Chlamydomonas as a model for biofuels and bio‐products production

Developing renewable energy sources is critical to maintaining the economic growth of the planet while protecting the environment. First generation biofuels focused on food crops like corn and sugarcane for ethanol production, and soybean and palm for biodiesel production. Second generation biofuels...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology 2015-05, Vol.82 (3), p.523-531
Main Authors: Scranton, Melissa A, Ostrand, Joseph T, Fields, Francis J, Mayfield, Stephen P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
biodiesel
Biodiesel fuels
bioethanol
Biofuels
Biotechnology - methods
bio‐products
Chlamydomonas - metabolism
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - genetics
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - growth & development
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - metabolism
Chloroplasts - genetics
Chloroplasts - metabolism
coproducts
corn
ethanol production
functional foods
funding
genetic engineering
Genetic Engineering - methods
High-Throughput Screening Assays - methods
Homologous Recombination
Hydrogen - metabolism
metabolism
Microalgae - growth & development
Microalgae - metabolism
molecular engineering
Photosynthesis
recombinant proteins
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Developing renewable energy sources is critical to maintaining the economic growth of the planet while protecting the environment. First generation biofuels focused on food crops like corn and sugarcane for ethanol production, and soybean and palm for biodiesel production. Second generation biofuels based on cellulosic ethanol produced from terrestrial plants, has received extensive funding and recently pilot facilities have been commissioned, but to date output of fuels from these sources has fallen well short of what is needed. Recent research and pilot demonstrations have highlighted the potential of algae as one of the most promising sources of sustainable liquid transportation fuels. Algae have also been established as unique biofactories for industrial, therapeutic, and nutraceutical co‐products. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii's long established role in the field of basic research in green algae has paved the way for understanding algal metabolism and developing genetic engineering protocols. These tools are now being utilized in C. reinhardtii and in other algal species for the development of strains to maximize biofuels and bio‐products yields from the lab to the field.
ISSN:0960-7412
1365-313X
DOI:10.1111/tpj.12780