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Effect of light intensity and pH condition on the growth, biomass and lipid
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DOI: 10.1080/17597269.2015.1045274

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Effect of light intensity and pH condition on the

growth, biomass and lipid content of microalgae
Scenedesmus species
a c c ab
Amrita Difusa , Jayanta Talukdar , Mohan Chandra Kalita , K. Mohanty & Vaibhav V.
ab
Goud
a
Centre for Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam-781039, India
b
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati,
Assam-781039, India
c
Department of Biotechnology, Guwahati University, Guwahati-781014, Assam, India
Published online: 26 May 2015.
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To cite this article: Amrita Difusa, Jayanta Talukdar, Mohan Chandra Kalita, K. Mohanty & Vaibhav V. Goud (2015): Effect
of light intensity and pH condition on the growth, biomass and lipid content of microalgae Scenedesmus species, Biofuels,
DOI: 10.1080/17597269.2015.1045274

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 Biofuels, 2015
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17597269.2015.1045274

Effect of light intensity and pH condition on the growth, biomass and lipid content of microalgae
Scenedesmus species
Amrita Difusaa, Jayanta Talukdarc, Mohan Chandra Kalitac, K. Mohantya,b and Vaibhav V. Gouda,b*
a
Centre for Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam-781039, India; bDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam-781039, India; cDepartment of Biotechnology, Guwahati University, Guwahati-781014,
Assam, India

(Received 15 June 2014; accepted 18 April 2015)

The physiological factors for microalgae cultivation are the preliminary steps to overcome the potential biomass demand.
In this regard, the influence of light intensity (at six levels: 27, 40.5, 54, 67.5, 81 and 94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1) and pH
conditions (5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0) on the growth and lipid production of Scenedesmus species ADIITEC-II and
GUBIOTJT116 was compared in the batch culture. Among the studied species, maximum specific growth (0.334 §
0.002 day¡1) and highest biomass yield (0.41 § 0.021 g L¡1) was achieved for Scenedesmus species ADIITEC-II at light
intensity 81 mmol m¡2s¡1. Similarly, Scenedesmus species GUBIOTJT116 showed increased growth and biomass
Downloaded by [New York University] at 00:56 30 May 2015

production at 81 mmol m¡2s¡1. However, illumination under 94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1 showed higher lipid production (0.533 §
0.001 g L¡1 and 0.551 § 0.001 g L¡1) for Scenedesmus sp. ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116, respectively. The significant
variation in effective pH tolerance, growth and biomass production was observed in the studied pH range. The result
obtained in this study provides a potential insight of the strains and could be further explored to improve the biomass and
lipid yield.
Keywords: light intensity; pH condition; Scenedesmus species; biomass; lipid

The substantial utilization of fossil fuel has contributed to
growing concern over the search for sustainable alternate
energy sources to satisfy the existing energy demand. In
lieu, microalgae are reckoned to be the entity with most
potential for sustainable fuel generation and as well as
able feedstock to mitigate the emitting carbon dioxide
which is one of the major green house gases to the atmo-
sphere.[1] In this regard, microalgae cultivation scores an
extensive consideration in terms of biomass production
for various valuable products and has been involved in
many strategic ways, leading from raceway ponds to
photo bioreactors. Microalgae cultivation is always main-
tained with a combination of basic physiological factors
like light intensity, pH and temperature for its optimum
physicochemical and biological processes. To refer,
microalgae species shows a critical influence towards the
pH condition. Often the water bodies covered with micro-
algae blooms have a lethal effect for several microalgae
species, where the increased microalgae population cre-
ates high photosynthetic assimilation of carbon into bio-
mass, which goes beyond the supply of CO2 into seawater
resulting an elevated pH.[2] However, microalgae are
very diverse in terms of pH tolerance and are very species
specific. To compare, some species of microalgae (espe-
cially diatoms and large dinoflagellates) are very sensitive
to elevated pH (over pH 8.5) and some bloom-forming or
red-tide coastal species tolerate extremely high pH-levels
(above pH 9.0).[3] According to Goldman et al. [4] the
optimum pH condition for the microalgae growth allows
intense culture photosynthesis, which responds to an
increase in pH of the medium condition towards the sta-
tionary phase and which lowers the microalgae growth
rate.
Light intensity also has a significant effect on the
growth of microalgae species. Microalgal photosynthetic
kinetics utilize light condition to conduct their metabolic
activities.[5] Microalgae cells possess certain light satura-
tion limits (6.458 KLux) which are used as a source of
energy for synthesizing cell protoplasm and limit the utili-
zation of light when exposed beyond its saturation limit.
[6] It plays a crucial role in photoautotrophic microalgae
cultivation, and its requirement varies depending upon the
culture depth and density of the microalgae culture. The
higher depth and cell concentrations of the microalgae
culture requires increased exposure of light intensity to
penetrate through the culture medium.[6] This present
study focused on the aspect of growth, biomass and lipid
production of two natives isolates of Scenedesmus species
under different light intensity and constant pH condition.
Materials and methods
Microalgae strain and culture medium
Two microalgae strains were used in the study: Scenedes-
mus species ADIITEC-II and Scenedesmus species
GUBIOTJT116. Scenedesmus species ADIITEC-II was

*Corresponding author. Email: vvgoud@iitg.ernet.in

Ó 2015 Taylor & Francis

 2 A. Difusa et al.
isolated from the native wetland of North East India and
Scenedesmus species (GUBIOTJT116) was obtained from
Culture Collection of Microalgae Division, Department of
Biotechnology Gauhati University, India. The isolated
microalgae cultures were raised aseptically under con-
trolled laboratory conditions. The medium used during
this study was the BG-11 medium which contains NaNO3
1.5 g, K2HPO4.3H2O 0.04 g, KH2PO4.3H2O 0.2 g, EDTA
0.0005 g, Fe ammonium citrate 0.005 g, citric acid
0.005 g, Na2CO3 0.02 g and 1 ml of trace metal solution
per liter. The trace metal solution contains H3BO3 2.85 g,
MnCl2.4H2O 1.8 g, ZnSO4.7H2O 0.02 g, CuSO4.5H2O
0.08 g, CoCl2.6H2O 0.08 g and Na2MoO4.2H2O
0.05 gl¡1. The pH of a medium was adjusted to 7.5 with
either 1N HCl or 1N KOH solution prior to autoclaving.
The cultures were incubated at temperature 25 § 2
C and
16:8 h light and dark photoperiod.
Microalgal cultivation
Downloaded by [New York University] at 00:56 30 May 2015
The two isolates of Scenedesmus species were cultivated
at six different light intensities (27, 40.5, 54, 67.5, 81 and
94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1). The designated irradiances were
achieved using a photometer (Lux meter: Metravi 1330,
India). Growth of cultures was initiated by the introduc-
tion of inoculums containing about 0.5 £ 106 to 2.0 £ 106
cells ml¡1. All of the experiments were carried out in a
250 ml culture flask (batch mode) for a culture duration of
10 days, and prior to autoclaving initial culture pH was
adjusted to pH 7.5. The effects of different pH conditions,
i.e. pH 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0, were also studied over a
culture duration of 10 days. The pH was calibrated to pH
5.0 and 6.0 using an acetate buffer. However, pH 7.0, 8.0
and 9.0 were adjusted with phosphate buffer. All experi-
ments were carried out in triplicate, and the values
reported are the mean of three such experiments in which
24% variability was observed.
Measurement of microalgae growth
Growth of microalgae was monitored by counting the cell
numbers. Cell numbers were determined every 24 hours
from a direct cell count using a Neubour Haemocytome-
ter. For each parameter, the average values were calcu-
lated from the data generated from three replicates of
each study. Specific growth rate (m) and doubling time
(T2) were calculated by using Equations (1) and (2)
reported by Levasseur et al. [7].
m D lnðN2 =N1 Þ=t2 ¡ t1 (1)
T2 D 0:6931=m (2)
where m is the specific growth rate, T2 is the doubling
time, and N1 and N2 is the cell numbers at time t1 and
time t2, respectively.
Biomass determination
Biomass and lipid estimation was carried out by sampling
at the end of exponential phase of growth. For the analysis
of biomass, known volume of algal suspension was fil-
tered through a pre-dried and pre-weighed glass fiber filter
(GF/C). The filter paper with biomass of algae was then
dried at 80
C for 6 h and weighed until the constant dry
weight, allowed to cool in the desiccator and then weighed
again.[8]
Lipid extraction
The total lipids were extracted using a modified Bligh and
Dyer method.[9] A known volume of the culture was har-
vested during a late exponential growth phase by centrifu-
gation at 5000 rpm for 35 min. The known amount of
dried cell biomass was finely ground with 2:1 mixture of
chloroform (CHCl3) and methanol (CH3OH). The residue
was extracted 23 times with chloroform or till it became
colorless. The filtrate was collected, and a biphasic layer
was obtained on addition of 0.9% NaCl solution (1/3rd of
the volume). The lower organic (CHCl3) layer containing
the lipid components was collected in a clean pre-weighed
glass vial. The solvent was evaporated at 60
C in a water
bath to near dryness and dried in desiccators under
reduced pressure over anhydrous Na2SO4. The dried lipid
extract was measured gravimetrically and expressed in
gram per liter (gl¡1) of total lipids per dry cell weight
(DCW).
Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis such as standard errors of means (SE),
two way analysis of variance (ANOVA), etc. was done
using software GraphPad Prism version: 5.00.
Results and discussion
Effect of light intensity on growth of Scenedesmus
species ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116
The growth study carried out using different light intensi-
ties showed a significant effect on cell growth curve pat-
terns of both of the isolates of Scenedesmus species. The
species ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116 revealed a signifi-
cant effect (p < .0001) on final cell numbers at the end of
experiments (Figure 1). Results of the study revealed that
under low light intensity of 27 mmol m¡2s¡1 both of the
isolate exhibits a slow growth rate and low biomass pro-
duction, a gradual increase in irradiance was associated
with an increase in the growth and biomass, but only up to
a certain light intensity, i.e. 81 mmol m¡2s¡1. Among the
studied light regimes, ADIITEC-II exposed to
27 mmol m¡2s¡1 provides a continuous cell growth
through an exponential phase till day 8 of cultivation with
the least specific growth rate of 0.292 § 0.001 d¡1. Simi-
larly, under irradiance of 40.5, 54, 67.5 mmol m¡2s¡1, oth-
erwise identical conditions, growth rates were noticed as
0.298 § 0.002 d¡1, 0.296 § 0.002 d¡1 and 0.3 § 0.001
d¡1, respectively. However, further increases in light inten-
sity to 94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1 showed an abrupt drop in growth
rate (0.17 § 0.0004 d¡1) and the least cell number
(9.6£106 cells ml¡1) towards day 8 of the culture period.

