Effect of nitrogen source on growth and lipid accumulation in Scenedesmus abundans and Chlorella ellipsoidea

For S. abundans, autotrophic culture with ammonium nitrate offers the maximum lipid yield, obtaining up to 3.55 mg L−1 d−1. For C. ellipsoidea, heterotrophic culture with ammonium nitrate has been shown to be the best condition, reaching a lipid production of 9.27 mg L−1 d−1. Moreover, fatty acid composition obtained from these cultures meets international biodiesel standards with an important amount of C18:1, achieving 70% of total fatty acids and thus representing a potential use of these two strains at an industrial scale.