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Lipid production by microalgae Chlorella protothecoides with volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as carbon sources in heterotrophic cultivation and its economic assessment

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Abstract

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) that can be derived from food wastes were used for microbial lipid production by Chlorella protothecoides in heterotrophic cultures. The usage of VFAs as carbon sources for lipid accumulation was investigated in batch cultures. Culture medium, culture temperature, and nitrogen sources were explored for lipid production in the heterotrophic cultivation. The concentration and the ratio of VFAs exhibited significant influence on cell growth and lipid accumulation. The highest lipid yield coefficient and lipid content of C. protothecoides grown on VFAs were 0.187 g/g and 48.7 %, respectively. The lipid content and fatty acids produced using VFAs as carbon sources were similar to those seen on growth and production using glucose. The techno-economic analysis indicates that the biodiesel derived from the lipids produced by heterotrophic C. protothecoides with VFAs as carbon sources is very promising and competitive with other biofuels and fossil fuels.

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Acknowledgments

Author Dr. Fei gratefully acknowledges Korea National Research Foundation (KRF Scholarship) for its financial support during his Ph.D study. The authors would like to thank Dr. Nagjong Kim and Dr. Jin-dal-rae Choi for their helpful assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea

    Qiang Fei & Ho Nam Chang

  2. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 02139, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Qiang Fei & Rongzhan Fu

  3. College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China

    Longan Shang

  4. Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 02747, North Dartmouth, MA, USA

    Christopher J. Brigham

  5. National Research Council for Industrial Science and Technology, Seoul, 137-072, Korea

    Ho Nam Chang

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  1. Qiang Fei
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Correspondence to Qiang Fei.

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Fei, Q., Fu, R., Shang, L. et al. Lipid production by microalgae Chlorella protothecoides with volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as carbon sources in heterotrophic cultivation and its economic assessment. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 38, 691–700 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-014-1308-0

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