Lipid productivity as a key characteristic for choosing algal species for biodiesel production

Microalgae are a promising alternative source of lipid for biodiesel production. One of the most important decisions is the choice of species to use. High lipid productivity is a key desirable characteristic of a species for biodiesel production. This paper reviews information available in the literature on microalgal growth rates, lipid content and lipid productivities for 55 species of microalgae, including 17 Chlorophyta, 11 Bacillariophyta and five Cyanobacteria as well as other taxa. The data available in the literature are far from complete and rigorous comparison across experiments carried out under different conditions is not possible. However, the collated information provides a framework for decision-making and a starting point for further investigation of species selection. Shortcomings in the current dataset are highlighted. The importance of lipid productivity as a selection parameter over lipid content and growth rate individually is demonstrated.

[1]  H A Spoehr,et al.  THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF CHLORELLA; EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. , 1949, Plant physiology.

[2]  John S. Burlew,et al.  Algal culture from laboratory to pilot plant. , 1953 .

[3]  G. E. Fogg,et al.  Studies on Fat Accumulation by Algae , 1955 .

[4]  R. Krauss,et al.  Effects of Temperature & Illuminance on Chlorella Growth Uncoupled From Cell Division. , 1962, Plant physiology.

[5]  William S. Maddux,et al.  SOME INTERACTIONS OF TEMPERATURE, LIGHT INTENSITY, AND NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION DURING THE CONTINUOUS CULTURE OF NITZSCHIA CLOSTERIUM AND TETRASELMIS SP 1 , 1964 .

[6]  B. Volcani,et al.  STUDIES ON THE BIOCHEMISTRY AND FINE STRUCTURE OF SILICA SHELL FORMATION IN DIATOMS : I. The Structure of the Cell Wall of Cylindrotheca fusiformis Reimann and Lewin , 1965 .

[7]  J. R. Cook.  ADAPTATIONS TO TEMPERATURE IN TWO CLOSELY RELATED STRAINS OF EUGLENA GRACILIS , 1966 .

[8]  K. Bloch,et al.  Effect of Light Intensity on the Lipid Composition of Euglena gracilis , 1967 .

[9]  B. Volcani,et al.  Studies on the biochemistry and fine structure of silica shell formation in diatoms. Chemical composition of Navicula pelliculosa during silicon-starvation synchrony. , 1967, Plant physiology.

[10]  B. Richardson,et al.  Effects of nitrogen limitation on the growth and composition of unicellular algae in continuous culture. , 1969, Applied microbiology.

[11]  James W. Moore,et al.  SEASONAL CHANGES IN THE PROXIMATE AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF SOME NATURALLY GROWN FRESHWATER CHLOROPHYTES 1 , 1975 .

[12]  D. Meeter,et al.  Growth response of Thalassiosira pseudonana Hasle and Heimdal clone 3H to illumination, temperature and nitrogen source , 1976 .

[13]  William J. Oswald,et al.  Energy production by microbial photosynthesis , 1977, Nature.

[14]  T. Shehata,et al.  Growth and cell volume of Euglena gracilis in different media , 1977, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[15]  J. C. Goldman,et al.  Steady-State Growth and Chemical Composition of the Marine Chlorophyte Dunaliella tertiolecta in Nitrogen-Limited Continuous Cultures , 1979, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[16]  J. Haury,et al.  Fructose uptake and influence on growth of and nitrogen fixation by Anabaena variabilis , 1981, Journal of bacteriology.

[17]  S. Chisholm,et al.  PHYTOPLANKTON LIPIDS: INTERSPECIFIC DIFFERENCES AND EFFECTS OF NITRATE, SILICATE AND LIGHT‐DARK CYCLES 1 , 1981 .

[18]  D. McKnight.  Chemical and biological processes controlling the response of a freshwater ecosystem to copper stress: A field study of the CuS04 treatment of Mill Pond Reservoir, Burlington, Massachusetts1 , 1981 .

[19]  K. Østgaard,et al.  Diurnal and circadian rhythms in the turbidity of growing Skeletonema costatum cultures , 1982 .

[20]  F. Tabita,et al.  Control of photorespiratory glycolate metabolism in an oxygen-resistant mutant of Chlorella sorokiniana , 1983, Journal of bacteriology.

[21]  Peter Pohl,et al.  Biomass production, total protein, chlorophylls, lipids and fatty acids of freshwater green and blue-green algae under different nitrogen regimes☆ , 1984 .

[22]  A. Ben‐Amotz,et al.  CHEMICAL PROFILE OF SELECTED SPECIES OF MICROALGAE WITH EMPHASIS ON LIPIDS 1 , 1985 .

[23]  K. J. Harrington,et al.  Chemical and physical properties of vegetable oil esters and their effect on diesel fuel performance , 1986 .

