Development of Integrated Screening, Cultivar Optimization, and Verification Research

Objective

To develop an integrated screening platform for the discovery of high-productivity and resilient strains of algae that can be cultivated outdoors year-round via crop rotation to facilitate the execution of DOE-EERE Bioenergy Technologies Office's (BETO) annual Algae State of Technology (SOT) experimental support effort, which involves demonstrating progress towards out-year biomass productivity goals as outlined in the BETO Multi-Year Program Plan.

Algae State of Technology

The DISCOVR SOT project supports the goal to increase, by 2025, the summer seasonal areal productivity to 25 grams per square meter per day (g/m2 d) from the 2016 benchmark of 13.3 g/m2 d in outdoor, scale-relevant, open ponds. These cultivation demonstrations are executed at the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) at Arizona State University in Mesa, AZ.

DATASETS:

Cultivation in support of the annual algae SOT was performed continuously since January 2018 to provide monthly datasets. Data was collected following standardized protocols referenced below by the ATP3 framework, harmonization of biomass composition analytical techniques, and algae cultivation protocols, and are comprised of the following datasets for a given SOT year. Data is grouped into yearly spreadsheets containing the cultivation and composition, pond water chemistry, or weather data as indicated.

SOT Year Cultivation Run (ExperimentID) Month Season Species/Strain Data Link
2018 AFS_ASU_Fall2016_​KA32_seedtrain September - November Fall 2016 Nannochloropsis oceanica KA32 2018 cultivation/​composition
2018 pond water chemistry
2018 weather
Winter2018_SOT_​LRB-0401
Winter2018_​SOT_26BAM		 December - February Winter 2018 Scenedesmus obliquus UTEX393
Monoraphidium minutum 26BAM
Spring2018_SOT_​26BAM_LRB0401 March - May Spring 2018 Monoraphidium minutum 26BAM
Summer2018SOT June - August Summer 2018 Desmodesmus sp. C046
2019 DISCOVR_C046_​Fall2018_SOT September Fall 2018 Desmodesmus sp. C046 2019 cultivation/​composition
2019 pond water chemistry
2019 weather
DISCOVR_26BAM_​Fall2018_SOT October Fall 2018 Monoraphidium minutum 26BAM
DISCOVR_26BAM_​Fall2018_SOT_Run2 November - December Fall 2018 Monoraphidium minutum 26BAM
Winter2019SOT January - February Winter 2019 Monoraphidium minutum 26BAM
Spring2019SOT March - April Spring 2019 Monoraphidium minutum 26BAM
DISCOVR_UTEX393_​Spring2019_SOT May Spring 2019 Scenedesmus obliquus UTEX393
DISCOVR_UTEX393_​Summer2019_SOT June - August Summer 2019 Scenedesmus obliquus UTEX393
2020 Fall2019SOT September Fall 2019 Scenedesmus obliquus
UTEX393		 2020 cultivation/​composition
26BAM_09172019_SPW October Fall 2019 Monoraphidium minutum
26BAM		 2020 pond water chemistry
26BAM_11272019_SPW November Fall 2019 Monoraphidium minutum
26BAM		 2020 weather
Winter_12032019_SPW December Winter 2019 Monoraphidium minutum
26BAM
January Winter 2020 Monoraphidium minutum
26BAM
February Winter 2020 Monoraphidium minutum
26BAM
Spring_02282020_SPW March Spring 2020 Monoraphidium minutum
26BAM
UTEX393_02282020_SPW April Spring 2020 Scenedesmus obliquus
UTEX393
May Spring 2020 Scenedesmus obliquus
UTEX393
P.celeri_06092020_SPW June Summer 2020 P. celeri  TG2
July Summer 2020 P. celeri  TG2
August Summer 2020 P. celeri  TG2
2021 P.celeri_06092020_SPW September Fall 2020 P. celeri  TG2 2021 cultivation/​composition
October Fall 2020 P. celeri  TG2
Tetraselmis striata		 2021 pond water chemistry
26BAM_Tetra_FallWinter_2021 November Fall 2020 LANL1001
Tetraselmis striata		 2021 weather
December Winter 2020 LANL1001
Tetraselmis striata
January Winter 2021 LANL1001
Tetraselmis striata
February Winter 2021 LANL1001
Monoraphidium
26BAM_02092021_SPW March Spring 2021 Monoraphidium
minutum  26BAM
April Spring 2021 Monoraphidium
minutum  26BAM
May Spring 2021 Monoraphidium
minutum  26BAM
Summer2021_SOT June Summer 2021 P. celeri  TG2
July Summer 2021 P. celeri  TG2
August Summer 2021 P. celeri  TG2

DISCOVR SOT AFDW Over Time, By Strain

DISCOVR SOT Composition Plots

DISCOVR SOT Weather Data

Annual SOT Productivity Summary Tables

Annual State of Technology summary tables showing year-over-year progress towards the goal to increase, by 2025, annual areal productivity to 25 grams per square meter per day (g/m2 d) from the 2016 benchmark of 13.3 g/m2 d in outdoor, scale-relevant, open ponds.

