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Academic literature on the topic 'Algal lipids'
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Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Algal lipids"
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Teece, Mark A. "Biodegradation of algal lipids and significance for sediment studies." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.239071.
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Chiodza, Kudzai Godknows. "Desulphurisation of fine coal waste tailings using algal lipids." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29892.
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The South African economy is an energy-driven economy which relies on coal to meet most of its energy demands. Coal mining has resulted in the generation of coal waste over 60 million tonnes, annually. Apart from the huge footprint of this waste, the sulphide minerals contained in the waste have resulted in the generation of acid rock drainage (ARD). A lot of techniques have been developed to prevent and mitigate ARD, however most of these techniques have fallen short in terms of meeting their desired objectives due to the long-term nature of ARD generation which can persist for hundreds of years after mine closure. This has resulted in emphasis being put on long-term prevention techniques that remove ARD risk over treatment techniques. One prevention technique which has shown good technical potential is the two-stage flotation method developed for desulphurisation of hard rock tailings and coal fines, developed at the University of Cape Town. On desulphurising coal, the first stage produces an upgraded coal product that may be sold, with the second stage used to separate the tailings from the first stage into targeted high-sulphide and low-sulphide fractions which may then be appropriately used or disposed of. An economic assessment of the process showed across a wide range of coal wastes the high cost of oleic acid used in the first stage of the process as a collector was a major contributor to the operating costs. The investigation undertaken in this thesis looked at the potential of algal lipids and their derivatives as biocollectors to replace the oleic acid collector in the desulphurisation process at the laboratory scale. A review of cost was carried out for a process that used raw algal lipids (RALs) or fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), which are derived from RALs through transesterification. Batch flotation experiments were used to assess the performance of the two bioflotation reagents in comparison to oleic acid and dodecane, an alternative but less successful chemical collector. The algal lipids cost review was a desktop study which was done by adapting literature data from Davis et al. (2014) which focused on economic evaluation of algal lipid biofuels production pathways. Results from laboratory experiments for two different coal waste feed samples showed that the performance of RALs and FAMEs was similar to that of oleic acid for the sample that was high in ash and sulphur, and better than oleic acid for the sample that was low in ash and sulphur. For example, the product from Site 1 discards from Waterberg had 24.37% ash and 2.76% sulphur using FAMEs, 26.13% ash and 2.56% sulphur with RALs, and 23.48% ash and 2.41% using oleic acid, at a reagent dose of 2.8 kg/t for all reagents. For Site 2 waste tailings from the Witbank area, the product had 23.17% ash and 0.72% sulphur when FAMEs were used as collector, 22.75% ash and 0.75% sulphur with RALs, and 20.18% ash and 0.74% sulphur using oleic acid, at the same reagent dose. Discards from Site 1 had an initial ash and sulphur content of 47.61% and 5.71%, respectively. Site 2 waste tailings had 25.56% ash and 0.91% sulphur before flotation. Increasing biocollector dosage resulted in higher yields with a compromise on the upgraded coal quality. The pH tests showed that the performance of the two bioflotation reagents was best at pH 4 in terms of yield. However, increasing the pH of the process from the natural pH of the sample (pH 2.7) to 7 resulted in collection of more ash and sulphur, thus reducing the product quality. The algal lipids cost review showed that RALs and FAMEs were potentially 20 to 21% cheaper than oleic acid, with more room for improvement. Both the laboratory experiments and the technical evaluation showed that algal lipids and their derivatives have the potential to replace oleic acid in the two-stage desulphurisation process for coal waste to obtain a saleable quality coal product while simultaneously decreasing the impact of ARD from coal waste.
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King, P. M. "The use of ultrasound on the extraction of microalgal lipids." Thesis, Coventry University, 2014. http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/4aabbd22-686a-4284-a18d-23de6bcff203/1.
