Modelling lipid production in microalgae

Microalgae offer potentially great opportunities for producing biofuel. In order to optimize triglycerid production, this article proposes a dynamical model of microalgal lipid production. In this model, intracellular carbon is divided between a functional pool and two storage pools (sugars and neutral lipids). The various intracellular carbon flows between these pools lead to a complex dynamic with a strong discrepancy between accumulation and mobilization of neutral lipids. This generates an hysteresis which has been observed experimentally. The model has been validated with experiments of Isochrysis affinis galbana (T. iso) culture under various nitrogen limitation conditions.