae-based biofuel production, it has been proposed that energy-producing microalgal biotechnological applications be synergistically combined with microalgal biofuel production. Future investments and funding will most likely be directed toward basic studies that aim to elucidate the microorganisms’ characteristics and toward the development of microalgal biotechnology and its environmental applications, which have potential economic and social benefits. This review represents a theoretical reference for both algal researchers and decision makers regarding the future directions of microalgal research, particularly that involving microalgal-based biofuel production.

Fungal-assisted algal flocculation: application in wastewater treatment and biofuel production.

BackgroundThe microalgal-based industries are facing a number of important challenges that in turn affect their economic viability. Arguably the most important of these are associated with the high costs of harvesting and dewatering of the microalgal cells, the costs and sustainability of nutrient supplies and costly methods for large scale oil extraction. Existing harvesting technologies, which can account for up to 50% of the total cost, are not economically feasible because of either requiring too much energy or the addition of chemicals. Fungal-assisted flocculation is currently receiving increased attention because of its high harvesting efficiency. Moreover, some of fungal and microalgal strains are well known for their ability to treat wastewater, generating biomass which represents a renewable and sustainable feedstock for bioenergy production.ResultsWe screened 33 fungal strains, isolated from compost, straws and soil for their lipid content and flocculation efficiencies against representatives of microalgae commercially used for biodiesel production, namely the heterotrophic freshwater microalgae Chlorella protothecoides and the marine microalgae Tetraselmis suecica. Lipid levels and composition were analyzed in fungal-algal pellets grown on media containing alternative carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus sources from wheat straw and swine wastewater, respectively. The biomass of fungal-algal pellets grown on swine wastewater was used as feedstock for the production of value-added chemicals, biogas, bio-solids and liquid petrochemicals through pyrolysis. Co-cultivation of microalgae and filamentous fungus increased total biomass production, lipid yield and wastewater bioremediation efficiency.ConclusionFungal-assisted microalgal flocculation shows significant potential for solving the major challenges facing the commercialization of microalgal biotechnology, namely (i) the efficient and cost-effective harvesting of freshwater and seawater algal strains; (ii) enhancement of total oil production and optimization of its composition; (iii) nutrient supply through recovering of the primary nutrients, nitrogen and phosphates and microelements from wastewater. The biomass generated was thermochemically converted into biogas, bio-solids and a range of liquid petrochemicals including straight-chain C12 to C21 alkanes which can be directly used as a glycerine-free component of biodiesel. Pyrolysis represents an efficient alternative strategy for biofuel production from species with tough cell walls such as fungi and fungal-algal pellets.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0210-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Biologically Active Metabolites Synthesized by Microalgae.

Microalgae are microorganisms that have different morphological, physiological, and genetic traits that confer the ability to produce different biologically active metabolites. Microalgal biotechnology has become a subject of study for various fields, due to the varied bioproducts that can be obtained from these microorganisms. When microalgal cultivation processes are better understood, microalgae can become an environmentally friendly and economically viable source of compounds of interest, because production can be optimized in a controlled culture. The bioactive compounds derived from microalgae have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities, among others. Furthermore, these microorganisms have the ability to promote health and reduce the risk of the development of degenerative diseases. In this context, the aim of this review is to discuss bioactive metabolites produced by microalgae for possible applications in the life sciences.

Microalgae as a source of lutein: chemistry, biosynthesis, and carotenogenesis.

Microalgae represent a sustainable source of natural products, and over 15,000 novel compounds originated from algal biomass have been identified. This chapter focuses on algae-derived lutein, a group of high-value products. Lutein belongs to carotenoids which have extensive applications in feed, food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. The production of carotenoids has been one of the most successful activities in microalgal biotechnology. This chapter gives a mini review of microalgae-based lutein, where emphasis is placed on the biosynthetic pathway and the regulation of carotenogenesis.

Enhancing microalgal biomass productivity by engineering a microalgal–bacterial community

This study demonstrates that ecologically engineered bacterial consortium could enhance microalgal biomass and lipid productivities through carbon exchange. Phycosphere bacterial diversity analysis in xenic Chlorella vulgaris (XCV) confirmed the presence of growth enhancing and inhibiting microorganisms. Co-cultivation of axenic C. vulgaris (ACV) with four different growth enhancing bacteria revealed a symbiotic relationship with each bacterium. An artificial microalgal–bacterial consortium (AMBC) constituting these four bacteria and ACV showed that the bacterial consortium exerted a statistically significant (P<0.05) growth enhancement on ACV. Moreover, AMBC had superior flocculation efficiency, lipid content and quality. Studies on carbon exchange revealed that bacteria in AMBC might utilize fixed organic carbon released by microalgae, and in return, supply inorganic and low molecular weight (LMW) organic carbon influencing algal growth and metabolism. Such exchanges, although species specific, have enormous significance in carbon cycle and can be exploitated by microalgal biotechnology industry.

