Characteristics of the growth rate and lipid production in fourteen strains of Baltic green microalgae

Screening of fourteen Baltic green algal strains provided basic data on their mass culture potential for the purpose of valuable biomass production with particular emphasis on lipid content. Selected microalgae were grown under non-stressed conditions in order to identify those characterized by efficient lipid production. The tested strains exhibited significant differences in growth patterns and lipid yields. Strains belonging to Chlorella and Stichococcus genera exhibited the highest growth rates, ranging from 0.39 d⁻¹ to 0.50 d⁻¹ and thus the highest final cell density (> 107 cells ml⁻¹). Furthermore, five strains: C. minutissima BA-12, C. fusca BA-18, C. vulgaris BA-80, Monoraphidium sp. BA-165 and Chlorella sp. BA-167 were characterized by distinctively high lipid yield (> 60 mg l⁻¹). The same strains, together with C. vulgaris BA-02, were also shown as those with the highest volumetric lipid productivity, reaching > 30 mg l⁻¹ d⁻¹. The tested Baltic strains performed well in terms of lipid production compared to the literature data, still leaving a great spectrum of opportunities for further lipid yield improvement.

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