Biodiesel production in Chlorella by symbiotic gas exchange

This study investigated the production of oil for biodiesel from the microalga Chlorella protothecoides by combining two bioreactors, one autotrophic and the other heterotrophic, in a closed circuit, using symbiotic gas exchange. The aim is to take advantage of the symbiotic benefit by allowing an exchange of gases enriched in O2 for the heterotrophic culture and CO2 for the autotrophic one, in order to improve the productivity of microalgal oil for biodiesel production. In parallel with the symbiotic test, a correlation was established between total fluorescence (measured by flow cytometry) and the fatty acid content of the biomass. In this way, the oil content of the microalgae can be monitored in real time using flow cytometry during their growth, an easier and faster method than quantifying the fatty acids by gas chromatography.