Co-cultivation of microalga and xylanolytic bacterium by a continuous two-step strategy to enhance algal lipid production

To enhance microalgal lipid production, canonical two-step cultivation strategy that by transferring the microalgal cells grown in nutrient-replete medium to nutrient-depleted medium is widely used. However, the harvesting step during the transfer raises the production cost. To avoid the harvesting step, this study developed a continuous two-step (CTS) cultivation strategy. In the strategy, Chlorella sacchrarophila was grown in bioreactor while a xylanolytic bacterium Cellvibrio pealriver grown in an inner bag that embedded in the bioreactor; after the first-step co-cultivation, the inner bag is removed which then start the second-step cultivation of C. sacchrarophila . Based on the strategy, the lipid production was determined as 825.34–929.79 mg·L −1 , which were 1.7–1.9 times higher than that of cultivation in canonical two-step strategy using glucose as feedstock. During the CTS strategy, the co-cultivation using xylan as feedstock promotes the microalgal growth and the removal of inner bag produces nutrient-depleted condition for enhancing microalgal lipid production.