Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 21 No 2 (2017): 460 - 469

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/mjas-2017-2102-22

 

 

 

ISOLATION, PURIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MICROALGAE FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT ENVIRONMENT

 

(Pemencilan, Penulenan dan Identifikasi Mikroalga daripada Persekitaran Loji Janakuasa Arang Batu)

 

Muhammad Nazry Chik¹, Liyana Yahya¹, Kamrul Fakir Kamarudin², Ding Gong Tao², Mohd Sobri Takriff²*

 

¹Emission and Waste Management Technology Group,

TNB Research Sdn Bhd, No 1, Lorong Air Hitam, Kawasan Institusi Penyelidikan, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

²Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: sobritakriff@ukm.edu.my

 

 

Received: 21 October 2015; Accepted: 14 June 2016

 

 

Abstract

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) through biological approach has attracted much attention as global warming and climate change issue becomes a worldwide agenda. Energy production industry from coal in Malaysia produced 50.661 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2012, and the trend showed it will keep increasing year by year. CCS through biological approach can be done by microalgae which are versatile microorganism which perform photosynthesis process that can store CO₂ in the biomass form. In this study, microalgae strains were isolated from the native environment nearby a coal-fired power plant, where samples were collected in different canal in which pre-treated flue gases are discharged. The microalgae strains were identified by both morphological and molecular approaches. Result from 18s rRNA gene sequencing showed that the isolated strains is Chlorella sp. with similarity 99% with Chlorella sp. SAG 211-18. The identified strains of microalgae then cultivated with three concentration of CO₂ (ambient air, 1% and 5%) and the growth rate showed 0.4017 day^-1, 0.5752 day^-1 and 0.4427 day^-1 respectively. Different concentration of CO₂ (ambient air, 1% and 5%) showed that the isolated strains yielded 1.005gL^-1, 1.101gL^-1 and 1.035gL^-1 respectively. This study also showed that with different concentration of CO₂, the sequestration rate is ranging from 1% to 4.3%.

 

Keywords:  microalgae, isolation, purification, DNA sequencing

 

Abstrak

Pemerangkapan dan penyimpanan karbon (CCS) melalui pendekatan biologi telah menarik minat pengkaji disebabkan masalah pemanasan dan perubahan iklim global. Pada tahun 2012 sahaja, Malaysia telah menghasilkan 50.661 juta ton metrik karbon dioksida hasil daripada penghasilan tenaga yang bersumberkan arang batu, dan tahun demi tahun penghasilan karbon dioksida dijangkakan akan terus meningkat. Pemerangkapan dan penyimpanan karbon melalui pendekatan biologi boleh dilakukan oleh mikroalga yang merupakan mikroorganisma unggul di mana ianya berupaya menjalankan proses fotosintesis dalam menukarkan karbon dioksida ke dalam bentuk biojisim. Dalam kajian ini, mikroalga dipencilkan daripada habitat asal yang merupakan terusan bagi air penyejuk untuk stesen janakuasa arang batu. Mikroalga yang diperoleh, dikenalpasti menggunakan kaedah pengecaman secara morfologi dan molekul. Hasil keputusan pengenal pastian molekul menggunakan kaedah penjujukan genom 18s rRNA mendapati, mikroalga yang berjaya dipencilkan adalah Chlorella sp. yang mempunyai persamaan sehingga 99% dengan Chlorella sp. SAG 211-18. Mikroalga yang telah menjalani proses identifikasi kemudiannya dikultur menggunakan 3 kepekatan karbon dioksida yang berbeza (CO₂ pada udara persekitaran, CO₂ 1% dan CO₂ 5%) dan hasil menunjukkan kadar pertumbuhan masing-masing adalah 0.4017 hari^-1, 0.5752 hari^-1, dan 0.4427 hari^-1. Pada kepekatan CO₂ yang berbeza (CO₂ pada udara persekitaran, CO₂ 1% dan CO₂ 5%), hasil biojisim yang terkumpul daripada pengkulturan mikroalga masing-masing adalah 1.005gL^-1, 1.101gL^-1 dan 1.035gL^-1. Kajian juga menunjukkan pada kepekatan CO₂ yang berbeza, kadar pemerangkapan karbon dioksida adalah pada kadar 1% sehingga 4.3%.

 

Kata kunci:  mikroalga, pemencilan, penulenan, penjujukan DNA

 

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