2 Identification of Potential Strain
Microalgae are microscopic organisms that are found in extensive range of fresh and
marine water environments. Some algal species can be able to accumulate up to 48%
of lipid on dry weight basis, whereas other species are known for their ability to
produce protein [10]. The lipid and carbohydrate contents are transformed into
different kinds of biofuels, whereas the protein content could be converted into
nutritional supplements, animal feed, and biofertilizer. Therefore, the selection of
suitable strain is of high importance as it plays major role in deciding the overall cost
and kind of end products. There are four different groups of classification in
microalgae: (a) Cyanobacteria (blue and green algae), (b) Chlorophytes (green
algae), (c) Rhodophytes (red algae), and (d) Chromophytes (all other algae). There
are around more than thousand varieties of strains under every group of algae
[11]. However so far only few numbers of cultures are exploited, and the more
extensively used microalgae are Chrysophyceae, Chlorophytes, Bacillariophyceae,
and Cyanobacteria. Strains like Phaeodactylum, Chlorella, and Nannochloropsis
have exhibited good biomass productivity, and they display immense potential for
industrial-level productions [12].
The strains should be screened depending on their physiological properties, such
as tolerance to higher levels of CO 2 , NOx, and other pollutants, environmental
adaptability, and accumulation of high valuable products.
Fig. 1 Overview of products from microalgal biomass (with permission from [8])
142
B. Srinivasan and G. Kulshreshtha
Microalgae are microscopic organisms that are found in extensive range of fresh and
marine water environments. Some algal species can be able to accumulate up to 48%
of lipid on dry weight basis, whereas other species are known for their ability to
produce protein [10]. The lipid and carbohydrate contents are transformed into
different kinds of biofuels, whereas the protein content could be converted into
nutritional supplements, animal feed, and biofertilizer. Therefore, the selection of
suitable strain is of high importance as it plays major role in deciding the overall cost
and kind of end products. There are four different groups of classification in
microalgae: (a) Cyanobacteria (blue and green algae), (b) Chlorophytes (green
algae), (c) Rhodophytes (red algae), and (d) Chromophytes (all other algae). There
are around more than thousand varieties of strains under every group of algae
[11]. However so far only few numbers of cultures are exploited, and the more
extensively used microalgae are Chrysophyceae, Chlorophytes, Bacillariophyceae,
and Cyanobacteria. Strains like Phaeodactylum, Chlorella, and Nannochloropsis
have exhibited good biomass productivity, and they display immense potential for
industrial-level productions [12].
The strains should be screened depending on their physiological properties, such
as tolerance to higher levels of CO 2 , NOx, and other pollutants, environmental
adaptability, and accumulation of high valuable products.
Fig. 1 Overview of products from microalgal biomass (with permission from [8])
142
B. Srinivasan and G. Kulshreshtha