Light modulation of biomass and macromolecular composition of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi

The biochemical profile and growth of the coastal diatom Skeletonema marinoi was investigated under four different daily blue light doses (sinusoidal light peaking at 88, 130, 250 and 450μmol photons m−2s−1, respectively). Ability of cells to regulate the light energy input caused alterations in growth and different biosynthetic pathways. The light saturation index for photosynthesis (Ek), which governs the photoacclimative processes, ranged between 250 and 300μmol photons m−2s−1. Cells that were adapted to low light (<Ek) enhanced their carotenoid, lipid and protein contents and lowered carbohydrate content, and vice versa under high light (≥Ek). Variations in fatty acid, pigment and amino acid compositions were a result of light adaptation. Our data show that light is a potent factor for manipulating biomass synthesis in microalgae, such as diatoms for microalgal biotechnology.

Development of genetic transformation methodologies for an industrially-promising microalga: Scenedesmus almeriensis.

The development of the microalgal industry requires advances in every aspect of microalgal biotechnology. In this regard, the availability of genetic engineering tools for industrially-promising species is key. As Scenedesmus almeriensis has promise for industrial use, we describe here an Agrobacterium-based methodology that allows stable genetic transformation of it for the first time, thus opening the way to its genetic manipulation. Transformation was accomplished using two different antibiotic resistance genes [hygromicine phophotransferase (hpt) and Shble] and it is credited by PCR amplification of both hpt/Shble and GUS genes and by the β-glucuronidase activity of transformed cells. Nevertheless, the single 35S promoter seems unable to direct gene expression to a convenient level in S. almeriensis as suggested by the low GUS enzymatic activity. Temperature was critical for the transformation efficiency.

Accumulation of astaxanthin by a new Haematococcus pluvialis strain BM1 from the white sea coastal rocks (Russia).

We report on a novel arctic strain BM1 of a carotenogenic chlorophyte from a coastal habitat with harsh environmental conditions (wide variations in solar irradiance, temperature, salinity and nutrient availability) identified as Haematococcus pluvialis Flotow. Increased (25‰) salinity exerted no adverse effect on the growth of the green BM1 cells. Under stressful conditions (high light, nitrogen and phosphorus deprivation), green vegetative cells of H. pluvialis BM1 grown in BG11 medium formed non-motile palmelloid cells and, eventually, hematocysts capable of a massive accumulation of the keto-carotenoid astaxanthin with a high nutraceutical and therapeutic potential. Routinely, astaxanthin was accumulated at the level of 4% of the cell dry weight (DW), reaching, under prolonged stress, 5.5% DW. Astaxanthin was predominantly accumulated in the form of mono- and diesters of fatty acids from C16 and C18 families. The palmelloids and hematocysts were characterized by the formation of red-colored cytoplasmic lipid droplets, increasingly large in size and number. The lipid droplets tended to merge and occupied almost the entire volume of the cell at the advanced stages of stress-induced carotenogenesis. The potential application of the new strain for the production of astaxanthin is discussed in comparison with the H. pluvialis strains currently employed in microalgal biotechnology.

Microalgae in Aquaculture: A Review with Special References to Nutritional Value and Fish Dietetics

Microalgal biotechnology has gained considerable importance in recent decades and its use is extending day by day into several areas like nutraceutical research, renewable energy source, production of essential biomolecules like β-carotene, astaxanthin, PUFA, bio colorant production, wastewater treatment, bioremediation and aquaculture etc. Among all these, microalgae as a source of nutrition have drawn the attention since long back and are widely used in animal nutrition. Fishmeal is the preferred protein ingredient of feed in aquaculture industry, contributing significantly to the variable production cost. However, decreasing fishmeal supply and increasing costs threaten the sustainability and growth of the aquaculture industry. Therefore, complete or partial substitution of fishmeal with alternative proteins is needed to solve the problem. Presently, microalgae are used worldwide as an alternate protein source replacing fishmeal successfully. In feeding trials with fish, many types of microalgae have been found to be used for increasing growth (protein accretion), feed utilization, physiological activity, stress response, starvation tolerance, disease resistance, and carcass quality. In the present communication an attempt has been taken to review the application of different microalgae in rearing of aquaculture animal especially the fishes.

