N/P ratio effect on lipid profiles of native marine microalgae and their potential for sustainable bioproducts
PDF downloads: 32
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56845/rebs.v8i1.661Keywords:
marine microalgae, biofuels, bioplasticizers, N/P ratio, lipid metabolismAbstract
The increasing demand for energy and growing environmental concerns have accelerated the search for alternative energy sources, with microalgae emerging as a promising candidate. These photosynthetic organisms can produce high-value biomolecules suitable for biofuel production and other industrial applications. However, their utility largely depends on biomass composition, which is influenced by nutrient availability—particularly phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). This study investigates the impact of varying N/P ratios (9, 12, and 14) on the lipid content and lipid profiles of marine microalgae strains Nannochloropsis (NSRE-1, NSRE-2) and Nannochloris (NRRE-2), native to the Yucatán coast of Mexico. The potential use of the extracted lipids in biofuel and value-added product development is also evaluated. Results indicate a significant decline in lipid content across all three strains with increasing N/P ratios (p < 0.05). Notably, strain NSRE-1 achieved the highest relative fatty acid content (69.9%) at an N/P ratio of 14, while fatty acid synthesis in NRRE-2 was inhibited at N/P ratios of 12 and 14. These findings underscore the critical role of the N/P ratio in modulating lipid production and composition in microalgae, particularly in endemic strains. Moreover, changes in the N/P ratio stimulated the production of lipophilic compounds with potential applications in bioplasticizer manufacturing. Overall, the useof biofuels and naturally derived plasticizers supports the rising industrial demand for sustainable, renewable alternatives to fossil fuels and conventional plastics.
References
Beuckels, A., Smolders, E., & Muylaert, K. (2015). Nitrogen availability influences phosphorus removal in microalgae-based wastewater treatment. Water Research, 77, 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.03.018
Borowitzka, M. A. (2013). High-value products from microalgae—their development and commercialisation. Journal of Applied Phycology, 25, 743–756. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-9983-9
Chi, J., Li, Y., & Gao, J. (2019). Interaction between three marine microalgae and two phthalate acid esters. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 170, 407–41.
Chisti, Y. (2008). Biodiesel from microalgae beats bioethanol. Trends in Biotechnology, 26(3), 126–131.
Chowdhury, R., Keen, P. L., & Tao, W. (2019). Fatty acid profile and energy efficiency of biodiesel production from an alkaliphilic algae grown in the photobioreactor. Bioresource Technology Reports, 6, 229–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2019.03.010
D’Alessandro, E. B., & Antoniosi Filho, N. R. (2016). Concepts and studies on lipid and pigments of microalgae: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 58, 832–841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.162
Duarah, P., Haldar, D., Patel, A. K., Cheng-Di, D., Singhania, R. R., & Purkait, M. K. (2022). A review on global perspectives of sustainable development in bioenergy generation. Bioresource Technology, 348, 126791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.126791
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). (2021b). Hexanedioic acid, diisononyl ester. https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/dsstoxdb/results?search=dina#invitrodb-bioassays-toxcastdata
Folch, J., Lees, M., & Sloane Stanley, G. H. (1957). A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipids from animal tissues. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 226(1), 497–509. https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(18)64849-5/pdf
Gao, L., Ding, W., Xi, J., Gao, S., Zhou, X., Yidi, C., Song, K., Mao, X., Tu, R., & Jiang, G. (2023). Effects of different nitrogen/phosphorus ratios on the growth and metabolism of microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus cultured in the mixed wastewater from primary settling tank and sludge thickener. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 170, 824–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2022.12.059
Hu, R., Zhao, H., Xu, X., Wang, Z., Yu, K., Shu, L., Yan, Q., Wu, B., Mo, C., & He, Z. (2021). Bacteria-driven phthalic acid ester biodegradation: Current status and emerging opportunities. Environment International, 154, 106560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2021.106560
Li, S., Li, X., & Ho, S. (2022). Microalgae as a solution of third world energy crisis for biofuels production from wastewater toward carbon neutrality: An updated review. Chemosphere, 291, 1328631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132863
López-Rosales, A. R., Ancona-Canché, K., Chavarria-Hernandez, J. C., Barahona-Pérez, F., Toledano-Thompson, T., Garduño-Solórzano, G., López-Adrian, S., Canto-Canché, B., Polanco-Lugo, E., & Valdez-Ojeda, R. (2019). Fatty acids, hydrocarbons and terpenes of Nannochloropsis and Nannochloris isolates with potential for biofuel production. Energies, 12, 130. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12010130
Rasdi, N. W., & Qin, J. G. (2015). Effect of N:P ratio on growth and chemical composition of Nannochloropsis oculata and Tisochrysis lutea. Journal of Applied Phycology, 27, 2221–2230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0495-z
Rojo Cebreros, A. H., Morales Plascencia, M. E., Ibarra Castro, L., Martínez Brown, J. M., & Medina Jasso, M. A. (2016). Floculación de Nannochloropsis sp. inducida por hidróxido de sodio: eficiencia de floculación, efecto sobre la viabilidad microalgal y su uso como alimento para rotíferos. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 44(4), 662–670. http://dx.doi.org/10.3856/vol44-issue4-fulltext-1
Sharma, K. K., Schuhmann, H., & Schenk, P. M. (2012). High lipid induction in microalgae for biodiesel production. Energies, 5, 1532–1553.
Slinksiene, R., Sendzikiene, E., Mikolaitiene, A., Makareviciene, V., Paleckiene, R., & Ragauskaite, D. (2022). Use of microalgae biomass for production of granular nitrogen biofertilizers. Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews, 15, 416–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/17518253.2022.2071593
Tian, C., Ni, J., Chang, F., Liu, S., Xu, N., Sun, W., Xie, Y., Guo, Y., Ma, Y., & Yang, Z. (2016). Bio-source of di-n-butyl phthalate production by filamentous fungi. Scientific Reports, 6, 19791. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19791
Tossavainen, M., Ilyass, U., Ollilainen, V., Valkonen, K., Ojala, A., & Romantschuk, M. (2019). Influence of long term nitrogen limitation on lipid, protein and pigment production of Euglena gracilis in photoheterotrophic cultures. PeerJ, 7, e6624. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6624
Vimalkumar, K., Zhu, H., & Kannan, K. (2022). Widespread occurrence of phthalate and nonphthalate plasticizers in single-use facemasks collected in the United States. Environment International, 158, 106967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2021.106967
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Regina M. Gonzalez-Balderas, Julio C. Sacramento Rivero, Tanit Toledano-Thompson, Ruby Valdez-Ojeda
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright © D.R. Asociación Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Sustentable y Energías Renovables A. C., 