Downloaded by [New York University] at 00:56 30 May 2015
Figure 1. Effect of light intensities on growth of Scenedesmus species (ADIITEC-II).
In an independent study reported by Tang et al.[10] and
Liu et al.[11] on the growth rate of Dunaliella tertiolecta
and Scenedesmus sp. 11-1 under different light intensity, it
was observed that Scenedesmus sp. 11-1 showed high toler-
ance towards the light regimes, and the light intensity 400
mmol m¡2 s¡1 indicates the most suitable condition for
growth with total biomass yield (i.e. 3.88 g L¡1).[11] How-
ever, in the case of GUBIOTJT116, the growth rate was
continuously supported under the irradiance of 81 mmol
m¡2s¡1 and cell density was 4.69 £ 106 cells ml¡1
towards day 10 of the experiment, with maximum growth
rate 0.25 § 0.02 d¡1 and minimum doubling time 2.56 §
0.01 days. The least increase in cell concentration
(3.88 £ 106 cells ml¡1) was observed in a culture incubated
under light intensity of 94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1 with minimum
growth rate (0.1 § 0.02 d¡1). However, culture grown
Figure 2. Effect of different light intensity on growth of Scenedesmus species (GUBIOTJT116).
Biofuels 3
under irradiance of 27, 40.5, 54 mmol m¡2s¡1 showed a
growth rate of 0.16 § 0.02 d¡1, 0.17 § 0.01 d¡1, and 0.17
§ 0.01 d¡1 , respectively (Figure 2). Similarly, a study
conducted on C. vulgaris has provided different aspects,
where the low light intensity range of 37.5 to 62.5 mmol
m¡2 s¡1 showed increased growth and biomass yield, and
exhibited a significant decrease in response to high light
intensity of 100 mmol m¡2 s¡1.[12] It has also been
observed that an alteration in light intensity affects the bio-
mass and biochemical compositions and also exhibits their
range of adaptations in different culture conditions accord-
ingly.[12] Moreover, light intensity in nature goes to about
2,000 mmol m¡2s¡1 , which may limit the growth, as it is
beyond the light saturation constants of some algae.[13,11]
Indeed, depending on species, microalgae exhibit increased
growth and biomass yield under certain saturation point of
 4 A. Difusa et al.