[24]  C. Parrish,et al.  Particulate and dissolved lipid classes in cultures of Phaeodactylum tricornutum grown in cage culture turbidostats with a range of nitrogen supply rates , 1987 .

[25]  S. Taguchi,et al.  SILICATE DEFICIENCY AND LIPID SYNTHESIS OF MARINE DIATOMS 1,2 , 1987 .

[26]  T. Tornabene,et al.  TOTAL LIPID PRODUCTION OF THE GREEN ALGA NANNOCHLOROPSIS SP. QII UNDER DIFFERENT NITROGEN REGIMES 1 , 1987 .

[27]  P. Lemke,et al.  Addendum to Microalgae Culture Collection 1986-1987 , 1987 .

[28]  Barry H. Rosen,et al.  Environmental Control of Carbohydrate and Lipid Synthesis in Euglena , 1988 .

[29]  R. Siron,et al.  Changes in the fatty acid composition of Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Dunaliella tertiolecta during growth and under phosphorous deficiency. , 1989 .

[30]  I. Ahmad,et al.  Regulation of Chloroplast Development by Nitrogen Source and Growth Conditions in a Chlorella protothecoides Strain. , 1990, Plant physiology.

[31]  Paul G. Roessler,et al.  ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF GLYCEROLIPID METABOLISM IN MICROALGAE: COMMERCIAL IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS , 1990 .

[32]  Nick Nagle,et al.  Production of methyl ester fuel from microalgae , 1990 .

[33]  Y. Bhaud,et al.  The Complex Cell Cycle of the Dinoflagellate Protoctist Crypthecodinium Cohnii as Studied In Vivo and by Cytofluorimetry , 1991 .

[34]  Edmund T. Y. Lee,et al.  Environmental factors influencing photosynthetic efficiency of the micro red alga Porphyridium cruentum (Agardh) Nägeli in light-limited cultures , 1991 .

[35]  J. Birchall,et al.  Silicon, aluminium and the biological availability of phosphorus in algae , 1993, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[36]  K. Reitan,et al.  EFFECT OF NUTRIENT LIMITATION ON FATTY ACID AND LIPID CONTENT OF MARINE MICROALGAE 1 , 1994 .

[37]  E. Becker.  Microalgae: Biotechnology and Microbiology , 1994 .

[38]  E. Molina Grima,et al.  Comparison between extraction of lipids and fatty acids from microalgal biomass , 1994 .

[39]  Hugo Guterman,et al.  PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SPIRULINA PLATENSIS (CYANOBACTERIA) CULTURED AT ULTRAHIGH CELL DENSITIES 1 , 1996 .

[40]  Z. Dubinsky,et al.  Photoacclimation in the marine alga Nannochloropsis sp. (Eustigmatophyte): a kinetic study , 1996 .

[41]  P. Harrison,et al.  Influence of continuous light and L:D cycles on the growth and chemical composition of Prymnesiophyceae including coccolithophores , 1998 .

[42]  Milton R. Sommerfeld,et al.  EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON GROWTH AND LIPID ACCUMULATION IN NITZSCHIA COMMUNIS (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) , 1998 .

[43]  J. Benemann,et al.  Look Back at the U.S. Department of Energy's Aquatic Species Program: Biodiesel from Algae; Close-Out Report , 1998 .

[44]  M. Hanna,et al.  Biodiesel production : a review , 1999 .

[45]  K. Apt,et al.  COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN MICROALGAL BIOTECHNOLOGY , 1999 .

[46]  Illman,et al.  Increase in Chlorella strains calorific values when grown in low nitrogen medium. , 2000, Enzyme and microbial technology.

[47]  Y. Ishida,et al.  A highly CO2‐tolerant diatom, Thalassiosira weissflogii H1, enriched from coastal sea, and its fatty acid composition , 2000 .

[48]  O. Pulz,et al.  Photobioreactors: production systems for phototrophic microorganisms , 2001, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[49]  A. Benider,et al.  Interaction des facteurs héliothermiques sur la croissance de trois espèces du genre Scenedesmus , 2001 .

[50]  René H. Wijffels,et al.  Photosynthetic efficiency of Dunaliella tertiolecta under short light/dark cycles , 2001 .

[51]  Jorge Alberto Vieira Costa,et al.  Modelling of Spirulina platensis growth in fresh water using response surface methodology , 2002 .

[52]  Y. Chisti,et al.  Botryococcus braunii: A Renewable Source of Hydrocarbons and Other Chemicals , 2002, Critical reviews in biotechnology.

[53]  G. Mourente,et al.  Total fatty acid composition as a taxonomic index of some marine microalgae used as food in marine aquaculture , 1990, Hydrobiologia.

