Microalgae Growth and Phosphorus Uptake of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii 11/32C under Different Inorganic Nitrogen Sources

Abstract

Microalgae have been proven to be effective in utilizing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from a wide range of wastewater sources. This ability enhances the potential role that microalgae may have not only in wastewater bioremediation, but also in algal biomass production as an alternative feedstock for biodiesel and bio-fertilizer production. To investigate the ability of microalgae at recovering nutrients, the microalga strain Chlamydomonas reinhardtii 11/32C was selected to determine P uptake rates. Results shown that C.reinhardtii 32C cultivated in combination of NO3- and NH4+ as nitrogen sources was able to uptake 0.067 mg P l-1d-1. Combination of both nitrogen can produce specific growth rate of 0.128 d-1 and 89 mg VSS l-1d-1 of biomass dry weight. These value is the highest compare to C.reinhardtii 32C cultivated in NO3- or NH4+. These findings are fundamental to understand and plan future studies for cultivation conditions to induce luxury nutrient uptake by selected microalga.