COMPARATIVE LIPIDOMICS OF FRESHWATER MICROALGAE REVEALS BIODIESEL POTENTIAL OF CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII, CHLORELLA VULGARIS, AND SPIRULINA PLATENSIS FROM THANE DISTRICT (MS)
Keywords:
Biodiesel, Lipidomics, Microalgae, GC–MS, HPLC, Fatty Acid Methyl Ester, Biofuel, Thane,,Abstract
The microalgae have emerged as viable renewable feedstocks for sustainable biodiesel
production due to their quick growth rates, high lipid productivity, and flexibility to a wide
range of environmental conditions. The current study focus on the lipidomic profiles and
biodiesel potential of three freshwater microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella
vulgaris, and Spirulina platensis, obtained from freshwater environments in thane District,
Maharashtra, India. Algal biomass was grown in a controlled laboratory environment (BG-11
medium) and lipid extracted using the Bligh and Dyer technique. Lipid studies were done
quantitatively and qualitatively using HPLC and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
(GC-MS). Chlorella vulgaris had the greatest lipid content of the examined species (35%),
followed by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (22%), and Spirulina platensis (12%). GC-MS
analysis confirmed the presence of palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1), and linoleic acid
(C18:2), all of which are regarded beneficial fatty acids for biodiesel generation. The
conversion efficiency of biodiesel was calculated to be 89%, 74%, and 58% for Chlorella
vulgaris, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and Spirulina platensis respectively. The data show that
Chlorella vulgaris has the best biodiesel feedstock properties among the examined species,
highlighting the bioenergy potential of indigenous freshwater algae from Thane district.
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