Characterization of Seven Species of Cyanobacteria for High-Quality Biomass Production

Bioconversion of photosynthetic cyanobacteria biomass feedstock into biofuels, and commodity chemical compounds is limited. Seven strains of cyanobacteria, namely: Synechocystis PCC 6803, Synechococcus PCC 7942, Nostoc muscorum, Oscillatoria sp., Anabaena cylindrica, Lyngbya sp. and Phormidium sp. were characterized for their growth, biomass, carbohydrates and lipids production. The maximum specific growth rate, the number of generations, biomass, and lipid yield as well as lipid content (13.1%) were observed in Synechocystis PCC 6803 among the evaluated strains. Overall 11.0, 7.5, 8.9, 4.8, 10.3, and 8.4% lipid, and 14.8, 32.1, 18.6, 26.2, 17.3, 27.8% carbohydrate content were obtained in Synechococcus PCC 7942, N. muscorum, Oscillatoria sp., A. cylindrica, Lyngbya sp. and Phormidium sp., respectively. In contrast, carbohydrate content in Synechocystis PCC 6803 cells was 9.89%. N. muscorum and Phormidium sp. were elucidated as a good candidate species for the carbohydrate enriched biomass. Therefore, Synechocystis PCC 6803 was screened as a robust species for lipid-based biofuels, while Phormidium sp. and N. muscorum can be exploited for the carbohydrate enriched biomass production.