Manipulation of light wavelength at appropriate growth stage to enhance biomass productivity and fatty acid methyl ester yield using Chlorella vulgaris

LEDs light offer several advantages over the conventional lamps, thereby being considered as the optimal light sources for microalgal cultivation. In this study, various light-emitting diodes (LEDs) especially red and blue color with different light wavelengths were employed to explore the effects of light source on phototrophic cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris. Blue light illumination led to significantly increased cell size, whereas red light resulted in small-sized cell with active divisions. Based on the discovery of the effect of light wavelengths on microalgal biology, we then applied appropriate wavelength at different growth stages; blue light was illuminated first and then shifted to red light. By doing so, biomass and lipid productivity of C. vulgaris could be significantly increased, compared to that in the control. These results will shed light on a novel approach using LED light for microalgal biotechnology.

Gateway-Assisted Vector Construction to Facilitate Expression of Foreign Proteins in the Chloroplast of Single Celled Algae

With a rising world population, demand will increase for food, energy and high value products. Renewable production systems, including photosynthetic microalgal biotechnologies, can produce biomass for foods, fuels and chemical feedstocks and in parallel allow the production of high value protein products, including recombinant proteins. Such high value recombinant proteins offer important economic benefits during startup of industrial scale algal biomass and biofuel production systems, but the limited markets for individual recombinant proteins will require a high throughput pipeline for cloning and expression in microalgae, which is currently lacking, since genetic engineering of microalgae is currently complex and laborious. We have introduced the recombination based Gateway® system into the construction process of chloroplast transformation vectors for microalgae. This simplifies the vector construction and allows easy, fast and flexible vector design for the high efficiency protein production in microalgae, a key step in developing such expression pipelines.

LED광원을 활용한 미세조류의 배양

미세조류는 이산화탄소를 제거하고 산업적으로 유용한 다양한 이차 대사물질을 생산해 내는 광합성 미생물로 생물산업분야에서 주목 받고 있는 유용한 자원이다. 이러한 미세조류를 실내에서 효과적으로 배양하기 위해서는 무엇보다도 효율적인 광원이 필수적이다. 최근 발달하는 LED광원은 광원의 크기가 작고, 에너지 효율이 우수하며, 특정 파장만 조사할 수 있다는 점 등의 다른 인공광원과 차별되는 많은 장점을 가지고 있다. LED광원을 미세조류의 배양에 적용하는 연구는 최근에 와서야 점차 시도되고 있는 실정이며, 아직까지 실험실 규모의 실험과 대표적인 특정 종 위주의 결과들만 나오고 있어, LED광원을 미세조류의 산업적인 배양에 적용하기 위해서는 더 많은 세부적인 연구 결과가 요구된다. 하지만 LED 조명을 미세조류 배양 분야에 적용하는 것은 효과적인 접근으로 생각되며, BT(Bio Technology) 산업에 새로운 지평을 열 것으로 생각된다. 따라서 본고에서는 최근 연구되고 있는 LED광원을 이용한 미세조류의 배양 현황 및 그 가능성에 대해서 조사하고, 향후 나아갈 방향에 대해서 기술해 보았다. Microalgae have been considered as a promising microorganism in the field of bio-industry due to their abilities to fix carbon dioxide as well as biosynthesize valuable secondary metabolites. Of many lighting sources for microalgal cultivation, LED (Lighting Emitting Diode) has been emerged as the appropriate choice with multiple advantages over the conventional bulbs. However, it is only in recent years that we have witnessed the possibility of application of LED into microalgae cultivation system. LED will serve as an evolutionary lighting source for microalgae cultivation system and open the frontier for integrative bio-industries. In this paper, we present the comprehensive review on the recent trends of LED applications into microalgal biotechnology.

High-CO2 tolerance in microalgae: possible mechanisms and implications for biotechnology and bioremediation

Recent developments in the field of microalgal biotechnology, including CO2 biomitigation and the discovery of new species of microalgae that are tolerant to extremely high CO2 levels (40-100 vol%), have renewed interest in the physiological effects and mechanisms of high-CO2 tolerance in photoautotrophs. Photosynthetic apparatus state transitions that increase ATP generation, upregulation of H(+)-ATPases pumping protons out of the cell, rapid shutdown of CO2-concentrating mechanisms, and adjustment of membranes' fatty acid composition are currently believed to be the key mechanisms governing cellular pH homeostasis and hence microalgae's tolerance to high CO2 levels, which is especially characteristic of extremophile and symbiotic species. The mechanisms governing acclimation to high CO2 comprise the subject of this review and are discussed in view of the use of CO2 enrichment to increase the productivity of microalgal cultures, as well as the practice of carbon capture from flue gases.

