Algal Diversity in Biological Soil Crusts of Qom Province, Iran: Insights into Microflora Composition and Environmental Impact

Today, the use of CO2 in microalgae cultures has increased for different purposes. Microalgae have the potential to produce high-value products along with CO2 fixation. Dunaliella is a twoflagellate green microalga. Besides lacking an indigestible cell wall, the relatively good quality protein and fatty acid make this alga an exceptional food in aquaculture and poultry fostering. In addition, there are many indigenous strains of algae with the advantage of adaptation to the regional climate condition. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the CO2 effect on the growth pattern and biochemical composition of Dunaliella sp. ABRIINW-I1 is native to Urmia Lake.Results showed that using CO2 in the culture not only affects the biomass concentration (1.06 g/l AFDW vs 0.54 g/l in the control experiment) and growth period (reaching the stationary phase in 7 days rather than 14 days in the control experiment); but also influences the chemical composition. It seems that during the cultivation time, the lipid content increased in the cost of carbohydrates (33.1%DW). Fatty acid analysis revealed an optimal combination of saturated and unsaturated acids with the dominance of C16 and C18 fatty acids. It seems that CO2 injection had no significant effect on the type of FA. The nutritional values of the studied strain were validated in this study, particularly when treated with CO2. The results demonstrated that utilizing CO2 in an algal culture could lead to decreased cost and energy requirements.