2018 State of Technology
Season Month Productivity (g/m2 d) AFDW at Harvest (g/L) Strain Days Operational Conditions Season Average (StDev) (g/m2 d)
Fall September
October
November 		8.5 0.29 KA32 42 25 cm/batch 11.4
(1.8)
(RSD = 16%)
Winter December
January
February 		7.7 0.68 26BAM 46 10 cm/batch 6.5
(0.8)
(RSD = 12%)
Spring March
April
May 		15.2 0.44 26BAM 80 10 cm/SC 18.6
(6.9)
(RSD = 37%)
Summer June
July
August
 15.4 0.39 C046 51 20 cm/SC 27.1
(3.1)
(RSD = 11%)
Annual Sum: 219 Days Average Annual Productivity: 11.7
2019 State of Technology
Season Month Productivity (g/m2 d) AFDW at Harvest (g/L) Strain Days Operational Conditions Season Average (StDev) (g/m2 d)
Fall September
October
November 		11.0
13.3
9.8
 0.29
0.38
0.57
 C046
26BAM
26BAM 		16
23
27
 20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
 11.4
(1.8)
(RSD = 16%)
Winter December
January
February 		5.7
7.3
6.4
 0.58
0.52
0.43
 26BAM
26BAM
26BAM
 38
24
28
 10 cm/SC
10 cm/SC
10 cm/SC
 6.5
(0.8)
(RSD = 12%)
Spring March
April
May 		12.3
17.6
26.0
 0.68
0.66
0.46
 26BAM
26BAM
UTEX393
 31
28
28
 10 cm/SC
10 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
 18.6
(6.9)
(RSD = 37%)
Summer June
July
August
 26.3
30.6
24.5 		0.44
0.48
0.37 		UTEX393
UTEX393
UTEX393
 27
30
28 		20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC 		27.1
(3.1)
(RSD = 11%)
Annual Sum: 328 Days Average Annual Productivity: 15.9
2020 State of Technology
Season Month Productivity (g/m2 d) AFDW at Harvest (g/L) Strain Days Operational Conditions Season Average (StDev) (g/m2 d)
Fall September
October
November
 19.4
14.4
11.2
 0.35
0.35
0.36 		UTEX393
26BAM
26BAM
 29
30
28
 20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
 15
(4.1)
(RSD = 27%)
Winter December
January
February
 7.1
8.5
9.4
 0.35
0.72
0.60
 26BAM
26BAM
26BAM
 34
31
28
 20 cm/SC
10 cm/SC
10 cm/SC
 8.3
(1.2)
(RSD = 14%)
Spring March
April
May
 14.1
17.1
24.2
 0.58
0.33
0.33
 26BAM
UTEX393
UTEX393
 31
32
30
 10 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
 18.5
(5.2)
(RSD = 27%)
Summer June
July
August
 27.1
31.9
35.8 		0.40
0.49
0.56 		P. celeri
P. celeri
P. celeri 		19
30
31 		20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC 		31.6
(4.4)
(RSD = 14%)
Annual Sum: 353 Days Average Annual Productivity: 18.4
2021 State of Technology
Season Month Productivity (g/m2 d) AFDW at Harvest (g/L) Strain Days Operational Conditions Season Average (StDev) (g/m2 d)
Fall September
October
November
 30.1
15.1
12.0
 0.46
0.27
0.33 		TG2
TG2
LANL1001
 30
30
32
 20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
 19.1
(9.7)
(RSD = 50%)
Winter December
January
February
 7.1
8.1
9.8
 0.28
0.34
0.37
 LANL1001
LANL1001
LANL1001
 29
34
27
 20 cm/SC
20 cm/SCC
20 cm/SC
 8.3
(1.4)
(RSD = 17%)
Spring March
April
May
 14.7
20.7
22.8
 0.37
0.46
0.40
 26BAM
26BAM
26BAM
 28
29
31
 20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
 19.4
(4.2)
(RSD = 22%)
Summer June
July
August
 24.6
23.3
33.4 		0.38
0.41
0.36 		TG2
TG2
TG2 		29
30
31 		20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC
20 cm/SC 		23.8
(0.7)
(RSD = 3%)
Annual Sum: 353 Days Average Annual Productivity: 17.6

DISCOVR SOT and ATP3 Resources

For more information on the DISCOVR SOT and ATP3 projects, see the links below to previously published works.

DISCOVR SOT Contributors

Learn more about the DISCOVR Project.

Contact Eric Knoshaug for more information.