Promotion effects of nitrogen on the cell proliferation of Platymonas subcordiformis evaluated by spectrophotography and cytometry analysis.

Platymonas subcordiformis, a model microalga in microalgal biotechnology, is rich in bioactive substances such as fatty acid, protein and vitamin, and hence it has been widely applied in biofuel, environmental purification, and pharmaceutical industry. In the current study, promotion effects of nitrogen on cell proliferation of P. subcordiformis were investigated by using spectrophotography ana-lysis and cytometry analysis, and the correlation between optical density at wavelength of 680 nm (OD680) and cell density was estimated. The results show that there were significant effects of nitrogen on the growth ofP. subcordiformis, with the OD680, cell density and dry weight increasing with the increase of nitrogen concentration. In the termination of experiment, OD680 values were 0.037, 0.111, 0.188, 0.393, 0.551 and 0.628; cell densities were 4×104, 2.6×105, 4.1×105, 8.3×105, 1.15×106 and 1.38×106 cells/mL; and dry weights were 0.021 7, 0.088 3, 0.131 7, 0.177 5, 0.238 3 and 0.310 0 g/L at the nitrogen concentrations of 0, 7.5, 15, 37.5, 75 and 150 mg/L, respectively. In addition, there was significantly positive correlation between OD680 and cell density throughout the experiment, with the regression equation of cell density (104 cells/mL) = 218.05OD680 - 1.6014 (R2 = 0.997 1) on day 11. The findings suggest that nitrogen promotes the cell growth and proliferation of P. subcordiformis, and that spectrophotography analysis is relatively simple, quick and accurate, which can be used in the scientific research or industrialization of this microalga. Key words: Spectrophotography analysis, cytometry analysis, cell proliferation,Platymonas subcordiformis, nitrogen

미세조류 옥외 배양시스템을 이용한 도시하수 정화 및 미생물 군집다양성 분석

미세조류는 광합성을 통하여 바이오디젤과 같은 부가가치상품을 생산할 수 있으며, 미세조류를 이용한 생명공학 기술이 주목 받고 있다. 그러나 질소원과 탄소원은 미세조류 배양 비용을 높여 충분한 바이오매스 생산에 제한요소가 되고 있다. 미세조류를 배양하는데 도시하수를 이용하는 것은 생산단가를 낮추는 좋은 대안이 될 수 있으며, 본 연구에서는 옥외 수질정화 배양 시스템(mini raceway open pond)을 이용하여 적용했다. 실험에 사용한 도시하수는 하수종말처리장의 1차 침전지를 거친 유입수를 이용하였으며, 토착 미세조류를 mini raceway open pond에서 배양하였다. 체류시간 6일의 운전 후 TN, TP, COD-<TEX>$_{Mn}$</TEX>, <TEX>$NH_3$</TEX>-N의 평균 제거 효율은 80.18%, 63.56%, 76.34%, 96.74%로 각각 나타났다. 18S rRNA gene 분석결과 녹조류인 Chlorella, Scenedesmus가 우점하였으며, 16S rRNA gene 분석결과 Rhodobacter, Luteimonas, Agrobacterium, Thauera, Porphyrobacte의 5종의 bacteria가 동정되었다. 이러한 결과를 통하여 미세조류를 이용한 호기성 처리나 과도한 발전비용 없이 효과적인 하수처리를 할 수 있는 가능성을 확인하였다. 그리고 도시하수는 미세조류 배양에 필요한 탄소원과 질소원을 제공할 수 있으며 미세조류 바이오매스는 상업적 목적으로 이용될 수 있는 가능성을 확인할 수 있었다. Microalgal biotechnology has gained prominence because of the ability of microalgae to produce value-added products including biodiesel through photosynthesis. However, carbon and nutrient source is often a limiting factor for microalgal growth leading to higher input costs for sufficient biomass production. Use of municipal wastewater as a low cost alternative to grow microalgae as well as to treat the same has been demonstrated in this study using mini raceway open ponds. Municipal wastewater was collected after primary treatment and microalgae indigenous in the wastewater were encouraged to grow in open raceways under optimum conditions. The mean removal efficiencies of TN, TP, COD-<TEX>$_{Mn}$</TEX>, <TEX>$NH_3$</TEX>-N after 6 days of retention time was 80.18%, 63.56%, 76.34%, and 96.74% respectively. The 18S rRNA gene analysis of the community revealed the presence of Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus as the dominant microalgae. In addition, 16S rRNA gene analysis demonstrated that Rhodobacter, Luteimonas, Porphyrobacter, Agrobacterium, and Thauera were present along with the microalgae. From these results, it is concluded that microalgae could be used to effectively treat municipal wastewater without aerobic treatment, which incurs additional energy costs. In addition, municipal wastewater shall also serve as an excellent carbon and nitrogen source for microalgal growth. Moreover, the microalgal biomass shall be utilized for commercial purposes.

