Microalgae has been shown to be promising for both wastewater treatment and the production of valuable biomass, which can be converted to sustainable biofuels, animal feeds, nutraceuticals, and food supplements. Previous research has demonstrated that a greater diversity of species can improve overall biomass productivity. Furthermore, biomass productivity and lipid composition is sensitive to cultivation conditions. In this study, we investigated the total lipid content and fatty acid composition of both assembled and naturally occurring algal communities that were cultivated in dairy wastewater. Total lipid content was determined by extraction and measured gravimetrically. The assembled polyculture was found to have a slightly higher total lipid content than the naturally occurring polyculture. Fatty acid profiles were determined by a one-step extraction-derivatization method and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The fatty acid profile was observed to have similar distributions and abundances in both polycultures. Understanding the fatty acid composition of algal biomass is important for the development of sustainable biofuels.

Lipid analyses of assembled and naturally occurring algal communities cultivated in agricultural wastewater

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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