Authors: Justin D Chaffin Sasmita Mishra Rachel M Kuhaneck Scott A Heckathorn Thomas B Bridgeman
Publish Date: 2011/10/06
Volume: 24, Issue: 5, Pages: 1045-1051
Abstract
The use of microalgae for biofuel production has the potential to reduce fossil fuel consumption Ideal candidate species of microalgae for biooil production need both relatively high growth rates and lipid content Here we report on the effects of temperature nutrients N Si and salinity on growth rates and lipid content of the common freshwater diatom Fragilaria capucina Desm isolated from western Lake Erie At low NaCl salinity growth rate increased rapidly from 10 to 20°C and then further increased slowly from 20 to 30°C with a maximum specific growth rate of 061 day−1 Growth rate declined with increasing salinity eg reduced by ca 50 and 100 at 137 and 274 mmol L−1 NaCl respectively and increased with increased N and Si concentration until ca 100 μmol L−1 for each with 85 of maximum growth rate at 10 μmol L−1 Lipid content total lipid per dry mass in nutrientreplete cultures was 14 and 1 increased to 30 at low N and especially low Si 2 was lower at 30°C vs 20 or 10°C and 3 decreased with salinity Thus F capucina accumulates lipid to high levels even under N Si and temperature levels that permit a high growth rate for this species and hence this species is a candidate for use in biofuel productionWe thank Patty Armenio Deepesh Bista Peter Bicher Sarah Panek and Michele Phillips for laboratory assistance Jason Witter and Dr Alison Spongberg for help with freezedrying of samples and Dr Julie Wolin for identification of our isolate as Fragilaria capucina Desm Funding was provided by the Center for Innovative Food Technology and United States Air Force to SAH and TB JDC is currently supported by a National Science Foundation GK12 Program to the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center grant DGE0742395 This is contribution number 201113 of the Lake Erie Center
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