Pilot-scale outdoor photobioreactor culture of the marine dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum: Production of a karlotoxins-rich extract.

Journal: Bioresource technology
PMID:

Abstract

A pilot-scale bioprocess was developed for the production of karlotoxin-enriched extracts of the marine algal dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum. A bubble column and a flat-panel photobioreactors (80-281 L) were used for comparative assessment of growth. Flow hydrodynamics and energy dissipation rates (EDR) in the bioreactors were characterized through robust computational fluid dynamic simulations. All cultures were conducted monoseptically outdoors. Bubble column (maximum cell productivity in semicontinuous operation of 58 × 10 cell mL day) proved to be a better culture system for this alga. In both reactors, the local EDR near the headspace, and in the sparger zone, were more than one order of magnitude higher than the average value in the whole reactor (=4 × 10 W kg). Extraction of the culture and further purification resulted in the desired KTXs extracts. Apparently, the alga produced three congeners KTXs: KmTx-10 and its sulfated derivative (sulfo-KmTx-10) and KmTx-12. All congeners possessed hemolytic activity.

Authors

  • L López-Rosales
    Chemical Engineering Area, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain.
  • A Sánchez-Mirón
    Chemical Engineering Area, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain. Electronic address: asmiron@ual.es.
  • F García-Camacho
    Chemical Engineering Area, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain.
  • A R Place
    Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 701 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.
  • Yusuf Chisti
    School of Engineering, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
  • E Molina-Grima
    Chemical Engineering Area, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain.