ASU SoLS Faculty: Qiang Hu

Dr. Hu received a Ph.D. degree in Microalgal Biotechnology from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel) in 1996, and spent his postdoctoral period at the Marin Biotechnology Institute Kamaishi laboratories in Japan and in the Department of Plant Biology (joint appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering) at Arizona State University. He has been working on various aspects of microalge including the structure and function of cyanobacterial photosystems, growth physiology of high-density algal culture, photobioreactor system design, and application of algal mass culture technology for nutriceutical industry and environmental bioremediation.

Current work is focused on algae-related taste and odor problems in drinking water supplies in arid environments. Taste and odor complaints from consumers are a major problem for suppliers of drinking water. One frequently described off flavor is an earthy/musty odor, which is mainly caused by two compounds of cyanobacterial origin, 2-methylisoboneol (MIB) and geosmin. At least 50 strains of cyanobacteria have been known to produce MIB and geosmin. As MIB and geosmin have extremely low taste and odor threshold concentration and are resistant to oxidation, conventional in-plant treatments are very difficult, inefficient and expensive. Nationally, the cost for water utilities to control taste and odor problems averages 5~10% of their total budget.

Our attention is focused on source waters, location of the nuisance organisms and sites of MIB and geosmin production. A more efficient and cost-effective measure for taste and odor control involves the development of a comprehensive management strategy that mitigates production of taste and odor compounds over the entire water supply system. In this study, we are applying a range of hydrological, water chemical, ecological and physiological approaches to understand how production of MIB and geosmin is linked with dynamic changes in population density, species succession, and environmental conditions (light, temperature, nutrient availability). By using biochemical and molecular genetic techniques we hope to elucidate the biosynthesis pathway of MIB/geosmin and develop a DNA-based diagnostic probe for detecting and monitoring the occurrence of taste and odor producing organisms.

Selected Publications

Wang, S, Hu, Q, Sommerfeld, M and F Chen, (2004). Cell wall proteomics of the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae). Proteomics (in press)

Hu, Q (2004). Chapter 5: Environmental effects on cell composition, pp. 83-93. In A Richmond, (ed.) Handbook of Microalgal Culture, Blackwell Science Ltd, Oxford OX2 0EL, UK.

Hu, Q (2004). Chapter 12: Industrial production of microalgal cell-mass and secondary products - Major industrial species: Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, pp. 264-272. In A Richmond, (ed.) Handbook of Microalgal Culture, Blackwell Science Ltd, Oxford OX2 0EL, UK.

Wang, S, Hu, Q, Sommerfeld, M and F Chen, (2003). An optimized protocol for isolation of soluble proteins from microalgae for two-dimensional electrophoresis. J Appl Phycol 15: 485-496.

Hu, Q, Sommerfeld, M, Baker, L and P Westerhoff, (2003). Canal wall brushing - a control measure for taste and odor problems in drinking water supplies in arid environments. J Water Supply: Res Technol - AQUA 52: 545-554.

Hu, Q, P Westerhoff and W Vermaas. (2000). Removal of nitrate from drinking water by cyanobacteria: quantitative assessment of factors influencing nitrate uptake. Appl Env Microbiol 66:133-139.

Hu, Q, J Marquardt, I Iwasaki, H Miyashita, N Kurano, E Mrschel and S Miyachi. (1999). Structure, localization and function of biliproteins from the chlorophyll a/d containing prokaryote, Acaryochloris marina. Biochim Biophys Acta 1412:250-261.

Hu, Q, H Miyashita, I Iwasaki, S Miyachi, M Iwaki and S Itoh. (1998). A photosystem I reaction center driven by chlorophyll d in oxygenic photosynthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:13319-13323.

Hu,Q, T Ishikawa, Y Inoue, I Iwasaki, H Miyashita, N Kurano, S Miyachi, M Iwaki and S Itoh. (1998). Heterogeneity of chlorophyll d-binding photosystem I reaction centers from the photosynthetic prokaryote Acaryochloris marina. IN: Photosynthesis: Mechanisms and Effects (G Garab, ed.), Vol. I. 437-440, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Hu, Q, N Kurano, I Iwasaki, M Kawachi and S Miyachi. (1998). Ultrahigh cell density culture of a marine green alga, Chlorococcum littorale in a flat plate photobioreactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 49:655-662.

Iwasaki, I, Q Hu, N Kurano and S Miyachi. (1988). Effect of extremely high-CO₂ stress on energy distribution between photosystem I and photosystem II in a 'High-CO2' tolerant green alga, Chlorococcum littorale and the intolerant green alga Stichococcus bacillaris. J Photochem Photobiol B: Biology 44:184-190.

Hu, Q, D Faiman and A Richmond. (1998). Optimal orientation of enclosed reactors for growing photoautotrophic microorganisms outdoors. J Ferment Biotech 85:230-236.

Hu, Q, Z Yair and A Richmond. (1998). Combined effects of light intensity, light-path and culture density on output rate of Spirulina platensis (Cyanobacteria). Eur J Phycol 33:165-171.

Richmond, A and Q Hu. (1997). Principles for utilization of light for mass production of photoautotrophic microorganisms. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 63-65:649-658.

Hu, Q, Z Hu, Z Cohen and A Richmond.. (1997). Enhancement of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and g-linolenic acid (GLA) production by manipulating algal density of outdoor cultures of Monodus subterraneus (Eustigmatophyte) and Spirulina platensis (Cyanobacterium). Eur J Phycol 32:81-86.

Hu, Q, H Guterman and A Richmond. (1996). A flat inclined modular photobioreactor (FIMP) for outdoor mass cultivation of photoautotrophs. Biotechnol Bioeng 51:51-60.

Hu, Q, H Guterman and A Richmond. (1996). Physiological characteristics of Spirulina platensis cultured at ultrahigh cell densities. J Phycol 32:1066-1073.

Hu, Q and A Richmond. (1996). Productivity and photosynthetic efficiency of Spirulina platensis affected by light intensity, cell density and rate of mixing in a flat plate photobioreactor. J Appl Phycol 8:139-145.

Gitelson, A., Q Hu and A Richmond. (1996). Photic volume in photobioreactors supporting ultrahigh population densities of the photoautotroph Spirulina platensis. Appl Env Microbiol 62:1570-1573.

Hu, Q and A Richmond. (1995). Interrelationships between the photoinhibition, photolimitation of photosynthesis and biomass productivity: Effect of population density. IN: Photosynthesis: from Light to Biosphere ( P Mathis, ed.), Vol. IV, 1037-1040, Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands.