A study of increasing biomass and lipid content from Chlorella sp. for biodiesel conversion

Abstract

 Biodiesel has received significant attention since it was made from nontoxic and biodegradable materials, and its use leads to a huge decrease in the emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Therefore, improving lipid content of microalgal strains could be a cost effective second generation feedstock for biodiesel production. Growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella sp. was studied under various culture conditions such as nitrate concentrations, temperature and CO2 concentration. The most significant increase in lipid reached 37.5±0.21% of dry cell weight, which was recorded in N-/30ºC/CO2 culture in BG 11 medium. Best biomass productivity was obtained at 30ºC under conditions of nitrogen sufficiently and CO2 supplementation (N+/30ºC/CO2). The adequate fatty acid profile was analysed by Gas chromatography. The presence of oleic and linoleic fatty acid were the major constituents makes Chlorella biomass a suitable feedstock for biodiesel production.