Characterization of carbonic anhydrase II from Chlorella vulgaris in bio-CO2 capture

Carbonic anhydrase II (CA II) can catalyze the reversible hydration reaction of CO2 at a maximum of 1.4 x 10(6) molecules of CO2 per second. The crude intracellular enzyme extract containing CA II was derived from Chlorella vulgaris. A successful CO2 capture experiment with the presence of calcium had been conducted on the premise that the temperature was conditioned at a scope of 30-40 A degrees C, that the biocatalyst-nurtured algal growth period lasted 3 days, and that pH ranged from7.5 to 8.5. Ions of K+, Na+, Ca2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Mg2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ at 0.01, 0.1, and 0.5 M were found to exhibit no more than 30 % inhibition on the residual activity of the biocatalyst. It is reasonable to expect that calcification catalyzed by microalgae presents an alternative to geological carbon capture and sequestration through a chain of fundamental researches carried on under the guidance of sequestration technology.