Enhanced biodiesel production through phyco-myco co-cultivation of Chlorella minutissima and Aspergillus awamori: An integrated approach

Algae-fungus co-culture was investigated as an alternative biodiesel feedstock. An oleaginous filamentous fungus Aspergillus awamori was co-cultured with Chlorella minutissima MCC 27 and Chlorella minutissima UTEX 2219, respectively in N11 medium furnished with different carbon and nitrogen sources. The biomass and lipid production potential of the two C. minutissima-A. awamori co-cultures was compared against the monocultures. A substantial enhancement in biomass and lipid accumulation was observed in both the co-cultures. When supplemented with different carbon and nitrogen sources, glycerol and potassium nitrate were found to be the most effective. In the presence of glycerol, a 2.6-3.9-fold increase of biomass and 3.4-5.1-fold increase of total lipid yields were observed in the co-cultures as compared to the axenic monocultures. Furthermore, C16:0 (31.26-35.02%) and C18:1 (21.14-24.21%) fatty acids were the major composites of the co-culture oils, which suggest co-culture as a promising strategy for biodiesel production.