The effect of CO2 and salinity on the cultivation of Scenedesmus obliquus for biodiesel production

Biodiesel is a renewable and environmental friendly energy source that can be produced via tranesterification from various oil crops such as soy bean, sunflower, palm, and algae. In this work, the microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus, S. armatus and S. bernadii, isolated from natural water basins, were enriched in modified Chu 13 medium. Only S. obliquus showed significant oil accumulation and was thus further cultivated in 3 L tubular photo-reactors under mixotrophic conditions (16:8 h light-dark cycle) at room temperature and varying CO2 (5, 10, and 15%) supply. The results indicated that S. obliquus can be grown under various CO2 concentrations. A maximum biomass of 2.3 g/L was achieved when 15% CO2 was used. The effect of salinity on oil storage was also considered, using sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions of varying concentrations (0.05, 0.2, and 0.3 M). Higher lipid contents were found in cells that were subjected to salt stress compared to those in conditions without salt stress. A maximum oil accumulation of 36% was observed within 15 days at 0.3 M NaCl. A biodiesel yield of up to 97.4% was obtained.