Microalgal biofactories: a promising approach towards sustainable omega-3 fatty acid production

Omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) provide significant health benefits and this has led to an increased consumption as dietary supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are found in animals, transgenic plants, fungi and many microorganisms but are typically extracted from fatty fish, putting additional pressures on global fish stocks. As primary producers, many marine microalgae are rich in EPA (C20:5) and DHA (C22:6) and present a promising source of omega-3 fatty acids. Several heterotrophic microalgae have been used as biofactories for omega-3 fatty acids commercially, but a strong interest in autotrophic microalgae has emerged in recent years as microalgae are being developed as biofuel crops. This paper provides an overview of microalgal biotechnology and production platforms for the development of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. It refers to implications in current biotechnological uses of microalgae as aquaculture feed and future biofuel crops and explores potential applications of metabolic engineering and selective breeding to accumulate large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in autotrophic microalgae.

Biotechnological applications of microalgae

Microalgae are important biological resources that have a wide range of biotechnological applications. Due to their high nutritional value, microalgae such as Spirulina and Chlorella are being mass cultured for health food. A variety of high-value products including polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), pigments such as carotenoids and phycobiliproteins, and bioactive compounds are useful as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, as well as for industrial applications. In terms of environmental biotechnology, microalgae are useful for bioremediation of agro-industrial wastewater, and as a biological tool for assessment and monitoring of environmental toxicants such as heavy metals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. In recent years, microalgae have attracted much interest due to their potential use as feedstock for biodiesel production. In Malaysia, there has been active research on microalgal biotechnology for the past 30 years, tapping into the potential of our rich microalgal resources for high-value products and applications in wastewater treatment and assessment of environmental toxicants. A culture collection of microalgae has been established, and this serves as an important resource for microalgal biotechnology research. Microalgal biotechnology should continue to be regarded as a priority area of research in this country. IeJSME 2012: 6 (Suppl 1): S24-S37

Effect of static magnetic fields on the growth, photosynthesis and ultrastructure of Chlorella kessleri microalgae

Microalgal biotechnology could generate substantial amounts of biofuels with minimal environmental impact if the economics can be improved by increasing the rate of biomass production. Chlorella kessleri was grown in a small-scale raceway pond and in flask cultures with the entire volume, 1% (v/v) at any instant, periodically exposed to static magnetic fields to demonstrate increased biomass production and investigate physiological changes, respectively. The growth rate in flasks was maximal at a field strength of 10 mT, increasing from 0.39 ± 0.06 per day for the control to 0.88 ± 0.06 per day. In the raceway pond the 10 mT field increased the growth rate from 0.24 ± 0.03 to 0.45 ± 0.05 per day, final biomass from 0.88 ± 0.11 to 1.56 ± 0.18 g/L per day, and maximum biomass production from 0.11 ± 0.02 to 0.38 ± 0.04 g/L per day. Increased pigment, protein, Ca, and Zn content made the biomass produced with magnetic stimulation nutritionally superior. An increase in oxidative stress was measured indirectly as a decrease in antioxidant capacity from 26 ± 2 to 17 ± 1 µmol antioxidant/g biomass. Net photosynthetic capacity (NPC) and respiratory rate were increased by factors of 2.1 and 3.1, respectively. Loss of NPC enhancement after the removal of magnetic field fit a first-order model well (R(2) = 0.99) with a half-life of 3.3 days. Transmission electron microscopy showed enlarged chloroplasts and decreased thylakoid order with 10 mT treatment. By increasing daily biomass production about fourfold, 10 mT magnetic field exposure could make algal oil cost competitive with other biodiesel feedstocks.