Application of nutrient stress conditions for hydrocarbon and oil production by Botryococcus braunii

ABSTRACT

The influence of main nutrient stress conditions KNO₃, MgSO₄, K₂HPO₄ and KCl on biofuel production from biomass by two Botryococcus braunii strains has been investigated. Low concentrations of KNO₃ and MgSO₄ exhibited positive effect on hydrocarbon, oil contents and their relative ratios without much affecting the growth. Most of the saturated hydrocarbons were identified in the range of C₁₅ to C₄₄, the major ones being C₁₇H₃₄, C₁₉H₃₈, C₂₁H₄₄, C₂₄H₅₀ and C₂₇H₅₆. Fatty acids ranged from C₁₂ to C₂₈, with palmitic, linoleic, oleic and stearic acids being the major ones. The relative proportion of the desirable biofuel component, palmitic acid, was significantly increased under NO₃¹⁻, PO₄³⁻ and potassium stress conditions. These findings suggest that monitoring of concentration of a few nutrients may enhance the quantity and desirable types of biofuel components together with substantial growth of Botryococcus braunii for bioenergy production and for commercial large scale cultivation.

KEYWORDS:

• algae
• Botryococcus
• fatty acids
• hydrocarbons
• bioenergy

Acknowledgements

This study was carried out by T. Manchanda and R. Tyagi at The Northcap University, Gurgaon, India, and IIT-Delhi, N. Delhi, India. GC-MS was performed in Advanced Instrumentation Facility, JNU, New Delhi, India.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.