Effect of Carbon–Nitrogen Ratio for the Biomass Production, Hydrocarbons and Lipids on Botryoccus Braunii UIS 003.

Abstract

The genus Botryococcus compiles a variety of green microalgae which accumulate large quantities of hydrocarbons, this genus is classified in four types or races (A, B, L and R) based on chemical structure of hydrocarbons. Race B has been acknowledge due to its hability to accumulate triterpene hydrocarbons C₃₀- C₃₇ best known as botriococene and methylated squalene C₃₁-C₃₄ which are considerate as candidates for biofuels production; however, one of the main problems that face biofuels production using this alga as feedstock is the continuous production, both lipids and hydrocarbons; that is why it’s mandatory to find the best carbon and nitrogen source that maximizes biomass and total lipid production.
It was found that by adjusting the carbon/nitrogen ratio using sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) it was possible to substantially improve the production of biomass from 1 to 2 g/L in 15 days thus doubling the production of biomass in the same time; however, both the lipids and hydrocarbons production will not be affected positively showing a significant reduction from baseline.