A Study on Potential Biofuel Producing Microalgae of Dehradun District Uttarakhand

Abstract

Algal biofuels is the upcoming field and technological intervention for bringing a pollution free and sustainable environment in the world to Climate change, global warming. The present study summarized the distribution of microalgae within the riverine and lacustrine habitats of Dehradun and part of Pauri districts, Uttarakhand, India. Microalgae found in the respective water sampling sites were recorded along with the analysis of physico-chemical parameters of the water samples. ArcGIS was applied to ascertain and group the water sampling sites with similar physico-chemical parameter values through prediction maps. Chlorophyta division was dominant along the length and breadth of Dehradun district. Myxophyta and Bacillariophyta divisions were abundant according to the water quality of the respective rivers, lakes and stream. Some unique feature of this study can be concluded that microalgal species like Mychonastes sp., Vacuolaria virescens and Scenedesmus opoliensis were recorded for the first time in Dehradun district. Further, the microalgae like Pseudokirchneriella sp., Mychonastes sp. and Coelastrum sp. were selected for their uniqueness and potential for biofuel production in the present study. Accession numbers were obtained from National Centre for Biotechnology Information, USA for the selected microalgae for biofuel studies. newlineThe optimization of various environmental parameters such as pH, media, light, photoperiod and temperature for the enhanced biomass production of the isolated Pseudokirchneriella sp., Mychonastes sp. and Coelastrum sp. was carried out. The study revealed that all of these parameters were significant in influencing the biomass production of the isolated Pseudokirchneriella sp., Mychonastes sp. and Coelastrum sp. newlineThe nutrient starvation strategy for higher lipid production yielded good results from the three microalgae which can be employed to further use in large-scale or commercial applications. This can help save capital incurred on raw materials and yet yield good amount of lip