Photobiological Instrument Suite

Unique in Hungary and the region, the internationally leading photobiological instrument suite is used to monitor the photosynthetic efficiency and bioluminescence of plants/algae using biophysical methods, as well as to investigate the hydrogen and electricity production capacity of microalgae.

I. Photosynthesis instrument suite

(Contact: Szilvia Zita Tóth, toth.szilviazita@brc.hu)
System elements: (i) Chlorophyll-a fluorimeters (WALZ Dual PAM and Multi-Color PAM, Hansatech HandyPEA and M-PEA devices), ii) Chlorophyll-a fluorescence imaging (Imaging PAM and Fluorcam devices) iii) Thermoluminescence (own development), iv) oxygen evolution measurement (PreSens and Hansatech devices).

Suitable for: Comprehensive, complex investigation of the photosynthetic activity of plant leaves and microalgae cultures.

II. Bioluminescence imaging and detection system

(Contact: László Kozma-Bognár, kozma_bognar.laszlo@brc.hu)

System components: i) Hamamatsu Orca II Ultra-Low Light CCD camera system ii) Perkin-Elmer TopCount NXT luminometer and liquid scintillation counter.

Suitable for: Studying plant phototropism and the physiological role of photochromes.

III. Ultrafast Time-resolved spectroscopy

(Contact: Petar Lambrev, lambrev.petar@brc.hu)

System components: Multidimensional optical spectroscopy workstation (MDOS, ELI-ALPS Laser Institute), picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TCSPC) systems – PicoQuant, Becker & Hickl.

Suitable for: The MDOS workstation at ELI-ALPS is a tool for measuring photoinduced dynamics of biological, biomimetic, or synthetic photoactive materials on an ultrafast time scale – from femtosecond to nanosecond – and in the visible wavelength range. The TCSPC equipment records fluorescence kinetics with picosecond time resolution and in an extremely dynamic range for the investigation of kinetics and mechanisms of complex photochemical systems.

IV. Algae cultivation, hydrogen and electricity generation equipment

(Contact: Szilvia Zita Tóth, toth.szilviazita@brc.hu)

System elements: i) Photobioreactors for algae cultivation (different configurations of Photon System Instruments Multicultivator equipment) ii) Photobioreactors suitable for hydrogen production (laboratory and greenhouse, joint developments with Smartlab Devices Kft) iii) Equipment for testing electricity production of algae (PalmSens and self-developed equipment).

Suitable for: Cultivating algae and monitoring growth parameters, optimizing and detecting hydrogen production and electricity production.

V. UV-VIS Optical Spectroscopy and Analytical Biochemistry

(Contact: Petar Lambrev, lambrev.petar@brc.hu)

System elements: i) UV-VIS spectrometers, spectrofluorimeters, spectropolarimeter, ii) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), iii) Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), iv) high-speed centrifuges, v) gel electrophoresis and imaging.

 Suitable for: The equipment enables a wide range of biophysical and biochemical characterization of biological samples, including the analysis of their pigment and protein content, as well as their molecular and supramolecular organization.