Table 1. Growth characteristics, biomass and total lipid content of Scenedesmus species (ADIITEC-II) under different light intensities.

Light intensity Specific growth Doubling time Biomass productivity Total lipid
(mmol m¡2s¡1) rate m, (day¡1) T2, (days) (g l¡1d¡1) content (gl¡1)

27 0.292 § 0.001 2.37 § 0.01 0.34 § 0.009 0.246 § 0.003

40.5 0.298 § 0.002 2.32 § 0.011 0.35 § 0.024 0.253 § 0.001
54 0.296 §0.002 2.34 § 0.02 0.36 § 0.02 0.241 § 0.002
67.5 0.3 § 0.001 2.31 § 0.01 0.36 § 0.015 0.285 § 0.002
81 0.334 § 0.002 2.07 § 0.011 0.41 § 0.021 0.322 § 0.001
94.5 0.17 § 0.0004 4.06 § 0.01 0.25 § 0.02 0.533 § 0.001

Data presented as § standard error of mean of triplicates (each treatment).

light. However, further increase in light intensity beyond
the saturation point inhibits the growth and biomass caus-
ing photo inhibition.[14] In this phenomenon, photo oxida-
tion reaction takes place inside the cell, due to inability of
the photosynthetic apparatus to absorb the excess light.
[1518]
Downloaded by [New York University] at 00:56 30 May 2015
production of 0.25 § 0.02 g l¡1 d¡1 and 0.14 §
0.02 g l¡1 d¡1 , respectively, at 94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1. On
the other hand, with an increased light intensity lipid yield
was found to be increased (Figure 5). Compared with low
light conditions, the pattern of lipid content was almost
similar for both the species. In the case of ADIITEC-II,
the low light conditions 27, 40.5 and 54 mmol m¡2 s¡1

showed minimum lipid content, i.e. 0.24 § 0.003, 0.25 §

Effect of light intensity on biomass and lipid content of
Scenedesmus species ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116
For the growth of microalgae cells, light is the major
source of energy. Therefore, light intensity played a sig-
nificant effect on biomass production of the studied spe-
cies towards the exponential growth phase. As shown in
Figure 5, each microalga has a unique requirement of light
intensity for biomass and lipid production. At light inten-
sity of 81 mmol m¡2s¡1, ADIITEC-II exhibits maximum
growth and biomass production (0.41 § 0.021 g l¡1d¡1)
compared to GUBIOTJT116 (0.32 § 0.02 g l¡1 d¡1)
(Tables 1 and 2). An increase in light intensity to
94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1 lowered the biomass production. For
the same light regime, an effective increase in lipid con-
tent was observed for ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116
(0.53 § 0.001 gl¡1) (0.55 § 0.001) gl¡1, respectively.
Both of the species at series of light regimes (27, 40.5, 54,
67.5 mmol m¡2s¡1) follow the steady increase in biomass
productivity. Therefore, in the present study, it was
observed that gradual increases in light intensities from
27 mmol m¡2s¡1 to 81 mmol m¡2s¡1 favored the cell den-
sity increase which results in maximum biomass produc-
tion (Figures 3 and 4). However, the biomass productivity
of ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116 was limited beyond
the light regime 81 mmol m¡2s¡1 with minimum biomass
0.001, and 0.24 § 0.002 gl¡1, respectively. Likewise,
minimum lipid accumulation was also observed in the
case of species GUBIOTJT116 under the same light inten-
sities and thereafter increased beyond the light intensity of
67.5 mmol m¡2 s¡1. Thus, in the studied species, light
intensities ranging from 67.5 to 94.5 mmol m¡2 s¡1
tended to promote the lipid yield. Total lipid content of
the studied microalgae species was determined towards
the late exponential phase during the culture period. As
noted from the data obtained, significant variation was
observed in respond to different light intensities. Light
regime carries an essential part in the production of tria-
cylglycerides and its composition varies from species to
species in respond to different light intensities.[6] There
are many contradictory reports on accumulation of lipid
in relation to irradiance. Many have reported that
increased light intensity supports more enhancements of
lipid and hydrocarbon contents rather than biomass pro-
duction. [19,20] However, high irradiance has been
reported to be responsible for promoting increased growth
but reduced lipid content.[21] It was reported that triacyl-
glycerol is the main component of neutral lipid and, dur-
ing synthesis, it requires a large amount of ATP and
NADPH via photosynthesis. Therefore, on exposure to
large quantities of light energy, excess light energy may

