Effects of Nitrogen Supplementation Status on CO2 Biofixation and Biofuel Production of the Promising Microalga Chlorella sp. ABC-001

Abstract

The use of microalgal biomass as feedstock for biofuels has been discussed for decades as it provides a sustainable approach to producing fuels for the future. Nonetheless, its feasibility has not been established yet and various aspects of biomass applications such as CO2 biofixation should also be explored. Therefore, in this study, the CO2 biofixation and lipid/carbohydrate production potential of Chlorella sp. ABC-001 were examined under various nitrogen concentrations. The highest biomass productivity and CO2 biofixation rate of 0.422 g/l/d and 0.683 g/l/ d, respectively, were achieved under a nitrogen-rich condition (15 mM nitrate). Carbohydrate content was generally proportional to initial nitrate concentration and showed the highest value of 41.5% with 15 mM. However, lipid content showed an inverse relationship with nitrogen supplementation and showed the highest value of 47.4% with 2.5 mM. In consideration as feedstock for biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas), the sum of carbohydrate and lipid contents were examined and the highest value of 79.6% was achieved under low nitrogen condition (2.5 mM). For lipid-based biofuel production, low nitrogen supplementation should be pursued. However, considering the lower feasibility of biodiesel, pursuing CO2 biofixation and the production of carbohydrate-based fuels under nitrogen-rich condition might be more rational. Thus, nitrogen status as a cultivation strategy must be optimized according to the objective, and this was confirmed with the promising alga Chlorella sp. ABC-001.