Microalgal Lipid Engineering Service for Biodiesel Feedstock

Microalgae are a promising, renewable source for next-generation biodiesel feedstock due to their high oil content and fast growth rate, without competing with food crops. However, the commercial viability of algal biodiesel is currently hampered by the high cost of biomass cultivation and the low efficiency of lipid accumulation.

We offer specialized services utilizing advanced Genetic Engineering and Metabolic Engineering to dramatically boost microalgal lipid productivity. Our strategy focuses on enhancing the activity of key lipid synthesis enzymes, improving the efficiency of light utilization and CO2 fixation, and streamlining downstream processing. This integrated approach aims to deliver high-yield algal strains that significantly reduce the overall cost of producing sustainable biodiesel feedstock.

Pain Points

Scaling up microalgal lipid production faces major economic and technical challenges:

• High Cultivation Cost and Energy Demand: Large-scale cultivation requires significant energy input for light, mixing, temperature control, and CO2 supply, driving up the final product cost.
• Low Lipid Productivity: Most wild-type strains exhibit low overall lipid content, especially under conditions favorable for biomass growth (high nitrogen), requiring a costly switch to stress conditions to induce oil synthesis.
• Costly Harvesting and Extraction: The small size of microalgal cells and the high water content make dewatering, harvesting, and lipid extraction processes complex and energy-intensive.
• Light Use Inefficiency: Algae often waste absorbed light energy (photodamage or fluorescence) due to poor light distribution in dense cultures, reducing overall photosynthetic efficiency.

A cost-effective solution requires simultaneous optimization of growth rate, lipid accumulation, and downstream processing compatibility.

Solutions

We utilize advanced Synthetic and Metabolic Engineering to develop high-yield microalgal strains:

Lipid Synthesis Pathway Overexpression

     

Overexpress key enzymes like DGAT (Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase) and ACC (Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase) to enhance the rate of triacylglycerol (TAG) production.

Lipid Degradation Downregulation

Use gene silencing or knockout techniques to downregulate lipid degradation pathways (e.g., lipase activity), minimizing oil consumption and maximizing final yield.

Improved Light Use Efficiency

Metabolic Engineering to modify photosynthetic antenna size, reducing photoinhibition and improving light penetration and utilization in dense cultures.

Enhanced CO2 Fixation and Growth

Optimize carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) and utilize novel promoters to ensure high biomass accumulation under industrial CO2 levels.

Our systematic approach is focused on decoupling lipid accumulation from nutrient stress, enabling high productivity under continuous growth conditions.

Advantages

Our Microalgal Lipid Engineering service is dedicated to pursuing the following production goals:

High Lipid Productivity

Engineered strains show significantly increased lipid content and overall biomass productivity compared to wild-type strains.

Reduced Harvesting Cost

Focus on strains with enhanced flocculation properties or larger cell size to simplify and reduce the energy demand of dewatering.

Decoupled Growth and Oil Accumulation

Strains are designed to accumulate high lipid levels under growth-favorable conditions, maximizing total oil output.

Optimized Fatty Acid Profile

Genetic tuning ensures the lipid composition meets specific quality standards required for high-grade biodiesel conversion (e.g., high C16-C18 content).

Enhanced Light Efficiency

Engineered photosynthetic systems utilize light more effectively, increasing efficiency in dense, large-scale bioreactors.

We provide a specialized platform aimed at minimizing the cost and maximizing the quality of commercially viable microalgal biodiesel feedstock.

Process

Our Microalgal Lipid Engineering service follows a rigorous, multi-stage research workflow:

• Target Selection and Pathway Mapping: Identify rate-limiting steps in lipid synthesis (TAG accumulation) and degradation pathways.
• Genetic Construct Design: Design transformation vectors for overexpression of synthesis genes (DGAT, ACC) and targeted gene silencing (lipase).
• Strain Transformation and Screening: Introduce constructs into the chosen algal host and screen thousands of colonies for high-lipid content via high-throughput fluorescence methods.
• Bioreactor Condition Optimization: Validate engineered strains in photobioreactors, optimizing light regime, CO2 supply, and nutrient feeding (e.g., continuous culture).
• Lipid Profile Analysis: Use Gas Chromatography (GC) to verify the total lipid content and ensure the fatty acid profile meets feedstock standards.
• Result Report Output: Deliver a detailed report including strain data, optimized cultivation protocols, and final validated lipid productivity and content metrics.

Technical communication is maintained throughout the process, focusing on timely feedback regarding lipid yield and strain stability.

Explore the potential for a high-quality, cost-effective microalgal feedstock supply. We provide customized lipid production solutions:

• Detailed Lipid Content and Productivity Analysis Report, demonstrating the success of the genetic modifications.
• Consultation on photobioreactor design and scale-up strategies to maintain productivity.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on final lipid content (percent dry weight) and productivity (mg/L/day), essential for commercial development.