Carbon dioxide sequestration from industrial flue gas by Chlorella sorokiniana

The present study investigated the feasibility of using Chlorella sorokiniana for CO2 sequestration from industrial flue gas. The flue gas emitted from the oil producing industry contains mostly CO2 and H2S (15.6% (v/v) and 120 mg L(-1), respectively) along with nitrogen, methane, and other hydrocarbons. The high concentration of CO2 and H2S had an inhibitory effect on the growth of C. sorokiniana. Some efforts were made for the maximization of the algal biomass production using different techniques such as diluted flue gas, flue gas after passing through the scrubber, flue gas passing through serially connected photobioreactors and two different reactors. The highest reduction in the CO2 content of inlet flue gas was 4.1% (v/v). Some new pigments were observed in the flue gas sequestered biomass. Fatty acid composition in the total lipid was determined to evaluate its suitability for food, feed, and biofuel.