1. Saltwater Resources and Commercial
Algae Production
Stephen Mayfield
San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology
University of California, San Diego

2. Cyanobacteria Microalgae Macroalgae
Produce biodiesel type
lipids and biohydrogen
Produce sugars for
ethanol or biogas
What are the Types of Aquatic Biomass?
Produce ethanol
Lipids and hydrogen
Lareefs.comTopnews.in
Algae
Any of a group of aquatic eukaryotic
organisms that carry on photosynthesis
Cyanobacteria
Photosynthetic prokaryotes found in many
environments, often called blue-green algae
Red Algae
Green Algae
Brown Algae
Cyanobacteria

3. Commercial Production in Algae Today
Microalgae
Annual
Production
Water Source
Application &
Product
Price (U.S. $)
Spirulina
3000 tonnes dry
weight
Saltwater
Human Nutrition
Animal Nutrition
Cosmetics
Phycobiliproteins
$53 kg-1
$16 mg-1
Chlorella
2000 tonnes dry
weight
Freshwater and
Saltwater Strains
Human Nutrition
Cosmetics
Aquaculture
$53 kg-1
$74 l-1
Dunaliella salina
1200 tonnes dry
weight
Saltwater
Human Nutrition
Cosmetics
B-carotene $318-$3,186 kg-1
Aphanizomenon
flosaquae
500 tonnes dry
weight
Freshwater
Human Nutrition
Haematocococcus
pluvialis
300 tonnes dry
weight
Freshwater
Aquaculture
Astaxanthin
$74 l-1
$10,596 kg-1
Crypthecodinium
cohnii
240 tonnes DHA
oil
Saltwater
DHA oil $64 g-1
Schizochytrium 10 tonnes DHA oil Saltwater DHA oil $64 g-1
Adapted from: Brennan, L. and Owende, P. (2010) Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 14: 557-577.

4. Oil Content of Some Types of Microalgae
Microalgae Oil Content
(dry wt%)
Biomass
Yield (g/L)
Growth
Rate
(g/L/D)
Botryococcus braunii 25-75 2
Chlorella sp. 28-32 116 .65
Crypthecodinium cohnii 20 15
Dunaliella primolecta 23 30 .41
Isochrysis sp. 25-33 6 .19
Nannochloris sp. 20-35 35 .41
Nannochloropsis sp. 31-68 55 .44
Neochloris
oleoabundans
35-54 3.2 .40
Phaeodactylum
tricornutum
20-30 42 .32
Tetraselmis sueica 15-23 20 .24
Chlorella.co.nz
Starcentral.mbl.edu
Bing.com

5. Productivity is not related to water type
Microalgae Oil Content
(dry wt%)
Biomass
Yield (g/L)
Growth
Rate
(g/L/D)
Botryococcus braunii 25-75 2
Chlorella sp. 28-32 116 .65
Crypthecodinium cohnii 20 15
Dunaliella primolecta 23 30 .41
Isochrysis sp. 25-33 6 .19
Nannochloris sp. 20-35 35 .41
Nannochloropsis sp. 31-68 55 .44
Neochloris
oleoabundans
35-54 3.2 .40
Phaeodactylum
tricornutum
20-30 42 .32
Tetraselmis sueica 15-23 20 .24
Chlorella.co.nz
Starcentral.mbl.edu
Bing.com

6. Transformations technologies for algae species
Species/Variety Class Method Water Type
Chlamydomonas
reinhardtii
Chlorophyceae Bombardment,
Electroporation,
Freshwater
Dunaliella salina Chlorophyceae Electroporation,
Bombardment, Glass
Beads
Saltwater
Haematococcus pluvialis Chlorophyceae Bombardment Freshwater
Volvox carteri Chlorophyceae Bombardment Freshwater
Cyclotella cryptica Diatom Bombardment Saltwater
Cylindrotheca fusiformis Diatom Bombardment Saltwater
Navicula saprophila Diatom Bombardment Saltwater
Phaeodactylum
tricornutum
Diatom Bombardment Saltwater
Thalassiosira pseudonana Diatom Bombardment Saltwater
Amphidinium spp. Dinoflagellate Si Carbide Whisker Saltwater
Symbiodinium
microadriaticum
Dinoflagellate Si Carbide Whisker Saltwater
Chlorella ellipsoidea Trebouxiophyceae Protoplast Freshwater
Chlorella saccharophila Trebouxiophyceae Electroporation Freshwater
Chlorella vulgaris Trebouxiophyceae Protoplast Freshwater and
Saltwater
Chlorella sorokiniana Trebouxiophyceae Bombardment Freshwater
Porphyra yezoensis Rhodophyta Bombardment Saltwater
Euglena gracilis Euglenaceae Bombardment Freshwater and
Saltwater
Porphyridium spp. Porphyridiophyceae Bombardment Saltwater

7. Robust molecular technologies are
available for a limited set of algae
ER-mCherry mCerulean-NLS
2 color
FACS
ER-mCherry,
mCerulean-NLS
3 color FACS
ER-TS-mCherry,
mCerulean-NLS,
Mito-Venus
X
Mito-Venus
X
A B C D
E

8. Engineering of the salt water strain D. tertiolecta
for recombinant protein production in chloroplasts

9. Xylanase
Trichoderma reesei
Mannases
Aspergillus sulphureus
Phytase
Shigella spp or E. coli
Caulobacter crescentus
Alpha-galactosidase
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Trichoderma reesei
Analysis of recombinant industrial enzyme
production in D. tertiolecta

10. 1 - Wild type 5 - Galactosidase
2 - Xylanase 6 - Phytase
3 - Manannase 7 - Phytase
4 - Galactosidase
Comparison of protein accumulation between
C. reinhardtii and D. tertiolecta
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
D. tertiolecta
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C. reinhardtii

11. Where do we go from here?
Where do we go from here?