Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol Production
Microalgal biotechnology is gaining attention due to its potential to produce pigments, lipids, biofuels, and value-added products. However, challenges persist in terms of the economic viability of microalgal lipid production in photobioreactors due to slow growth rates, expensive media, complex dow...
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2025-03-01
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| author | Jnanada Shrikant Joshi Laura Fladung Olaf Kruse Anant Patel |
| author_facet | Jnanada Shrikant Joshi Laura Fladung Olaf Kruse Anant Patel |
| author_sort | Jnanada Shrikant Joshi |
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| description | Microalgal biotechnology is gaining attention due to its potential to produce pigments, lipids, biofuels, and value-added products. However, challenges persist in terms of the economic viability of microalgal lipid production in photobioreactors due to slow growth rates, expensive media, complex downstream processing, limited product yields, and contamination risks. Recent studies suggest that co-cultivating microalgae with bacteria can enhance the profitability of microalgal bioprocesses. Immobilizing bacteria offers advantages such as protection against shear forces, the prevention of overgrowth, and continuous product secretion. Previous work has shown that biopolymeric immobilization of <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> enhances 2,3-butanediol production. In this study, a novel co-fermentation process was developed by exploiting the chemical crosstalk between a freshwater microalga <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i>, also known as <i>Tetradesmus obliquus</i>, and an immobilized plant-growth-promoting bacterium, <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i>. This co-cultivation resulted in increased metabolite production, with a 1.5-fold increase in the bacterial 2,3-butanediol concentration and a 3-fold increase in the microalgal growth rates compared to these values in free-cell co-cultivation. Moreover, the co-culture with the immobilized bacterium exhibited a 5-fold increase in the photosynthetic pigments and a 3-fold increase in the microalgal lipid concentration compared to these values in free-cell co-cultivation. A fixed bed photobioreactor was further constructed, and the co-cultivation bioprocess was implemented to improve the bacterial 2,3-butanediol and microalgal lipid production. In conclusion, this study provides conclusive evidence for the potential of co-cultivation and biopolymeric immobilization techniques to enhance 2,3-butanediol and lipid production. |
| format | Article |
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| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-1397a911e1444ce6bb809fe5e756b17d2025-08-20T01:49:05ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-03-0113360610.3390/microorganisms13030606Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol ProductionJnanada Shrikant Joshi0Laura Fladung1Olaf Kruse2Anant Patel3Bielefeld Institute of Applied Materials Research, Hochschule Bielefeld—University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 33619 Bielefeld, GermanyBielefeld Institute of Applied Materials Research, Hochschule Bielefeld—University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 33619 Bielefeld, GermanyFaculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, GermanyBielefeld Institute of Applied Materials Research, Hochschule Bielefeld—University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 33619 Bielefeld, GermanyMicroalgal biotechnology is gaining attention due to its potential to produce pigments, lipids, biofuels, and value-added products. However, challenges persist in terms of the economic viability of microalgal lipid production in photobioreactors due to slow growth rates, expensive media, complex downstream processing, limited product yields, and contamination risks. Recent studies suggest that co-cultivating microalgae with bacteria can enhance the profitability of microalgal bioprocesses. Immobilizing bacteria offers advantages such as protection against shear forces, the prevention of overgrowth, and continuous product secretion. Previous work has shown that biopolymeric immobilization of <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> enhances 2,3-butanediol production. In this study, a novel co-fermentation process was developed by exploiting the chemical crosstalk between a freshwater microalga <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i>, also known as <i>Tetradesmus obliquus</i>, and an immobilized plant-growth-promoting bacterium, <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i>. This co-cultivation resulted in increased metabolite production, with a 1.5-fold increase in the bacterial 2,3-butanediol concentration and a 3-fold increase in the microalgal growth rates compared to these values in free-cell co-cultivation. Moreover, the co-culture with the immobilized bacterium exhibited a 5-fold increase in the photosynthetic pigments and a 3-fold increase in the microalgal lipid concentration compared to these values in free-cell co-cultivation. A fixed bed photobioreactor was further constructed, and the co-cultivation bioprocess was implemented to improve the bacterial 2,3-butanediol and microalgal lipid production. In conclusion, this study provides conclusive evidence for the potential of co-cultivation and biopolymeric immobilization techniques to enhance 2,3-butanediol and lipid production.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/3/606bacteriummicroalgaimmobilizationco-cultivationlipid productionbiomass |
| spellingShingle | Jnanada Shrikant Joshi Laura Fladung Olaf Kruse Anant Patel Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol Production Microorganisms bacterium microalga immobilization co-cultivation lipid production biomass |
| title | Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol Production |
| title_full | Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol Production |
| title_fullStr | Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol Production |
| title_short | Novel Co-Cultivation Bioprocess with Immobilized <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> and <i>Scenedesmus obliquus</i> for Lipid and Butanediol Production |
| title_sort | novel co cultivation bioprocess with immobilized i paenibacillus polymyxa i and i scenedesmus obliquus i for lipid and butanediol production |
| topic | bacterium microalga immobilization co-cultivation lipid production biomass |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/3/606 |
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