Biomass and Lipid Productivity of Neochloris oleoabundans for CO2 Biofixation and Biodiesel Application

Microalgae cultivation and its use is a promising approach for integrated CO2 biofixation and biodiesel production. Freshwater Neochloris oleoabundans was investigated for lipid content, biomass productivity, and lipid productivity under different temperatures, CO2 concentrations, and nitrogen‐to‐phosphorus (N/P) ratios in culture media. A rapid calorimetric method based on sulfo‐phospho‐vanillin was used for the quantification of the intracellular lipid content. The growth of N. oleoabundans was found to be highly temperature‐sensitive. Lipid contents were found to be dependent on the CO2 concentration. Changing the N/P ratio also caused the biomass growth and lipid productivity to change. The results confirmed the potential of N. oleoabundans for CO2 biofixation and biodiesel production. Photosynthesis‐based microalgal‐mediated carbon dioxide capture and usage is a promising approach to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and provide a long‐term and sustainable solution to global warming. To this end, freshwater microalgae Neochloris oleoabundans was cultured and the biomass and lipid productivity and lipid contents under different conditions were investigated.