Growth of nanoalgae (Picochlorum) and its relative lipid signal in different media

Abstract

The continuous instability observed in the price of crude oil, the global dependence of civilization on electricity production and generation of liquid fuels has triggered the search for renewable sources of energy. Indeed, microalgae are considered as one of the most promising feed stocks of biomass for biofuel’s large scale production. It contains a wide array of biochemicals that can be used in biotechnological applications. This study investigated medium for Picochlorum in order to develop biofuel and bioproduct applications. Growth pattern including specific growth rates, generation time and maximum cell concentrations in different media were determined. The results reveal that the algae grew better in MD 4, but accumulated high lipid in MD1. In addition, the total lipid content was 48.57% of dry weight, including 27.84% DHA. Keywords: Algae, biofuel, Picochlorum, lipid, medium, feedstocks.