Industrial and municipal wastewaters are potential resources for production of microalgae biofuels. Dalton - the Carpet Capital of the World generates 100-115 million L of wastewater d(-1). A study was conducted using a wastewater containing 85-90% carpet industry effluents with 10-15% municipal sewage, to evaluate the feasibility of algal biomass and biodiesel production. Native algal strains were isolated from carpet wastewater. Preliminary growth studies indicated both fresh water and marine algae showed good growth in wastewaters. A consortium of 15 native algal isolates showed >96% nutrient removal in treated wastewater. Biomass production potential and lipid content of this consortium cultivated in treated wastewater were approximately 9.2-17.8 tons ha(-1) year(-1) and 6.82%, respectively. About 63.9% of algal oil obtained from the consortium could be converted into biodiesel. However further studies on anaerobic digestion and thermochemical liquefaction are required to make this consortium approach economically viable for producing algae biofuels.

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The growth response of Chlorella vulgaris was studied under varying concentrations of carbon dioxide (ranging from 0.036 to 20%) and temperature (30, 40 and 50°C). The highest chlorophyll concentration (11 μg mL–1) and biomass (210 μg mL–1), which were 60 and 20 times more than that of C. vulgaris at ambient CO2 (0.036%), were recorded at 6% CO2 level. At 16% CO2 level, the concentrations of chlorophyll and biomass values were comparable to those at ambient CO2 but further increases in the CO2 level decreased both of them. Results showed that the optimum temperature for biomass production was 30°C under elevated CO2 (6%). Although increases in temperature above 30°C resulted in concomitant decrease in growth response, their adverse effects were significantly subdued at elevated CO2. There were also differential responses of the alga, assessed in terms of NaH14CO3 uptake and carbonic anhydrase activity, to increases in temperature at elevated CO2. The results indicated that Chlorella vulgaris grew better at elevated CO2 level at 30°C, albeit with lesser efficiencies at higher temperatures.

It is imperative to slash the cost of algal oil to less than $50 bbl(-1) for successful algal biofuel production. Use of municipal wastewater for algal cultivation could obviate the need for freshwater and the nutrients--N and P. It would also add CO2 through bacterial activity. Chlorella minutissima Fott et Nova dominated the entire phycoflora year around and through each stage of the wastewater treatment at the oxidation pond system of Wazirabad (Delhi) in India. The ability to grow so profusely in such varied and contrasting situations made this alga unique. Besides pollution tolerance, it grew heterotrophically in dark under acidic conditions and as a mixotroph in presence of light over a range of organic C substrates. It could utilize both ammoniacal and nitrate nitrogen, survived anaerobicity, 5% NaCl and-10 bar of osmotic stress. C. minutissima grew at pH 4-11 and raised the pH set initially by 1 to 3 units in 7.5 h. It showed gigantism and largely kept afloat in presence of utilizable organic carbon, while flocculated in mineral medium and on aging. The alga also possessed potential for biofuel production. The studied parameters indicate why C. minutissima was a potential biomass builder in municipal sewage and could be used to determine which other alga(e) may serve the purpose.

BackgroundRenewable energy for sustainable development is a subject of a worldwide debate since continuous utilization of non-renewable energy sources has a drastic impact on the environment and economy; a search for alternative energy resources is indispensable. Microalgae are promising and potential alternate energy resources for biodiesel production. Thus, our efforts were focused on surveying the natural diversity of microalgae for the production of biodiesel. The present study aimed at identification, isolation, and characterization of oleaginous microalgae from shola forests of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), the biodiversity hot spot of India, where the microalgal diversity has not yet been systematically investigated.ResultsOverall the higher biomass yield, higher lipid accumulation and thermotolerance observed in the isolated microalgal strains have been found to be the desirable traits for the efficient biodiesel production. Species composition and diversity analysis yielded ten potential microalgal isolates belonging to Chlorophyceae and Cyanophyceae classes. The chlorophytes exhibited higher growth rate, maximum biomass yield, and higher lipid accumulation than Cyanophyceae. Among the chlorophytes, the best performing strains were identified and represented by Acutodesmus dissociatus (TGA1), Chlorella sp. (TGA2), Chlamydomonadales sp. (TGA3) and Hindakia tetrachotoma (PGA1). The Chlamydomonadales sp. recorded with the highest growth rate, lipid accumulation and biomass yield of 0.28 ± 0.03 day−1 (μexp), 29.7 ± 0.69% and 134.17 ± 16.87 mg L−1 day−1, respectively. It was also found to grow well at various temperatures, viz., 25 °C, 35 °C, and 45 °C, indicating its suitability for open pond cultivation. The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis of stationary phase cultures of selected four algal strains by tandem mass spectrograph showed C16:0, C18:1 and C18:3 as dominant fatty acids suitable for biodiesel production. All the three strains except for Hindakia tetrachotoma (PGA1) recorded higher carbohydrate content and were considered as potential feed stocks for biodiesel production through hydrothermal liquefaction technology (HTL).ConclusionsIn conclusion, the present investigation is a first systematic study on the microalgal diversity of soil and water samples from selected sites of NBR. The study resulted in isolation and characterization of ten potent oleaginous microalgae and found four cultures as promising feed stocks for biodiesel production. Of the four microalgae, Chlamydomonadales sp. (TGA3) was found to be significantly thermo-tolerant and can be considered as promising feedstock for biodiesel production.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12866-017-1144-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Bioresource Technology resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Bioresource Technology, 2014; 170: 20-29 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. AbstractThe biomass of halophytic microalga Tetraselemis sp. with 16%w/w solids was converted into biocrude by a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process in a batch reactor at different temperatures (310, 330, 350 and 370 o C) and reaction times (5, 15, 30, 45 and 60min). The biocrude yield, elemental composition, energy density and severity parameter obtained at various reaction conditions were used to predict the optimum condition for maximum recovery of biocrude with improved quality. This study clearly indicated that the operating condition for obtaining maximum biocrude yield and ideal quality biocrude for refining were different. A maximum biocrude yield of ~65wt% ash free dry weight (AFDW) was obtained at 350 o C and 5min, with a severity parameter and energy density of 5.21 and ~35MJ/kg, respectively. The treatment with 45min reaction time recorded 2 ~62wt% (AFDW) yield of biocrude with and energy density of ~39MJ/kg and higher severity parameter of 7.53.