Use of phototrophic biofilms in the agricultural sector to improve plant growth
German title: Einsatz von phototrophen Biofilmen im Agrarsektor zur Verbesserung des Pflanzenwachstums
In 2018, around 866 million tonnes of greenhouse gases were produced in Germany, with agriculture accounting for 10-12% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. While the exchange of CO2 is almost balanced by the simultaneous fixation of CO2 in organic matter, agriculture accounts for 50% of all emissions of methane and as much as 60% of nitrous oxide. This is mainly due to the use of mineral and organic fertilisers. Without active countermeasures, nitrous oxide emissions in the agricultural sector are expected to increase by 30-65% by 2030. The climate-friendly cultivation of renewable raw materials in agriculture is an important strategy for achieving the climate policy goal of largely greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050. A central aspect of this strategy could be the colonisation of terrestrial cyanobacteria, which are tolerant of biotic and abiotic conditions and are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into nitrogen that can be used by other organisms and released into the environment. In addition, terrestrial cyanobacteria grow embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances, which could contribute to a desirable soil stabilisation and thus to the protection against soil erosion as well as to the promotion of water storage in the soil.
Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria isolated from the cool-temperate climate zone are to be used for this purpose. Suitable strains must have nitrogen fixation spatially separated from the photosynthetic apparatus by the formation of heterocysts and release the bioavailable nitrogen into the environment. Co-cultivation of cyanobacteria with Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) and Triticum aestivum (wheat) should show whether an artificially induced symbiosis is possible. In addition to the agricultural plant wheat, A. thaliana was selected because it is a fast-growing and well-characterised model plant and belongs to the same family as the crop plants cabbage, broccoli and horseradish. The biofilms are to be immobilised on a biodegradable carrier material for application in agriculture. For this purpose, an aerosol reactor is to be designed and characterised and an inoculation and harvesting process established. In addition, the water retention of the biofilms is to be optimised by varying the process parameters. Finally, the co-cultivation of immobilised cyanobacteria on the carrier material and plants in plant substrates will be investigated as a function of temperature. The aim is to answer the question of whether periodic application of cyanobacteria is necessary or whether a permanent implementation of biofilms in the soil is possible.
Use of phototrophic biofilms in the agricultural sector to improve plant growth; German Research Foundation; STR 1650/1 - 1
| Status | Current project |
| Funding organisation | German Research Foundation |
| Funding period | 07/2021 - 06/2025 |
| Funding code | STR1650/1-1 |
| Employees | M. Sc. Jonas Kollmen |
Publications and conference papers
Publications
2023
- J. Kollmen, J. Stiefelmaier, R. Mofrad, D. Strieth; Cultivation of Cyanobacteria on Sustainable Dried Luffa cylindrica (2023) Phycology. 2023; 3(4):472-483. https://doi.org/10.3390/phycology3040032
2022
- J. Kollmen and D. Strieth, The Beneficial Effects of Cyanobacterial Co-Culture on Plant Growth, Life2022, 12(2), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12020223
- Witthohn, M., Strieth, D., Kollmen, J., Schwarz, A., Ulber, R., Muffler, K. (2022). Process Technologies of Cyanobacteria. In: Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2022_214
2021
- D. Strieth, A. Weber, J. Robert, J. Stiefelmaier, J. Kollmen, M. Volkmar, M. Lakatos, V. Jordan, K. Muffler, R. ulber (2021); Characterization of an aerosol-based photobioreactor for cultivation of phototrophic biofilms, J. of Life https://doi.org/10.3390/life11101046
Presentations
2024
- J. Kollmen, F. Lorig, D. Strieth; Expanding the value chain for the sustainable production of natural dyes with cyanobacteria (2024); DECHEMA Forum 2024; Friedrichshafen; Germany
2023
- D. Strieth, J. Kollmen, J. Stiefelmaier; Aerosol-based Photobioreactors - A new generation of photobioreactors for the cultivation of phototrophic biofilms (2023); International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels & Bioproducts; Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii, USA
- J. Kollmen, R. Mofrad, D. Strieth; A new aerosol-based PBR for the cultivation of cyanobacteria on Luffa (2023); AlgaEurope; Prag; Tschechien
2022
- J. Kollmen, R. Mofrad, S. Di Nonno, D. Strieth; Luffa - die optimale Lösung als biologisch abbaubarer Aufwuchskörper für terrestrische Cyanobakterien; 13. Bundesalgenstammtisch, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland
- D. Strieth, J. Stiefelmaier, J. Kollmen, N. Erdmann, A . Mehring; Phototrophe Biofilme: Invasive und nicht-invasive Methoden zur Charakterisierung; 13. Bundesalgenstammtisch, Frankfurt, Deutschland
- D. Strieth, J. Kollmen, N. Erdmann: Phototrophic biofilms: Invasive andnon-invasive tools for characterization; (Bio)Process Engineering – a Key to Sustainable Development (2022), Aachen, Germany
- J. Kollmen, R. Mofrad, S. Di Nonno, D. Strieth; Luffa – the optimal biodegradable carrier for the adherent cultivation of terrestrial cyanobacteria?; (Bio)Process Engineering – a Key to Sustainable Development (2022); Aachen, Deutschland
- J. Kollmen, M. Faul, D. Strieth, Influence of phototrophic biofilms on plant growth promoting properties of soil; Biofilms 10 (2022); Leipzig, Deutschland
- D. Strieth, J. Stiefelmaier, J. Kollmen, N. Erdmann, A. Mehring; Comprehensive characterization of phototrophic biofilms; Biofilms 10 (2022); Leipzig, Deutschland
2021
- D. Strieth, J. Stiefelmaier, S. Di Nonno, J. Kollmen, R. Ulber; Diazotrophic terrestrial cyanobacteria as nitrogen supplier for Arabidospsis thaliana, Himmelfahrtstagung on Bioprocess Engineering 2021 - New Bioprocesses, New Products (2021), Digital
Poster
2023
- D. Strieth, M. Faul, J. Kollmen; Does the Age of Pre-culture influence the main Culture? (2023); AlgaEurope Prag, Tschechien
- D. Strieth, J. Kollmen; Comprehensive characterization and analysis of phototrophic biofilms (2023); International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels & Bioproducts; Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii, USA
- J. Kollmen, K. Wastian, D. Strieth; Effects of cyanobacterial inoculation on wheat cultivation (2023); International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels & Bioproducts; Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii, USA
- J. Kollmen, R. Mofrad, D. Strieth; Adherent cultivation of cyanobacteria on luffa (2023); International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels & Bioproducts; Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii, USA
- J. Kollmen, K. Wastian, D. Strieth; Influence of phototrophic biofilms on nutrient availability in soil; InterPore 2023; Edinburgh, Schottland
2022
- D. Strieth, J. Stiefelmaier, J. Kollmen, N. Erdmann, A . Mehring; Phototrophe Biofilme: Invasive und nicht-invasive Methoden zur Charakterisierung; 13. Bundesalgenstammtisch, Frankfurt, Deutschland
- J. Kollmen, M. Faul, D. Strieth; Use of phototrophic biofilms to improve plant growth; Himmelfahrtstagung on Bioprocess Engineering (2022); Mainz, Deutschland
- J. Kollmen, D. Strieth; Cyanobacteria as a natural alternative to artificial fertilizers; 5th Young Researchers Symposium (2022); Kaiserslautern, Deutschland