Study of Multi-stress Factors for Biomass and Lipid Enhancement in Chlorella Pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus Abundans Using Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

This study aimed to identify algal species that sustain biofuel production under stress conditions. C. pyrenoidosa and S. abundans can be stressed by supplementing or starving multiple nutrients at different light intensities according to response surface methodology. This study showed that algae yield improved during nutrient starvation. The resultant dry biomasses of C. pyrenoidosa and S. abundans were 98.26 and 110 mg/L, respectively, and the lipid yields were approximately 22.47 and 29.06%, respectively, under optimum conditions. The optimized parameters for C. pyrenoidosa were 0.805 g/L NaNO₃, 0.052 g/L K₂HPO₄, 0.099 g/L KH₂PO₄, 17 days of culture and 5168.39 lux of light, whereas S. abundans had 1.065 g/L NaNO₃, 0.071 g/L K₂HPO₄, 0.058 g/L KH₂PO₄, 22 days of culture and 2897 lux of light. Studies have confirmed that both species are considered sustainable sources for biodiesel production.