Determining Optimal Growth Conditions for the Highest Biomass Microalgae Species in Lithuanian Part of the Curonian Lagoon for further Cultivation

Anthropogenic eutrophication conditioned frequent and more pronounced blooms of toxic algae and cyanobacteria in the fresh and saline aquatic ecosystems all world around. However, blooming species could serve as a possible resource instead of a threat by exploiting them to remediate nutrients. The optimised use of algae and cyanobacteria may provide the environmental service together with economic benefit that could be obtained from their biomass. The aim of this study was to identify microalgae species from Curonian Lagoon that could be prospective candidates for cultivation in Lithuania, and statistically determine how the accumulation of their biomass correlated with the changes in environmental conditions, using five years monitoring data. Five species, frequently acquiring a much larger biomass (up to 70 mg/L) over other species, were identified: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Planktothrix agardhii, Actinocyclus normanii f. subsalsus, Diatoma tenuis and Stephanodiscus rotula. The optimal cultivation conditions were proposed based on results of the analysis and the potential their biomass applications are discussed.