Culture, growth, pigments and lipid content of Scenedesmus species, an extremophile microalga from Soda Dam, New Mexico in wastewater

We isolated an extremophile green alga from Jemez New Mexico; 18S rDNA sequencing confirmed it as Scenedesmus species Novo. Cultures in TAP medium (24±1°C, 132–148μmolphotonsm−2s−1) attained peak biomass (27.4×106cellsml−1, 49.11μgchl aml−1 and 24.93μgcaroteneml−1) and a division rate of 0.54day−1. Under outdoor harsh conditions (6524–7360μmolphotonsm−2s−1 and 40°C), biomass peaked at 10.41×106cells, 6.92μgchl a, and 4.49μgcarotene. Indoor wastewater cultures enriched with TAP yielded 63 to 94.3pg lipid cell−1 and 16.7 to 36.6pg lipid cell−1 in outdoor cultures which are amongst the highest for microalgae; lipid as dry cell weight reached peak values of 85% and 33%, respectively. Total carotenoids (pg cell−1) ranged from 1.52 to 3.58 in indoor cultures and 0.34 to 1.08 for outdoor cultures comparable to 0.24–4.75 to literature values. Because of its ability to produce high levels of biomass, lipids and carotenes in wastewater under harsh ambient climatic conditions, Scenedesmus species Novo has the potential to sustain biotechnological applications. We recommend continued exploration of extremophile algal species native to New Mexico and beyond, to develop strategies for a viable and sustainable bio-economy.