Characterization and classification of highly productive microalgae strains discovered for biofuel and bioproduct generation

This paper describes the characteristics of microalgal strains that originated out of an isolation and screening project included within the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB). The project's goal was to identify new potential platform strains with high growth rates and/or lipid productivities. To classify the best performing strains, we conducted a combined microscopic and phylogenetic analysis. Among the best performing strains were many coccoid green algae. Several strains belong to the species Acutodesmus (Scenedesmus) obliquus and to the species Chlorella sorokiniana, thus expanding on existing germplasm. Identified at the genus level were some Desmodesmus strains and one Ankistrodesmus strain. Several strains were classified as belonging to the genus Coelastrella, a taxon reported for the first time for North America. Multiple additional strains had ambiguous identities, with some strains possibly representing novel species. Reporting on the above strains, some of which have been tested successfully in outdoor ponds and most of which are deposited at the University of Texas Culture Collection of Algae, is a step forward in expanding the biological resources available for algae biofuel production.