TOC Measurements of Photosynthetic Bacteria

User Benefits

- Measuring total organic carbon (TOC) is a simple and rapid method of evaluating the amount of microorganisms grown from CO₂ fixation. - Use the “high suspension kit” with the TOC-L analyzer for good repeatability even with microorganism samples that have higher sedimentation rates. - Use the ASI-L autosampler for consecutive analyses of a large numbers of samples.

Introduction

Technologies that separate, capture, and re-use CO₂ emissions are becoming increasingly important in the pursuit of a carbon- neutral society. Various approaches to carbon capture are being studied, one of which uses bioprocesses such as photosynthetic reactions. This approach involves using photosynthetic microorganisms to absorb CO₂ and synthesize organic substances and other useful materials, with research now aimed at improving the efficiency and increasing the scale of these types of processes. The Shimadzu TOC-L total organic carbon analyzer offers a simple and rapid means of measuring TOC to evaluate the amount of microorganisms grown from CO₂ capture. Because the amount of CO₂ dissolved in medium can be quantified by measuring inorganic carbon (IC), IC can also be used to determine the amount of CO₂ absorbed by microorganisms. These evaluations can be used to help screen and breed CO₂-fixing microorganisms and optimize cultivation and growth conditions. This article describes an example of measuring TOC in a sample containing purple photosynthetic bacteria, and evaluating the amount of microorganisms in the sample.

February 17, 2023 GMT