Synergistic effect of light and chemical stress on Chlorella vulgaris grown in produced water: high biomass and biomolecules production
Microalgae, cyanobacteria, produced water, bioproducts and biochemical manipulation
Produced water (AP) is the effluent resulting from the injection of seawater into wells for oil extraction. It is a wastewater with a significant environmental impact, due to its high salinity, presence of chemical compounds, and growing demand for fossil fuels. Thus, new environmental technologies are being developed to reduce their impact. Microalgae have been considered promising to phytoremediation this effluent, reducing the impact caused and producing biomass with high added value. Given the above, the objective of this study was to increase the production of biomass and biomolecules of the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris cultivated in produced water, through the synergistic effect of two sources physical and chemical stress. The microalgae were cultivated in different concentrations of AP (not autoclaved) and BG11 (0, 30, 40, and 50%), under a 24-hour photoperiod, with an inoculum pre-adapted to the same photoperiod. Among the treatments, the culture containing 70% of BG and 30% of AP (AP30%), showed viability with biomass production of 1.35 gL-1. The biomass obtained in AP30% showed a higher concentration of carbohydrates (37.46%) and ash (18.21%) than the control. In addition to relevant levels of lipids (9.92%), proteins (21.94%) and pigments such as chlorophyll a (6.64 μg mL-1), chlorophyll b (10.57 μg mL-1), and carotenoids (21.38 µg mL-1). The fatty acid profile presented as major acids C18:3n6 (21.50%), C20:0 (19.96%), C16:0 (17.12%), and C18:0 (12.15%), this accounted for approximately 70% of the total. As for biofuels, the diversity of fatty acids presented an ideal profile for the production of biodiesel, in addition to bioethanol (17.02 mL 100g-1) which can be obtained from carbohydrates. Therefore, the adaptation of the inoculum to the 24-hour photoperiod acted synergistically with AP, favoring the final production of biomass and the synthesis of biomolecules by the microalgae.