Research on Surirella brebissonii as a biofuel alternative

Abstract

Research on diatoms is generally limited to the academic studies, and it has attracted little attention for biotechnological fields such as biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and biomolecules. In this study, Surirella brebissonii was identified systematically, using standardized methodologies and molecular analysis of 18S rDNA. Consequently, this diatom was cultivated under F/2 nitrogen limitation medium to monitor the growth, biomass productivity, lipid content and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) components to use in biofuel purpose. To evaluate it as a biofuel resource, fatty acid profiles of this strain were compared with edible oils (soybean and palm) and other microalgae candidates. The results demonstrated that S. brebissonii has great potential in lipid and saturated fatty acid (SFA) production by 45.63±0.03 (%DW) and 49.6 (%WT), respectively.