Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Air-water fluxes of N₂O and CH₄ during microalgae (Staurosira sp.) cultivation in an open raceway pond.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ferrón, S; Ho, DT; Johnson, ZI; Huntley, ME
Published in: Environmental science & technology
October 2012

The industrial-scale production of biofuels from cultivated microalgae has gained considerable interest in the last several decades. While the climate benefits of microalgae cultivation that result from the capture of atmospheric CO(2) are known, the counteracting effect from the potential emission of other greenhouse gases has not been well quantified. Here, we report the results of a study conducted at an industrial pilot facility in Hawaii to determine the air-water fluxes of N(2)O and CH(4) from open raceway ponds used to grow the marine diatom Staurosira sp. as a feedstock for biofuel. Dissolved O(2), CH(4), and N(2)O concentrations were measured over a 24 h cycle. During this time, four SF(6) tracer release experiments were conducted to quantify gas transfer velocities in the ponds, and these were then used to calculate air-water fluxes. Our results show that pond waters were consistently supersaturated with CH(4) (up to 725%) resulting in an average emission of 19.9 ± 5.6 μmol CH(4) m(-2) d(-1). Upon NO(3)(-) depletion, the pond shifted from being a source to being a sink of N(2)O, with an overall net uptake during the experimental period of 3.4 ± 3.5 μmol N(2)O m(-2) d(-1). The air-water fluxes of N(2)O and CH(4) expressed as CO(2) equivalents of global warming potential were 2 orders of magnitude smaller than the overall CO(2) uptake by the microalgae.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Environmental science & technology

DOI

EISSN

1520-5851

ISSN

0013-936X

Publication Date

October 2012

Volume

46

Issue

19

Start / End Page

10842 / 10848

Related Subject Headings

  • Ponds
  • Nitrous Oxide
  • Microalgae
  • Methane
  • Hawaii
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Diatoms
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Biofuels
  • Air Pollutants
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Ferrón, S., Ho, D. T., Johnson, Z. I., & Huntley, M. E. (2012). Air-water fluxes of N₂O and CH₄ during microalgae (Staurosira sp.) cultivation in an open raceway pond. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(19), 10842–10848. https://doi.org/10.1021/es302396j
Ferrón, Sara, David T. Ho, Zackary I. Johnson, and Mark E. Huntley. “Air-water fluxes of N₂O and CH₄ during microalgae (Staurosira sp.) cultivation in an open raceway pond.Environmental Science & Technology 46, no. 19 (October 2012): 10842–48. https://doi.org/10.1021/es302396j.
Ferrón S, Ho DT, Johnson ZI, Huntley ME. Air-water fluxes of N₂O and CH₄ during microalgae (Staurosira sp.) cultivation in an open raceway pond. Environmental science & technology. 2012 Oct;46(19):10842–8.
Ferrón, Sara, et al. “Air-water fluxes of N₂O and CH₄ during microalgae (Staurosira sp.) cultivation in an open raceway pond.Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 46, no. 19, Oct. 2012, pp. 10842–48. Epmc, doi:10.1021/es302396j.
Ferrón S, Ho DT, Johnson ZI, Huntley ME. Air-water fluxes of N₂O and CH₄ during microalgae (Staurosira sp.) cultivation in an open raceway pond. Environmental science & technology. 2012 Oct;46(19):10842–10848.
Journal cover image

Published In

Environmental science & technology

DOI

EISSN

1520-5851

ISSN

0013-936X

Publication Date

October 2012

Volume

46

Issue

19

Start / End Page

10842 / 10848

Related Subject Headings

  • Ponds
  • Nitrous Oxide
  • Microalgae
  • Methane
  • Hawaii
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Diatoms
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Biofuels
  • Air Pollutants