Analysis of Lipids Produced by Microalgae Isolated from the Area around Okinawa, Japan
Petroleum reserves have been decreasing in recent years and microalgae are attractive as a potential source of new biomass petroleum. Microalgae are unicellar microscopic algae and most species microalgae produce lipids. In particular, Botryococcus braunii produces large amount of lipids found with nearly 70% on the basis of the dry weight. This chapter reviews high lipid-producing microalgae found from Okinawa area around National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College (NIT, Okinawa). The microalgae collected were isolated on an AF-6 agar plates, and incubated in AF-6 medium. The fatty acids were extracted from the algae, converted into fatty acid methyl esters, and analysed by GC/MS. As a result, two microalgae strains were identified that the produced fatty acids was loaded in the algae with nearly 20% in the dry weight base. In addition, these two microalgae strains produced palmitic acid as nearly 40% of the total produced lipids. Therefore, the two microalga strains isolated are potentially and highly efficient for the organisms applied for the production of biodiesel fuel.