Table 2. Growth characteristics, biomass and total lipid content of Scenedesmus species (GUBIOTJT116) under different light
intensities.

Light intensity Specific growth Doubling time Biomass productivity Total lipid
(mmol m¡2s¡1) rate m, (day¡1) T2, (days) (gl¡1d¡1) content (gl¡1)

27 0.16 § 0.01 3.8 § 0.18 0.2 § 0.01 0.278 § 0.001

40.5 0.17 § 0.002 3.8 § 0.04 0.22 § 0.02 0.274 § 0.002
54 0.17 § 0.002 3.8 § 0.04 0.22 § 0.02 0.285 § 0.001
67.5 0.2 § 0.02 3.0 § 0.37 0.27 § 0.02 0.333 § 0.002
81 0.25 § 0.01 2.56 § 0.13 0.32 § 0.02 0.362 § 0.001
94.5 0.1 § 0.003 5.77 § 0.13 0.14 § 0.02 0.551 § 0.001

Data presented as § standard error of mean of triplicates (each treatment).


Figure 3. Relationship between biomass productivity and lipid content of Scenedesmus species (ADIITEC-II) under the light intensity
of 27, 40.5, 54, 67.5, 81, and 94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1.
be directed toward the lipid accumulation on a unit bio-
Downloaded by [New York University] at 00:56 30 May 2015
mass basis through the process of photosynthesis.[11]
Thus, the study describes that modifications of light inten-
sity in accordance to microalgae species may serve the
required yield of biomass and lipid.
Effect of pH on growth and biomass production of
Scenedesmus species ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116
Growth of both Scenedesmus species was studied under
controlled pH condition and was controlled by using buf-
fers. Microalgae growth is also sensitive to pH change,
and shows an increase trend of pH towards the stationary
stage of the growth phase due to their ability to metabolize
the inorganic carbon (CO2).[22] The effects of pH on
growth of ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116 are shown in
Figures 6 and 7. From the data obtained, it was observed
that the pH of the media has a significant effect (p <
.0001) on final cell numbers and growth rates of both of
the isolates. Among the studied pH range, growth of both
of the species was enhanced at pH 7.0. Under this
Figure 4. Relationship between biomass productivity and lipid content of Scenedesmus species (GUBIOTJT116) under the light inten-
sity of 27, 40.5, 54, 67.5, 81, and 94.5 mmol m¡2s¡1.
Biofuels 5
condition, cell numbers of ADIITEC-II and
GUBIOTJT116 reached the maximum value of 7.77 £
106 cells ml¡1 and 4.05 £ 106 cells ml¡1 with maximum
specific growth rate of 0.3 § 0.02 d¡1 and 0.2 § 0.04 d¡1,
respectively, towards the final day of the experiment. As
illustrated in Table 3, the maximum biomass productivity
of 0.38 § 0.02 gl¡1d¡1 for ADIITEC-II and 0.23 § 0.02 g
l¡1 d¡1 for GUBIOTJT116 was observed at pH 7.0. In
comparison, acidic conditions (pH 5.0 and pH 6.0) do not
enhance the cell density and show minimum biomass pro-
ductivity. Therefore, a linear decline in the cell density of
both of the isolates was observed towards the acidic con-
ditions. However, a steady cell growth with maximum
biomass productivity was observed in ADIITEC-II at pH
8.0 and pH 9.0 with yield of 0.27 § 0.02 gl¡1d¡1 and 0.26
§ 0.01 gl¡1d¡1, respectively. For GUBIOTJT116 at pH
8.0 specific growth observed was 0.15 § 0.02 d¡1, but an
increase in pH to 9.0 slowed the growth rates. Subse-
quently, the biomass productivity was decreased slightly
(i.e. 0.21 § 0.02 and 0.2 § 0.02 g l¡1 d¡1) during pH 8.0
and 9.0. Similar response was also observed when the
 6 A. Difusa et al.
Figure 5. Total lipid content of Scenedesmus species ADIITEC-II and GUBIOTJT116.
Downloaded by [New York University] at 00:56 30 May 2015
species was grown at lower pH resulting in less cell den-
sity and least biomass productivity among the studied pH
conditions. At pH 5.0 and pH 6.0, the biomass productiv-
ity was recorded as 0.08 § 0.02 g l¡1d¡1 and 0.1 §
0.01 g l¡1d¡1, respectively. According to reported litera-
ture, Scenedesmus species WC-1 showed highest cell den-
sity in the buffered cultures pH 7.4 and 9.3 followed by
pH 10.3 unbuffered media condition.[23] However, A. fal-
catus could grow in a wide range of culture pH 5.010.0,
but favored maximum growth between the pH range 7.0
to 9.0.[8] The results agree well with the reported litera-
ture,[8,23] where a similar pH trend ranging from 7.0 to
9.0 provided favorable condition for increased cell num-
ber and high growth rate. Usually, the microalgae cultures
provide gradual elevation of the pH conditions towards
the final stage of the growth. According to a study con-
ducted by Eisele and Ullrich, pH 8.2 was found to be the
most efficient for rapid nitrate uptake and almost the
Figure 6. Growth curve of Scenedesmus species (ADIITEC-II) in different pH conditions.
entire nitrate taken up was released as ammonia during
this condition in the presence of CO2, which might be the
reason for an abrupt rise in the alkalinity at the later stage
of growth.[24] Hence, an intermediate key is required to
control the fluctuating pH in order to support the continu-
ous growth of the strain.
Conclusion
The present work demonstrates significant increases in the
growth, biomass and lipid content of Scenedesmus species
ADIITEC-II compared to GUBIOTJT116 by using appro-
priate light intensities and pH conditions. Under higher
light intensity, increased lipid content was observed in
both the species, but a further increase of the light regime
beyond 81 mmol m¡2 s¡1 resulted in slower rate of growth
and biomass; even though response of both of the isolates
towards the light regime was similar. Among the studied
 Biofuels 7

