In this study, the influences of organic carbon sources (OCS, including xylose, glucose, maltose, sucrose, and starch) and inorganic and organic nitrogen sources (INS, including ammonia chloride and sodium nitrate; ONS, including arginine, alanine, proline, and valine) and metal ions (including Na+, K+, Mn2+, Zn2+ and Cu2+) on the growth, lipid accumulation, and nitrogen and phosphorus (N&P) removal capabilities of oleaginous Scenedesmus sp. LX1 under heterotrophic conditions were investigated. The results showed that glucose was the only OCS for Scenedesmus sp. LX1 to grow well with specific growth rate of 0.935 days-1, maximum biomass of 1.72 g L-1, and largest removal rates of N&P and organic carbon reaching 72.228%, 93.034%, and 19.208%, respectively. After 11 days of cultivation, the maximal biomass reached in the group with starch or glucose while maximal lipid and triacylglycerol (TAG) yields reached in the groups with maltose and sucrose, respectively. Sodium nitrate was best nitrogen source as the largest algal density, maximal yields of lipids and TAGs, and highest N&P removal rates reached up to 1.105 × 107 cells·mL-1, 196.70 mg L-1, 5.19 mg L-1, 89.61% and 100%, respectively. Scenedesmus sp. LX1 was found to have great tolerance to Na+, K+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ while 0.5 mg L-1 Cu2+ had a strong inhibition on growth and N&P removal rate of Scenedesmus sp. LX1. Concentration increasing of five metal ions all caused the yield increases of microalgal lipid and TAGs. Graphical abstract.
Keywords: Carbon sources; Heterotrophic growth; Lipid accumulation; Nitrogen and phosphorus removal; Nitrogen sources; Scenedesmus sp. LX1.