Enhanced CO2 fixation and lipid production of Chlorella vulgaris through the carbonic anhydrase complex

[Display omitted] The novelty and significant contribution of the submitted work:•Formation of carbonic anhydrase (CA) complex increased both activity and stability.•CA complex is displayed on surface of C. vulgaris by a cellulose binding module.•Growth of C. vulgaris was increased by the CA complex.•CA complex increased the lipid production of C. vulgaris.•Composition of unsaturated fatty acids was increased in total lipid of C. vulgaris.•The carbon capture and storage (CCS) of C. vulgaris was increased by CA complex. Photosynthesis of C. vulgaris shows slow growth and low lipid production due to the low solubility of CO2, and it is thus necessary to increase the dissolved inorganic carbon source to solve this problem. In this study, carbonic anhydrase (CA) was fused with dockerin to form a CA complex by cohesion-dockerin interaction. The CA complex was displayed on the surface of C. vulgaris by a cellulose binding module. The CA complex increased activity and stability compared to those of a single enzyme. Additionally, C. vulgaris showed an average of 1.6-fold rapid growth during log phase through the influence of the CA complex. The bicarbonate produced by the CA complex increased the lipid production about 1.7-fold (23.3%), compared to 13.6% for the control group. The present results suggest that the CA complex successfully enhances the CO2 fixation, which should be an essential study for 4th generation biofuels.