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Microalgae synthesize and store large volumes of lipids (potentially over 25% of dry weight) which could provide a renewable source of biodiesel. Traditional extraction techniques often produce poor lipid yields particularly from microalgae with robust cell walls. This project investigated the role of power ultrasound as a cell disruption step in lipid extraction from four microalgal species. Nile Red staining was used to assess the time when ultrasound induced increased membrane permeability in each species and lipids were extracted using an ultrasound assisted Bligh and Dyer extraction method. A 20 kHz probe system (40% amplitude, 0.086 W/cm3) caused increased lipid recovery from dry biomass in all cases; D. salina (no cell wall) from 15 to 22.5% of dry biomass after 1 minute (26% when stressed with 35 g/L NaCl). C. concordia (thin cell wall) from 7.5 to 10.5% of dry biomass after 2 minutes (27% with 25% nitrogen reduction in growth media). N. oculata (thick cell wall) from 6.5 to 10% of dry biomass after 16 minutes (31.5% when stressed with 30 g/L NaCl). The stressed cultures yield could be improved to 35% when ultrasound was combined with S070 beating beads. Chlorella sp. (thick cell wall) from 6.3 to 8.7% of dry biomass, after 16 minutes (44% was achieved when harvested at day 9 instead of 15). A Dual Frequency Reactor (16 and 20 kHz, 0.01 W/cm3) flow system with S070 beads demonstrated that high lipid extraction yields could be achieved on a larger level with N. oculata. After 4:48 minutes sonication 24% lipid recovery was achieved. This system could theoretically increase daily microalgal oil production from 3.96 to 5.76 L per day when compared to conventional techniques, at an extra production cost of only 2.9 p/litre (1.5% increase). D. salina, N. oculata and C. concordia resumed normal growth following sonication at 20 kHz after 1-20 days (8 minutes treatment for D. salina, 60 minutes treatment for N. oculata and 16 minutes treatment for C. concordia). It was found that the supernatant of sonicated D. salina and C. concordia when added to established cultures were able to boost their growth.
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Olsen, Rebecca Lynn. "Modification of plant and yeast lipids by heterologous expression of protist, algal, and animal desaturases." Online access for everyone, 2006. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Dissertations/Fall2006/r_olsen_011907.pdf.
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Johnson, Michael Ben. "Microalgal Biodiesel Production through a Novel Attached Culture System and Conversion Parameters." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32034.
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Due to a number of factors, the biodiesel industry in the United States is surging in growth. Traditionally, oil seed crops such as soybean are used as the feedstock to create biodiesel. However, the crop production can no longer safely keep up with the demand for the growing biodiesel industry.
Using algae as a feedstock has been considered for a number of years, but it has always had limitations. These limitations were mainly due to the production methods used to grow and harvest the algae, rather than the reaction methods of creating the biodiesel, which are the same as when using traditional crops. Algae is a promising alternative to other crops for a number of reasons: it can be grown on non arable land, is not a food crop, and produces much more oil than other crops. In this project, we propose a novel attached growth method to produce the algae while recycling dairy farm wastewater using the microalga Chlorella sp.
The first part of the study provided a feasibility study as the attachment of the alga onto the supporting substrate as well as determining the pretreatment options necessary for the alga to grow on wastewater. The results showed that wastewater filtered through cheesecloth to remove large particles was feasible for production of Chlorella sp, with pure wastewater producing the highest biomass yield. Most importantly, the attached culture system largely exceeded suspended culture systems as a potentially feasible and practical method to produce microalgae. The algae grew quickly and were able to produce more than 3.2 g/m2-day with lipid contents of about 9% dry weight, while treating dairy farm wastewater and removing upwards of 90% of the total phosphorus and 79% of the nitrogen contained within the wastewater.
Once the â proof-of-conceptâ work was completed, we investigated the effects of repeat harvests and intervals on the biomass and lipid production of the microalgae. The alga, once established, was harvested every 6, 10, or 15 days, with the remaining algae on the substrate material functioning as inoculums for repeated growth. Using this method, a single alga colony produced biomass and lipids for well over six months time in a laboratory setting.
The second part of this study investigated another aspect of biodiesel production from algae. Rather than focus solely on biomass production, we looked into biodiesel creation methods as well. Biodiesel is created through a chemical reaction known as transesterification, alcoholysis, or commonly, methylation, when methanol is the alcohol used. There are several different transesterification methods. By simplifying the reaction conditions and examining the effects in terms of maximum fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) produced, we were able to determine that a direct transesterification with chloroform solvent was more effective than the traditional extraction-transesterification method first popularized by Bligh & Dyer in 1959 and widely used. This synergistic research helps to create a more complete picture of where algal biodiesel research and development is going in the future.<br>Master of Science
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Clemente, Ilaria. "Compartmentalized algal-based nanocarriers as vectors for antioxidants: structural and functional characterization." Doctoral thesis, Università di Siena, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/11365/1193669.
