Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery Process
Microalgae produce renewable biomass at high efficiency by using photosynthesis to capture the greenhouse gas CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere and releasing O<sub>2</sub>. <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> is one of the most frequently cultivated unicellular green micro...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Fermentation |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/11/3/120 |
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| author | Enio Zanchetta Baptiste Mercier Maxime Frabboni Eya Damergi Christian Ludwig Horst Pick |
| author_facet | Enio Zanchetta Baptiste Mercier Maxime Frabboni Eya Damergi Christian Ludwig Horst Pick |
| author_sort | Enio Zanchetta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microalgae produce renewable biomass at high efficiency by using photosynthesis to capture the greenhouse gas CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere and releasing O<sub>2</sub>. <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> is one of the most frequently cultivated unicellular green microalgae of commercial relevance. Some recent studies remarkably indicate that these microalgae can be a source of both cellulose and chitin biopolymers. Biomaterials produced with these polymers have useful mechanical properties. They are biocompatible and biodegradable, and they are regarded as sustainable alternatives to replace fossil-based bioplastics for many applications. However, selective and environmentally friendly processes for the effective co-purification of both polymers from microalgae are not yet available. Here, we present a green biorefinery approach that allowed, on the one hand, for the co-extraction of chitin and cellulose with a mass yield of 0.6% of the <i>C. vulgaris</i> biomass dry weight (before extraction). On the other hand, our method enabled to co-purify lipids, pigments, and proteins (mass yields: ~6.25%, ~0.13%, and ~50% of biomass dry weight, respectively) to make the whole procedure economically more viable. Finally, our greener fractionation and purification process was shown to reach efficiencies comparable to conventional, more toxic solvent extractions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-806195d9dac24eb78efbf9e34d243db4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2311-5637 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Fermentation |
| spelling | doaj-art-806195d9dac24eb78efbf9e34d243db42025-08-20T02:11:19ZengMDPI AGFermentation2311-56372025-03-0111312010.3390/fermentation11030120Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery ProcessEnio Zanchetta0Baptiste Mercier1Maxime Frabboni2Eya Damergi3Christian Ludwig4Horst Pick5Ludwig Group (GR-LUD), Environmental Engineering Institute (IIE), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandLudwig Group (GR-LUD), Environmental Engineering Institute (IIE), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandLudwig Group (GR-LUD), Environmental Engineering Institute (IIE), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandLudwig Group (GR-LUD), Environmental Engineering Institute (IIE), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandLudwig Group (GR-LUD), Environmental Engineering Institute (IIE), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandLudwig Group (GR-LUD), Environmental Engineering Institute (IIE), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandMicroalgae produce renewable biomass at high efficiency by using photosynthesis to capture the greenhouse gas CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere and releasing O<sub>2</sub>. <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> is one of the most frequently cultivated unicellular green microalgae of commercial relevance. Some recent studies remarkably indicate that these microalgae can be a source of both cellulose and chitin biopolymers. Biomaterials produced with these polymers have useful mechanical properties. They are biocompatible and biodegradable, and they are regarded as sustainable alternatives to replace fossil-based bioplastics for many applications. However, selective and environmentally friendly processes for the effective co-purification of both polymers from microalgae are not yet available. Here, we present a green biorefinery approach that allowed, on the one hand, for the co-extraction of chitin and cellulose with a mass yield of 0.6% of the <i>C. vulgaris</i> biomass dry weight (before extraction). On the other hand, our method enabled to co-purify lipids, pigments, and proteins (mass yields: ~6.25%, ~0.13%, and ~50% of biomass dry weight, respectively) to make the whole procedure economically more viable. Finally, our greener fractionation and purification process was shown to reach efficiencies comparable to conventional, more toxic solvent extractions.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/11/3/120algaecellulosechitinbiorefinery |
| spellingShingle | Enio Zanchetta Baptiste Mercier Maxime Frabboni Eya Damergi Christian Ludwig Horst Pick Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery Process Fermentation algae cellulose chitin biorefinery |
| title | Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery Process |
| title_full | Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery Process |
| title_fullStr | Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery Process |
| title_full_unstemmed | Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery Process |
| title_short | Purification of Cellulose and Chitin Polymers and Other Value-Added Products from the Microalga <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> Using a Green Biorefinery Process |
| title_sort | purification of cellulose and chitin polymers and other value added products from the microalga i chlorella vulgaris i using a green biorefinery process |
| topic | algae cellulose chitin biorefinery |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/11/3/120 |
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