[54]  J. Grobbelaar,et al.  Physiological and technological considerations for optimising mass algal cultures , 2000, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[55]  I. Karube,et al.  Antioxidants from carbon dioxide fixing Chlorella sorokiniana , 2000, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[56]  S. Heaney,et al.  Diversity in the influence of temperature on the growth rates of freshwater algae, and its ecological relevance , 2004 .

[57]  Michael A. Borowitzka,et al.  Algal biotechnology products and processes — matching science and economics , 1992, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[58]  D. L. Parry,et al.  Microalgae for use in tropical aquaculture I: Gross chemical and fatty acid composition of twelve species of microalgae from the Northern Territory, Australia , 1994, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[59]  O. Pulz,et al.  Valuable products from biotechnology of microalgae , 2004, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[60]  D. Hall,et al.  Production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in Monodus subterraneus grown in a helical tubular photobioreactor as affected by cell density and light intensity , 2001, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[61]  Yuan-Kun Lee.  Microalgal mass culture systems and methods: Their limitation and potential , 2001, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[62]  B. Parker,et al.  Biochemical composition of three algal species proposed as food for captive freshwater mussels , 2004, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[63]  L. Tomaselli,et al.  Physiological behaviour of Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima during acclimation to changes in irradiance , 1997, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[64]  P. Chelf.  Environmental control of lipid and biomass production in two diatom species , 1990, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[65]  Michael A. Borowitzka,et al.  Microalgae for aquaculture: Opportunities and constraints , 1997, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[66]  K. Gao,et al.  Optimization of growth and fatty acid composition of a unicellular marine picoplankton, Nannochloropsis sp., with enriched carbon sources , 2003, Biotechnology Letters.

[67]  E. Molina Grima,et al.  Mixotrophic growth of Phaeodactylum tricornutum on glycerol: growth rate and fatty acid profile , 2000, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[68]  M. Sommerfeld,et al.  Characterization of the growth and lipid content of the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri , 1997, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[69]  S. Sawayama,et al.  Liquid Fuel Production Using Microalgae , 2005 .

[70]  N. Moheimani.  The culture of coccolithophorid algae for carbon dioxide bioremediation , 2005 .

[71]  P. Nichols,et al.  Lipid and fatty acid yield of nine stationary-phase microalgae: Applications and unusual C24–C28 polyunsaturated fatty acids , 2005, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[72]  H. R. Gislerød,et al.  Fatty acid composition of 12 microalgae for possible use in aquaculture feed , 2007, Aquaculture International.

[73]  X. Miao,et al.  High quality biodiesel production from a microalga Chlorella protothecoides by heterotrophic growth in fermenters. , 2006, Journal of biotechnology.

[74]  Navid Reza Moheimani,et al.  The long-term culture of the coccolithophore Pleurochrysis carterae (Haptophyta) in outdoor raceway ponds , 2006, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[75]  S. Bopp,et al.  Gene regulation in the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana upon exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). , 2007, Gene.

[76]  Yean-Chang Chen,et al.  Immobilization of twelve benthic diatom species for long-term storage and as feed for post-larval abalone Haliotis diversicolor , 2007 .

[77]  D. Roelke,et al.  GROWTH AND TOXICITY OF PRYMNESIUM PARVUM (HAPTOPHYTA) AS A FUNCTION OF SALINITY, LIGHT, AND TEMPERATURE 1 , 2007 .

[78]  Y. Chisti.  Biodiesel from microalgae. , 2007, Biotechnology advances.

[79]  C. Ugwu,et al.  Influence of irradiance, dissolved oxygen concentration, and temperature on the growth of Chlorella sorokiniana , 2007, Photosynthetica.

[80]  J. Costa,et al.  Biofixation of carbon dioxide by Spirulina sp. and Scenedesmus obliquus cultivated in a three-stage serial tubular photobioreactor. , 2007, Journal of biotechnology.

[81]  T. Göksan,et al.  The Growth of Spirulina platensis in Different Culture Systems Under Greenhouse Condition , 2007 .

[82]  M. Peña.  Cell growth and nutritive value of the tropical benthic diatom, Amphora sp., at varying levels of nutrients and light intensity, and different culture locations , 2007, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[83]  Bai-cheng Zhou,et al.  Effect of iron on growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[84]  Y. Chisti.  Biodiesel from microalgae beats bioethanol. , 2008, Trends in biotechnology.

[85]  M. S. Adam,et al.  Metabolic response of the halotolerant green algaDunaliella bardawil to nitrogen: Phosphorus ratios in batch culture , 1997, Folia Microbiologica.

[86]  C. Lan,et al.  Effects of nitrogen sources on cell growth and lipid accumulation of green alga Neochloris oleoabundans , 2008, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[87]  L. Rodolfi,et al.  Microalgae for oil: Strain selection, induction of lipid synthesis and outdoor mass cultivation in a low‐cost photobioreactor , 2009, Biotechnology and bioengineering.