Enhancement of lipid accumulation in Scenedesmus obliquus by Optimizing CO2 and Fe3+ levels for biodiesel production

The effects of cultivation of Scenedesmus obliquus in nutrient medium supplemented with 0.03%, 3, 9% and 12% CO2 or 2.5–20 mg L−1 of Fe3+ on dry weight of biomass (DW), total lipid accumulation (TL contents) and total lipid productivity (TLP) were evaluated under indoor conditions. The accumulation of TL and TLP showed an increasing trend with increasing of CO2 or Fe3+ levels. In cultures with 12% CO2 or 20 mg/L Fe3+, maximum TL contents of 33.14% and 28.12%, respectively were obtained. These lipids displayed a fatty acid profile which is suitable for biodiesel production as the most abundant compounds were oleic (32.19–34.44%), palmitic (29.54–25.12%) and stearic (12.26–16.58% of total FAMEs) acids. The properties of biodiesel obtained from S. obliquus, were the same with those specification for biodiesel standards including ASTM D 6751 (American Society for Testing Material) and the European Standard En 14214. Thus, S. obliquus biomass could be used as suitable feedstock for biodiesel production.