ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Biotecnologica 2016 September;28(3):126-30

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Chroococcus dispersus: a novel unicellular cyanobacterium for biodiesel production

Nima MONTAZERI-NAJAFABADY ^{1, 2}, Sara RASOUL-AMINI ^1-3, Mohammad A. MOBASHER ^{1, 2}, Younes GHASEMI ^{1, 2}

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; ² Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; ³ Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

BACKGROUND: In this study, biodiesel production from a naturally isolated strain of Chroococcus dispersus MCCS 006 was investigated.
METHODS: This strain was isolated from the rice paddy-field soil samples during a screening program. Chroococcus dispersus was cultivated in a bubble-column photobioreactor until the cells reached the stationary phase. Then fatty acids were extracted, esterified and identified using GC/MS analysis.
RESULTS: Several types of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were identified in the isolated strain. Palmitic acid methyl ester, myristic acid methyl ester and oleic acid methyl ester were the most fatty acids presenting in Chroococcus dispersus MCCS 006.
CONCLUSIONS: Chroococcus can be used for biodiesel production, as this first time study demonstrates.