Comparison of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and Nannochloropsis salina for lipid production using artificial seawater and nutrients from anaerobic digestion effluent

The potential use of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 (Synechocystis sp.) for lipid production using artificial seawater (ASW) medium supplemented with anaerobic digestion effluent (ADE) was investigated and compared to marine microalgae, Nannochloropsis salina (N. salina). Synechocystis sp. showed growth rates 83% and 20% higher than N. salina at 3% and 6% ADE loading ratios, respectively, achieving the highest biomass productivity of 212 mg L−1 d−1 in semi-continuous cultivation. The rapid growth of Synechocystis sp. was offset by its low lipid content, resulting in lipid productivities 7–28% lower than N. salina. The lipid productivity of Synechocystis sp. may be further improved by decreasing the harvesting interval during semi-continuous cultivation. Fatty acid analysis showed that lipids extracted from Synechocystis sp. contained higher palmitic acid (60.3 ± 2.0%) and linoleic acid (20.0 ± 1.6%), and had a higher cetane number and oxidative stability than those from N. salina.