The influence of cultivation period on growth and biodiesel properties of microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana 1049

This work reported for the first time the detailed impacts of cultivation period on growth dynamics and biochemical composition of a microalga strain Nannochloropsis gaditana 1049. The results shown either the biomass accumulation, lipid content, neutral lipid content, monounsaturated fatty acids composition or the favorable fatty acid profile of C16-C18 increased along with the cultivation period extension, but the lipid productivity displayed a decrease since cultured for 16 days, with the highest value reached 289.51 ± 16.34 mg L−1 d−1. Biodiesel properties of this microalga also changed with the cultivation period extension, with average unsaturated degree decreased from 1.24 ± 0.03 to 0.59 ± 0.02, cloud point increased from 3.39 ± 0.40 °C to 12.14 ± 0.32 °C, cetane number increased from 54.59 ± 0.20 to 58.96 ± 0.16 and iodine number reduced sharply from 105.15 ± 2.24 gI2/100 g to 56.44 ± 1.76 gI2/100 g, which all satisfied the specifications of biodiesel standard.