Isolation and characterization of novel Chlorella species with cold resistance and high lipid accumulation for biodiesel production

Chlorella spp. are green algae that are found across wide-ranging habitats from deserts to arctic regions, with various strains having adapted to survive under diverse environmental conditions. In this study, two novel Chlorella strains (ABC-002, ABC-008) were isolated from a freshwater lake in South Korea during the winter season and examined for possible use in the biofuel production process. The comparison of ABC-002 and ABC-008 strains with Chlorella vulgaris UTEX265 under two different temperatures (10°C, 25°C) revealed their cold-tolerant phenotypes as well as high biomass yields. The maximum quantum yields of UTEX25, ABC- 002, and ABC-008 at 10°C were 0.5594, 0.6747, and 0.7150, respectively, providing evidence of the relatively higher cold-resistance capabilities of these two strains. Furthermore, both the biomass yields and lipid content of the two novel strains were found to be higher than those of UTEX265; the overall lipid productivities of ABC-002 and ABC-008 were 1.7 ~ 2.8 fold and 1.6 ~ 4.2 fold higher compared to that of UTEX265, respectively. Thus, the high biomass and lipid productivity over a wide range of temperatures indicate that C. vulgaris ABC-002 and ABC-008 are promising candidates for applications in biofuel productions via outdoor biomass cultivation.