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The delivery of poorly water-soluble natural drugs is a longtime challenge that has led to the development of several solubilizing and encapsulating carrier systems, to administrate hydrophobic molecules for biomedical, pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics applications. Among the most popular soft matter nanocarriers, lipid-based vectors are particularly favored thanks to the advantageous properties of lipids used as versatile and biocompatible building blocks. Indeed, lipids are the class of bio-macromolecules with the richest polymorphism and spontaneous self-assembly character, that result in a broad variety of hierarchical structures. Several aggregates with various interfacial curvatures and symmetries can be obtained, mainly depending on the lipid class and packing parameter, and they can be differentiated in lamellar and nonlamellar mesophases. Lamellar aggregates are characterized by the presence of one or multiple bilayers which possess vesicular morphology at larger scale (um). Nonlamellar mesophases with exotic symmetries, such as cubic and hexagonal, are lyotropic liquid crystalline systems with specific inner ordering, and among the most interesting nonlamellar structures are the bicontinuous cubic phases. When these systems are in excess water conditions, dispersed nanosystems are obtained and termed liposomes and cubosomes, respectively. The versatility and biodegradability of these nanosystems makes them particularly suitable as carriers for orally administered drugs. Moreover, lipids to be used for formulation development can be obtained from a variety of natural sources and biomasses, to obtain nanovectors for bioactive molecules with high carrier-cargo and carrier-target compatibility. In this thesis work, lipid nanovectors were designed and prepared as biocompatible and biodegradable drug carriers for a commercially valuable antioxidant drug i. e. curcumin, whose therapeutic application is typically hindered by its poor water solubility, that was chosen as the designated natural antioxidant of interest for this investigation. Two other antioxidants i. e. α-tocopherol and piperine were used as adjuvants for curcumin since they are known to facilitate incorporation and co-administration by acting synergistically as bio-enhancers. These three antioxidants were then encapsulated in newly formulated lipid nanocarriers to improve their biodistribution and bioavailability. The design strategy adopted for these formulations involved the use of natural-derived building blocks by lipid extraction from two biomasses of the marine microalga Nannochloropsis sp., containing mostly either phospholipids or triglycerides. Two dispersed nanovector series with different supramolecular structure were thus obtained i. e. liposomes and cubosomes, respectively. The high surface-to-volume ratio and loading efficiency granted successful encapsulation of the guest molecules. These nanoformulations were extensively characterized both from the physico-chemical and functional viewpoint. The structure and morphology was studied by combination of Dynamic Light Scattering, Small Angle X-Ray Scattering and Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy. The guest-carrier and guest-guest interactions, stability and cargo entrapment were investigated by spectroscopic (UV–Vis, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and calorimetric (Isothermal Titration Calorimetry) techniques. Finally, the functionality was studied with both chemical and biological approaches, in an integrated structure-function perspective.
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Hamam, Fayez. "Lipase-catalyzed acidolysis of algal oils with a medium-chain fatty acid, capric acid /." Internet access available to MUN users only, 2003. http://collections.mun.ca/u?/theses,156236.
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Neto, Riamburgo Gomes de Carvalho. "Estudo dos mecanismos envolvidos na separaÃÃo e ruptura simultÃneas de biomassa algal pelo uso da tecnologia de eletroflotaÃÃo por corrente alternada." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2013. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=10985.
