Kinetic modelling of microalgal growth and fucoxanthin synthesis in photobioreactor

Xiaojuan Zhang; Junru Zhao; Jie Zhang; Shijing Su; Luqiang Huang; Jianxiong Ye

doi:10.1515/ijcre-2021-0169

Abstract

This paper presented a mathematical model to describe the production of fucoxanthin by alga Thalassiosira weissflogi ND-8 in photobioreactor. Our interest was focused on characterizing the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on the growth of microalgae and on the synthesis of fucoxanthin. The rate equations of microalgal growth, fucoxanthin synthesis and substrate consumptions were formulated. Kinetic parameters of the model and their sensitivities with respect to model output were estimated. The predicted results were compared with experimental data, which showed that this model closely agrees with actual experiment and is able to reflect the growth and metabolism characteristics of microalgae. Our results also indicated that nitrogen plays a major role in the synthesis of fucoxanthin, and the synthesis of fucoxanthin is partially linearly related to the consumption of nitrogen. Phosphorus is primarily consumed in the growth and metabolism of microalgal cells, while excessive phosphorus concentration has an inhibitory effect on the growth of microalgae.

Keywords: fucoxanthin; kinetic model; microalgae; sensitivity coefficient

Corresponding author: Jianxiong Ye, School of Mathematics and Statistics & FJKLMAA & Center for Applied Mathematics of Fujian Province (FJNU), Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, Fujian, China, E-mail: jxye@fjnu.edu.cn

Funding source: National Natural Science Foundation of China http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809

Award Identifier / Grant number: 11671335

Funding source: Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003392

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2021J01660

Funding source: Distinguished Young Scientific Research Talents Plan in Universities of Fujian Province (CN)

Funding source: Scientific Research Innovation Program “Xiyuanjiang River Scholarship” of College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University

Award Identifier / Grant number: FZSKG2021015

Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11671335), Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (Grant No. 2021J01660), the Distinguished Young Scientific Research Talents Plan in Universities of Fujian Province (CN) and the Scientific Research Innovation Program “Xiyuanjiang River Scholarship” of College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University (FZSKG2021015).
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Supplementary Material

The online version of this article offers supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/ijcre-2021-0169).

Received: 2021-06-24

Accepted: 2021-11-13

Published Online: 2021-12-01

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Supplementary Material

Kinetic modelling of microalgal growth and fucoxanthin synthesis in photobioreactor

Abstract

References

Supplementary Material

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