Identification and characterization of Kenyan Marine Microalgae Strains towards Biofuel Production

Abstract

The rising global energy demand in both developed and developing countries is heavily straining the limited energy reservoir. The increased use of fossil fuels result in large Green House Gases (GHS) emissions, that are usually considered the main cause of global warming. Microalgae are projected to be the source for the third generation biofuel. Microalgae are one of the most abundant organisms present on the planet and seem to have received more attention due to their lipid reserving capacity. The purpose of this study was to seek, identify and characterize microalgae from the Indian Ocean and its environs which included; polluted sites; tenable for biofuel production. Six stations (Mikindani, Moroto, Fort Jesus, Kenya Meat Commission, Coast General Hospital, Technical University of Mombasa) were selected based on their; physic-chemical parameters. Sixty four (64) strains of microalgae were obtained in five stations through morphological techniques. On further isolation, 19 strains were independently secluded and their in vitro cultures established. The microalgae were cultured in the laboratory conditions in three media namely Walne, F/2 and TAP. Algal growth parameters i.e., pH, optical density (OD), dry and chlorophyll-a (Ch-a), were measured at zero-time and at the end of the experimental period. The results revealed that media preference for overall microalgae growth was 38% in F/2 media, 31% in Walne and 30% in TAP media. The Oscillatoria genera from all the stations were found to exhibit 100% growth in all the media. From the results, the suitable candidate strains recommended for mass cultivation for mass biodiesel production exploitation include Oscillatoria genera because of their fast growth and ability to withstand varying physicochemical conditions of in vitro culture