Isolation and identification of native microalgae for biodiesel production

The continuing increase in fuel demands, the dramatic situation in climate changes and the global warming are bringing the worldwide attention to the identification of alternative energy source for the production of combustibles that can replace fossil fuel. In last years, a lot of potential sources have been identified: the first potential biofuel feedstock that have been evaluated were oleaginous plants, but the utilization of vegetable, or vegetable oils, that may also be used for human feeding, could lead to the increase of food-grade oils costs and also generate ethic questions. Nevertheless, also using as biofuel sources not-edible oils, like oils from jatropha, tobacco seed or jojoba, the common problem for both edible and not-edible crops is the need to subtract arable land from agriculture and food industry.          In this context, the utilization of aquatic microorganisms like microalgae as substrate for the production of biofuel seems to be the better solution. Microalgae are easy to cultivate and can grow with little or no attention, they can grow in fresh, brackish or salt water and in non-arable lands, moreover they are not edible with no consequences on food industry, and the oil productivity, with respect to the other potential biofuel sources, can be much higher. In addition, the intensive cultivation of microalgae for biodiesel production could also play an important role in CO2 mitigation.          In this study, we isolated and morphologically identified Québec native micro algal species, surveyed and screened their potential for lipid (biodiesel) production. The sampling efforts made in three different regions of Québec: Montreal area, Gaspesie and Northern of Quebec; on fresh, brackish or saline water. One hundred strains were isolated from the Montreal area, characterized and screened for their lipid content and wastewater nutrient removal under different temperatures (10±2 ºC and 22±2 ºC). The high potential lipid producing algal species were selected. The use of wastewater as a substrate media decreases the economic cost realted to the biofuel production from microalgae as well as an interesting tool for wastewater treatment. We compared the biomass and lipid productivity of these strains on wastewater to a synthetic medium and identified a number of isolates that showed good growth at 10 ºC, gave a high lipid content (ranging from 20% to 45% of dry weight) or a high capacity for nutrient removal (>97% removal).         Furthermore, we characterized one of the interesting strains that revealed high lipid and biomass productivity, the novel microalga Chlorella sp. PCH90. Its molecular phylogeny was established and lipid production studies as a function of the initial concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, and sodium chloride were carried out using Response Surface Methodology. Under the appropriate conditions this microalga could produce up to 36% lipid and grew well in both synthetic medium and secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant at both 22°C and 10°C. Thus, this strain is promising for further development as a potential biofuels producer under local climatic conditions.

Keyphrases: Biodiesel, Biofuels, Algae, Sustainability, Wastewater, Nutrients, Harvesting, Oil extraction, Indigenous specie, Phylogeny, Response Surface Methodology