Optimization of Culture Conditions for Enhanced Biomass Production and Biodiesel Potential in the Green Microalga Scenedesmus obliquus

Abdel-galil, Mahmoud A.; Abd Elhay, Yossry Bayoumy; Hegab, Khaled Khalil; Elebaby, Fathy G.; Matter, Ibrahim

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2025.384574.11761

Optimization of Culture Conditions for Enhanced Biomass Production and Biodiesel Potential in the Green Microalga Scenedesmus obliquus

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Technology of Agricultural Equipment, Faculty of Industrial and Energy Technology, Borg Al Arab Technological University (BATU), Alexandria, Egypt

² Agriculture Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo university, Cairo, Egypt

³ Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

⁴ Agricultural Microbiology Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2025.384574.11761

Abstract

This study investigates the geometric and biological factors influencing growth, biomass and lipid yield of the lipid-rich green microalga, Scenedesmus obliquus under laboratory conditions. Various parameters, including the geometric shape of growth containers, nitrogen sources, pH, and light/dark cycles, were optimized to enhance growth and lipid yield. Cultivation in a glass column photobioreactor outperformed conical flasks and rectangular glass basins in terms of biomass and lipid productivity. Optimal results were obtained by using urea as a nitrogen source instead of sodium nitrate in BBM medium, along with continuous illumination and a controlled pH of 7. Under these conditions, biomass production reached 1.8 g/L with a lipid content of approximately 30% (dry weight basis). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyse the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from S. obliquus to assess the suitability of the lipids as feedstock for biofuel production. The results indicated that C16 and C18 fatty acids comprised 90% of the total identified fatty acids, with 64.5% of them being unsaturated. This fatty acid profile suggests that biomass from S. obliquus cultivated under optimized conditions is a promising feedstock for biodiesel production. These findings underscore the potential for further research into biofuel development and other industrial applications of microalgal lipids.

Keywords