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Optimizing Chlorella vulgaris production and exploring its impact on germination through microalga-N2-fixing bacteria consortia

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dc.contributor.authorSánchez Zurano, Ana
dc.contributor.authorVilaró Cos, Silvia
dc.contributor.authorFigueiredo, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorMelkonyan, Lusine
dc.contributor.authorFerreira, Alice
dc.contributor.authorAcién, Francisco Gabriel
dc.contributor.authorLafarga, Tomás
dc.contributor.authorGouveia, Luisa
dc.contributor.departmentIngeniería Química
dc.contributor.otherFacultades de la UMU::Facultad de Química
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-10T13:03:08Z
dc.date.available2026-03-10T13:03:08Z
dc.date.copyright© 2025 The Author(s)
dc.date.issued2025-10-01
dc.description.abstractMicroalgal biomass is increasingly valued in industrial and agricultural sectors due to its bioactive compounds. However, large-scale production remains costly, mainly due to nitrogen fertilizer expenses. A promising sustainable alternative is co-cultivation with N2-fixing bacteria, capable of supplying biologically available nitrogen. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris was grown in synthetic medium with and without nitrogen, as well as in co-culture with three different N2-fixing bacteria in nitrogen-free medium. Microalgal growth was assessed by dry weight, Fv/Fm ratio, and flow cytometry, which also allowed evaluation of population dynamics and cell viability. Biomass composition (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, chlorophyll, and carotenoids) was analyzed under all conditions. Co-cultures in nitrogen-free medium showed comparable biomass productivity to nitrogen-supplemented controls, although Fv/Fm values indicated physiological stress in some cases. Moreover, the agricultural potential of the resulting biomass and supernatants was evaluated through germination bioassays using lettuce seeds. All cultures tested at 0.2 g·L−1 significantly improved the germination index. Also, applying the culture supernatant (biomass removed) also yielded positive effects, with GI increases exceeding 40 %. These results suggest that co-cultivation with N2-fixing bacteria can support efficient microalgal production while generating biomass and supernatants with biostimulant potential, contributing to sustainable agriculture and circular bioeconomy strategies.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.format.extent10
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Biotechnology, Volume 408, December 2025, Pages 244-253
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2025.09.018
dc.identifier.eissn1873-4863
dc.identifier.issn0168-1656
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10201/219621
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relationThis work was supported by the project ALGAVALOR - Lisboa-01–0247-FEDER-035234, supported by Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE2020), by Lisbon Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa 2020) and by Algarve Regional Operational Programme (Algarve 2020) under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); Biomass and Bioenergy Research Infrastructure (BBRI)- LISBOA-01–0145-FEDER-022059, supported by Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (PORTUGAL2020), by Lisbon Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa 2020) and by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Norte 2020) under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); project Performalgae, from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement nº ALG-01–0247-FEDER-069961); Red CYTED P320RT0025 - RENUWAL - Red Iberoamericana para el Tratamiento de Efluentes con Microalgas; Bilateral Portugal-India DRI/India/0609/2020 - Project WCAlgaeKIT+ - Combination of Vertical Wetlands, Microalgae Photobioreactor and Microbial Fuel Cell (KIT) for wastewater treatment in small pig production farms; research project № 21T-2I229 supported by the Science Committee of Republic of Armenia. Alice Ferreira and Daniel Figueiredo are pleased to acknowledge their PhD grants SFRH/BD/144122/2019 and FCT 2022.11872.BDANA, respectively, awarded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. Also, this research forms part of the H2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme (project: PRODIGIO, 101007006) and the 2023 Plan Propio of the University of Almería.
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168165625002457
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjectNitrogen fixing bacteria
dc.subjectNitrogen
dc.subjectBioestimulants
dc.subjectCytometry
dc.subjectMicroalgae
dc.subject.odsNo relacionado con ningún objetivo de desarrollo sostenible
dc.titleOptimizing Chlorella vulgaris production and exploring its impact on germination through microalga-N2-fixing bacteria consortia
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication10444e61-0bff-4e24-8cf8-451d0c5921cf
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery10444e61-0bff-4e24-8cf8-451d0c5921cf
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