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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/FWSH/19
Screening for fast-growing oleaginous microalgae as potential source of algal oils

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1
1,2
Abdullahi Balarabe Inuwa , Qaisar Mahmood , Muhammad Irshad , Farman Ullah ,
1*
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Iftikhar Zeb , Rashid Nazir
1 Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) –
Abbottabad Campus.
2 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, College of Natural and Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria.
3 Life Sciences Center (LiSCENT), COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) – Abbottabad
Campus.
4 Department of Biotechnology, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) – Abbottabad
Campus.

Correspondence: rashidnazir@cuiatd.edu.pk
Abstract

Microalgal oils receive a great deal of attention as potential future source of biodiesel and
organic dietary supplements. However, large-scale production of these oils requires the
preliminary careful selection of superior microalgae feed stocks. Here, we report the screening
of microalgae culture collection in search of rapid growing, oil-rich strains. The aim was to
choose strains that would foster high yield of lipids under large-scale cultivation conditions.
To that end, batch cultivation of 57 strains was carried out on a BG11 medium under
photoautotrophic conditions. Growth rate of the strains was monitored at 2-day interval and
total lipid content was determined at the end of cultivation. Based on the results obtained, a
screening pipeline was established and a total 13 strains were selected accordingly. The growth
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rate ranged from 0.0867 ± 0.002 d- to 0.139 ± 0.005 while the lipid contents ranged from
28.17 ± 0.133 to 43.647% ± 0.26. Strains AY4, CM2, CM6, KL10 and LY2 were found to fit
the bill most as they combine together both the high lipid contents and rapid growth rate. The
lipid contents compared favorably with many reports from previous literatures, while growth
rate was moderate and reflected the sub-optimal cultivation conditions used. It can be
concluded that the screening process yielded a suite of microalgae strains that could be
potentially utilized as sustainable source of microalgae oils.
Keywords: microalgae; oleaginous, screening, lipid content, growth rate

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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