Diesel effect on the growth and biochemical composition of Chlorella spp.: mixotrophy and microalgae-bacteria consortium

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18487497

Keywords:

diesel, hydrocarbon removal, microalgae, organic macromolecules, toxic effect

Abstract

Environmental pollution by organic compounds is constantly worsening with the increase in mining and industrial activities, which requires the development of treatment technologies to minimize the anthropogenic impact on ecosystems. Therefore, in this study, the effect of diesel on the growth and biochemical composition of Chlorella spp. was evaluated using batch tests at laboratory scale with treatments of 0.25 (T1), 0.50 (T2) and 1.00 (T3) % v/v of diesel. Chlorophyll a concentrations were between 0.51 and 8.52 µg/mL, chlorophyll b between 0.15 and 3.09 µg/mL, total chlorophyll between 0.66 and 11.32 µg/mL and carotenoids between 0.24 and 3.66 µg/mL; while total protein concentrations ranged from 160.32 to 818.44 µg/mL, total carbohydrates from 43.80 to 209.22 µg/mL, and total lipids from 110.30 to 715.31 µg/mL. Changes in the photosynthetic pigment contents of the microalgae (T1 and T2) were observed, as well as stimulation of growth (T1) and production of biomolecules (all treatments), probably due to the mixotrophic growth of the microalgae and/or the symbiotic action with the associated bacteria (microbial consortium). The best performance in the degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons was obtained at the lowest proportion of diesel applied (T1: 75.8 %). The use of microalgae in the form of mixotrophic culture or in microbial consortia is highly versatile for hydrocarbon degradation, reducing pollution and enabling the production of commercially important metabolites.

Key words: diesel; hydrocarbon removal; microalgae; organic macromolecules; toxic effect.

References

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Published

2025-12-31

How to Cite

Díaz-Borrego, L., Marín-Leal, J., Huerta-Méndez, S., & Morales-Avendaño, E. (2025). Diesel effect on the growth and biochemical composition of Chlorella spp.: mixotrophy and microalgae-bacteria consortium. Refereeed Journal of Environmental Sciences, 1(1), 23–49. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18487497