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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico<br>Dentre as diversas etapas para a transformaÃÃo de microalgas em biodiesel, os processos de separaÃÃo e a ruptura celular dessa biomassa sÃo particularmente importantes, uma vez que as tecnologias disponÃveis para este fim apresentam elevados custos, comprometendo a viabilidade do aproveitamento energÃtico. Este trabalho teve como objetivo geral estudar os mecanismos envolvidos na separaÃÃo e ruptura simultÃneas de biomassa algal pelo uso da tecnologia de eletroflotaÃÃo por corrente alternada (EFCA), com objetivo principal de extrair o conteÃdo lipÃdico da biomassa algal, assim como verificar o potencial da tecnologia na remoÃÃo de nutrientes de efluentes de lagoas de estabilizaÃÃo. Foram realizados ensaios de coagulaÃÃo/floculaÃÃo em jar test com coagulantes sintÃticos (FeCl3 e Al2(SO4)3) e orgÃnicos (Tanfloc SG e SL) com o objetivo de avaliar a decantaÃÃo quimicamente assistida na separaÃÃo de biomassa algal. Foi desenvolvido um reator de EFCA para operar em batelada, utilizando-se eletrodos nÃo consumÃveis e baixa potÃncia elÃtrica. Foi avaliado o seu potencial de separaÃÃo com e sem o auxÃlio dos mesmos coagulantes utilizados nos testes de jarro e, em seguida, buscou-se variar as frequÃncias de operaÃÃo do conjunto de eletrodos com o objetivo de verificar a condiÃÃo Ãtima para separaÃÃo e rompimento celular das microalgas. Foi tambÃm avaliada a capacidade desta metodologia na remoÃÃo de nutrientes presentes nos efluentes e elucidar os mecanismos envolvidos. Foi possÃvel a remoÃÃo de biomassa algal tanto por meio da decantaÃÃo quimicamente assistida quanto pela EFCA, sendo que a segunda à mais atrativa nÃo somente pelas eficiÃncias de remoÃÃo de turbidez e clorofila-a encontradas, como tambÃm pela nÃo necessidade aparente de utilizaÃÃo de coagulantes, o que traz economia ao processo e facilita a reutilizaÃÃo da biomassa algal. A EFCA mostrou-se ainda capaz de promover com eficiÃncia o rompimento celular das microalgas e fazer com que os lipÃdeos liberados se aderissem à biomassa algal separada pelo processo. Foi possÃvel alcanÃar um rendimento lipÃdico de atà 14% em peso de massa seca, mesmo os estudos tendo sido realizados com uma matriz diversa de microalgas proveniente das lagoas de estabilizaÃÃo. O estudo dos mecanismos envolvidos revelou a boa capacidade do sistema em gerar gÃs hidrogÃnio, o qual alÃm de ajudar na separaÃÃo das microalgal pode tornar futuramente o processo energeticamente sustentÃvel. AlÃm disso, foi verificada a geraÃÃo de espÃcies oxidantes que ajudam tanto o processo de separaÃÃo quanto possivelmente de ruptura celular. O efeito de diferentes frequÃncias de vibraÃÃo nos rendimentos lipÃdicos encontrados nÃo foi aparente. Buscou-se ainda a elucidaÃÃo dos mecanismos de remoÃÃo de fÃsforo total, o que provavelmente se deu pela formaÃÃo de
ferro durante o processo, cujos valores ficaram na ordem de 2,5 mg/L depois de 70 minutos de batelada. JÃ para a remoÃÃo de amÃnia, possivelmente o mecanismo foi de oxidaÃÃo indireta da amÃnia atravÃs do excesso de Ãcido hipocloroso como a forma predominante de conversÃo da mesma em nitrogÃnio gasoso, o qual ajuda no processo de separaÃÃo. A utilizaÃÃo de microalgas diretamente de lagoas de estabilizaÃÃo mostrou-se uma potencial alternativa aos processos de obtenÃÃo de biomassa tradicionalmente utilizados (fotobiorreator e lagoas do tipo raceway), sendo que a tecnologia proposta se mostrou atrativa para todos processos que demandem separaÃÃo algal.<br>Among the various steps for microalgae transformation in biodiesel, the harvesting and cell disruption processes are particularly important, since technologies available for this purpose have usually high costs, undermining the energy recovery viability. This work studied the mechanisms involved in the simultaneous harvesting and cell disruption of microalgae using electroflotation by alternating current (EFCA), as well as to investigate the system capacity on nutrients removal from waste stabilization ponds effluents. Coagulation/flocculation tests were performed using synthetic (FeCl3 e Al2(SO4)3) and organic (Tanfloc SG e SL) coagulants to evaluate the chemically assisted sedimentation of the algal biomass. The EFCA reactor was designed to operate in batch, using non-consumable electrodes and low electrical power, and evaluated the harvesting potential in the presence and absence of coagulants. After this, experiments were performed varying the electrode frequency to verify the optima condition for simultaneous harvesting and cell disruption of microalgae. The system capacity in terms of nutrients removal was also investigated as well as the mechanisms involved. It was possible to remove algae biomass both using chemically assisted sedimentation and EFCA. However, the electrolytic technology is more attractive, not only for the turbidity and chlorophyll-a efficiencies founded, but also because there is no apparent need of coagulants, which makes the process cheaper