Chlorella minutissima grown with xylose and arabinose in tubular photobioreactors: Evaluation of kinetics, carbohydrate production, and protein profile

Abstract

Lignocellulosic waste is the most abundant global renewable biomass source and contains significant amounts of pentoses. Thus, pentoses can be considered potential carbon sources for the culture media for microalgae cultivation. The present study aimed to determine whether the addition of D-xylose and L-arabinose and lighting variations influence the carbohydrate and protein profiles of Chlorella minutissima grown in tubular photobioreactors. The highest biomass concentration of 1.55 g L−1 was attained by the control cultures exposed to a light intensity of 40.50 μmol m−2 s−1. The highest carbohydrate accumulation (66.4%) was obtained through the combined use of 40.50 μmol m−2 s−1 light intensity, 19.16 mg L−1 D-xylose, 0.89 mg L−1 L-arabinose, and 0.125 g L−1 KNO3. A reduction in luminosity and the addition of pentoses altered the protein profile of Chlorella minutissima. Thus, growth and carbohydrate production can be stimulated by pentoses and adequate luminous intensity. Therefore, Chlorella minutissima can be considered a potential source of biomass for bioethanol production.