Lipid Content of Various Microalgal Species found in Lake Lanier

Abstract

The pressure of finding a reliable alternative fuel source to replace petroleum is increasing at a staggering rate. Furthermore, biofuels are gaining more spotlight as the impending oil crisis and the extreme consequences of climate change become more evident than ever before. This study aims to explore the potential of lipid production of algae naturally occurring in the waters of Lake Lanier for biofuel utilization. It is hypothesized that various species will produce varying amount of lipid. Different species of algae collected from Lake Lanier were identified and the mixture was used for lipid extraction. Monocultures of two of the most common species found in the lake were obtained commercially; the chlorophyte, Scenedesmus dimorphus and the charophyte, Spirogyra, and the lipid contents were also extracted for comparison. In order to obtain relatively the same amount of biomass for extraction, S. dimorphus was cultivated in flasks using Bristol medium in a controlled chamber (37°C; 12:12 LD cycles). Approximately four grams of wet weight biomass were used to extract the lipid following the method of Bligh and Dyer (1959) with some modifications. Results showed that the mixture of algae showed highest amount of lipid (61.2%), followed by (Spirogyra) (1.2%), and lowest amount obtained from (S. dimorphus) (0.2%) supporting the experimental hypothesis. Further analysis on the type of lipid composition from each extract will soon be conducted to determine which of the species or algal mixture will have better potential for biofuel generation.