Scientists at Michigan State University could allow microbes to work together to increase bio-oil production.

Scientists at Michigan State University have found a way for microbes to work together to increase the production of bio-oils.
new evidence of the concept, published in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels, is a biofuel production platform that uses two marine algae and soil fungi.
it reduces the cost of planting and receiving goods and increases productivity, which are now hampering the widespread use of biofuels.
algae, marine small cipros and fungi are spore molds that can produce oils that can be used by humans.
, for example, they can provide ingredients in products such as biofuels that power cars, as well as ingredients in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
When scientists put the two creatures in the same environment, the tiny algae attached to the fungus to form large particles visible to the naked eye.
this polymerization method is called bioflocculation.
when they are harvested together, these organisms produce more oil than they are grown and harvested separately. "We use natural organisms that are close to each other, " said Du Zhiyan, a research co-author and assistant researcher in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

" algae production is high, and the fungi we use are neither toxic nor edible for us.
", "This is a very common soil fungus that can be found in your backyard.
researchers discussed other advantages of discovering biofuel systems, including: - sustainability, because it does not rely on fossil fuels.
fungi grow on sewage or food residues, while algae grow in seawater.
- Cost savings because large amounts of algae and fungi are easy to capture with simple tools, such as a net.
- easy to expand because these organisms are ungmomodified wild strains.
they do not pose a risk of infection to any environment they come into contact with.
researchers also discussed how their findings address two problems that hinder biofuel production.
biofloccosis is a relatively new method.
biofuel systems often depend on a species, such as algae, but they are constrained by productivity and cost issues. the first problem
arises because of the low yield of algae-dependent system oil. "When algae grow and are hindered by environmental pressures, such as nitrogen deficiency, they can produce large amounts of oil, "
.
"algae oil is most popular in the laboratory by culture cells to high density levels, and then separate sourcing cells from nutrients through centrifugal and several washing methods, leaving them hungry.
"This approach involves many steps, time and labor and is not suitable for industrial-scale production."
", "This new method uses ammonia to feed algae, a source of nitrogen that algae can quickly use to grow."
however, the supply of ammonia is artificially controlled, causing algae to produce maximum cell density and automatically enter nitrogen hunger.
close monitoring of the supply of nitrogen can increase the production of bio-oils and reduce costs. The second problem
is the high cost of oil recovery, as algae are so small that they are difficult to collect.
the cost of oil production can be as high as 50% of the cost of production of bio-oils.
"It's easy to harvest from bioflocin, fungi and algae agglomeration with simple, inexpensive tools," Du said.
looking to the future, scientists hope to use the system to produce biofuels on a large scale.
they also know the entire genome of both organisms and could further improve this method using genetic engineering.
the study is currently being conducted in the laboratories of Christoph Benning and Gregory Bonito.
Source: China New Energy Network.