title: Algae biofilm growth and the potential to stimulate lipid accumulation through nutrient starvation.
abstract: An algae biofilm growth system was developed to study the growth kinetics and neutral lipid productivities of Scenedesmus obliquus and Nitzschia palea, and to determine if algal biofilms can be starved of key nutrients to increase their neutral lipid concentrations. Linear growth curves were determined for each species until nutrient starvation commenced, at which point growth ceased and/or biofilms sloughed from their substratum. Nutrient starvation did not increase neutral lipid concentrations in any of the biofilms; however, it approximately doubled their lipid concentrations when grown in suspension. Biomass productivities of 2.8 and 2.1g/m(2)/d and lipid productivities of 0.45 and 0.18 g/m(2)/d were determined for N. palea and S. obliquus, respectively. The results suggest that nutrient starvation of biofilms is not a desirable method of lipid production for algae biofilm biofuel production systems, but that lipid production rates compare favorably with conventional terrestrial biofuel sources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3E5. peter.schnurr@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schnurr
authors.forename: George S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Espie
authors.forename: D Grant
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D017377:Diatoms / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005508:Food Deprivation; D007700:Kinetics; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D044444:Scenedesmus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008055:Lipids