Figure 7. Growth curve of Scenedesmus species (GUBIOTJT116) in different pH conditions.

Downloaded by [New York University] at 00:56 30 May 2015

Table 3. Growth characteristics and biomass production of Scenedesmus species (ADIITEC-II) and (GUBIOTJT116) under different
pH conditions.

Scenedesmus species (ADIITEC-II) Scenedesmus species (GUBIOTJT116)

pH Specific growth Doubling time Biomass productivity Specific growth Doubling time Biomass productivity
conditions rate m, (day¡1) T2, (days) (gl¡1d¡1) rate m, (day¡1) T2, (days) (gl¡1d¡1)

5 0.08 § 0.004 8.55 § 0.64 0.1 § 0.02 0.04 § 0.003 13.8 § 0.64 0.08 § 0.02
6 0.06 § 0.004 11.35 § 0.25 0.08 § 0.01 0.05 § 0.004 7.7 § 0.25 0.1 § 0.01
7 0.3 § 0.002 2.16 § 0.005 0.38 § 0.02 0.2 § 0.0004 2.8 § 0.005 0.23 § 0.02
8 0.2 § 0.002 2.88 § 0.03 0.27 § 0.02 0.15 § 0.001 4.07 § 0.03 0.21 § 0.02
9 0.2 § 0.004 3 § 0.04 0.26 § 0.02 0.13 § 0.001 4.6 § 0.04 0.2 § 0.02

Data presented as § standard error of mean of triplicates (each treatment).

species, ADIITEC-II showed the highest biomass produc-
tivity, and GUBIOTJT116 was better in terms of lipid
yield. Therefore, the most suitable range of light intensity
must be selected for optimum growth and lipid yield. Also
the pH conditions showed significant effects on growth
and biomass of both species, and pH 7.0 to 9.0 was found
to be the most optimum condition. Finally, results of the
study indicate that both of the species can be enhanced for
biomass and lipid by triggering the optimum range of light
regime and pH conditions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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