Enhancement of hydrocarbon productivity of Botryococcus braunii by an adenine type phytohormone

摘要

This study examined the effects of an adenine-type cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) on the growth and metabolism characteristics of Botryococcus braunii, one of the most promising oil-rich algae for biofuel production. The results showed that 6-BA of low dose (0.1-1.0 mg L~(-1)) would enhance the algal growth rate and biochemical synthesis, whereas too much (5.0 mg L~(-1)) would be lethally toxic for B. braunii. Noticingly, though the maximum algal growth rate, chlorophyll and β-carotenoid content were observed in the treatment with 0.5 and/or 1.0 mg L~(-1) 6-BA, both the maximum algal hydrocarbon content and the highest hydrocarbon productivity were observed in the treatment with 0.1 mg L~(-1) 6-BA, which were respectively 2.45 and 3.48 times of the control (39.1% vs. 16.0%, 546 mg L~(-1) vs. 157 mg L~(-1)). This finding has great implications for improving algae biofuels production by phytohormone.