and facilitates the microalgae biomass reuse. The EFCA was even able to promote the cell disruption of microalgae and the liberated lipids were able to attach to the algal biomass separated by the process. A lipid yield of 14 % in terms of dry matter was found, even when a complex matrix from waste stabilization ponds was used. The study of the mechanisms involved in EFCA revealed the good system ability to generate hydrogen gas, which contributes to microalgae harvesting and can make the process even more sustainable under an energetic perspective. Furthermore, the generation of oxidant species was found which helps the harvesting and cell disruption process. The effect of different vibration frequencies in the lipid yield was not apparent. We sought to elucidate the mechanisms involved on total phosphorus removal, and probably the removal was due to iron formation in the process, in which the concentrations were close to 2.5 mg/L after 70 minutes batch time. In terms of ammonia removal, possibly the mechanism was an indirect oxidation by excess of hypochlorous acid to form nitrogen gas, which helps the separation process. The use of microalgae from stabilization ponds showed a potential alternative for the processes traditionally used nowadays for
microalgae production (photobioreactor and raceway ponds), and showed to be attractive to all processes that demand microalgae harvesting.
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Wong, Yee Keung. "Feasibility of using Chlorella vulgaris for the production of algal lipids, for advancement towards a potential application in the manufacture of commodity chemicals and the treatment of wastewater." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2016. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_oa/254.
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Driven by the increase in industrialization and population, the global demand of energy and material products is steadily growing. Microalgae have come into prominence in the past several decades due to their ability to utilize solar energy to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide, and produce biomass and lipids at productivities much higher than those possible with terrestrial biomass. The main objective of this research is to maximize the biomass and lipid production of Chlorella vulgaris by varying different external conditions so as to achieve the ideal feedstock for the production of commodity chemicals and implement wastewater treatment. The effects of various culture medium compositions on Chlorella vulgaris growth and lipid production were investigated using batch culture. Thirteen culture media: Modified Chu’s No. 10, Bold basal, BG-11, Modified BG-11, N-8, M-8, RM, Modified Spirulina, F-si, Fogg’s Nitrogen free, Fog, F/2, and Johnson medium were compared in terms of optical density, biomass production, specific growth rate and lipid production. Following a 10-day culture in a temperature controlled environment, Bold basal medium was found to have the highest average biomass productivity of 48.056 ± 2.097 mg L -1 day -1 , with overall specific growth rate of (d -1 ): 0.211 ± 0.003 and lipid productivity of 9.295 mg L -1 day -1 among the selected media. This is a basis for the optimization of different cultivating medium to enhance algal lipid production. In order to maximize the quality and quantity of the algal biomass and lipid content in Chlorella vulgaris, different strategies were used using different ratios of nitrogen and phosphorus source in the modified Bold basal medium (BBM). In the 12-day batch culture period, the highest biomass productivity obtained was 72.083 mg L -1 day -1 under Bold basal medium with Nitrogem control Phosphorus limited conditions. The highest lipid content, lipid concentration and lipid productivity obtained were 53.202%, 287.291 mg/L and 23.449 mg L -1 day -1 respectively, under Bold basal medium with Nitrogen Control Phosphorus Deprivation conditions. Nitrogen starvation was found to be the critical factor affecting the biomass production and lipid accumulation while the starvation of phosphorus induced a higher total lipid content and affected the lipid composition of Chlorella vulgaris cultures. Recently, as the demand for pure microalgae strains for the production of algal lipid as a feedstock of renewable energy has been increasing, the designation of an effective photobioreactor (PBR) for mass cultivation is essential to assure stability in the amount of feedstock. Various PBRs design such as bubbling, air-lift, porous air-lift was compared. In general, the bubbling design is a better PBR designs than the others, having the highest biomass concentration of 0.78 g/L during the culture time. Besides, it was observed that the 35 cm draft tube of the porous air-lift PBR had shorter mixing time (24.5 seconds) and higher biomass concentration (0.518 g/L) than the 50 cm air- lift design. The bubbling PBR with the highest gas flowrate of 2.7 L/min produced the highest biomass production of 0.74 g/L within the cultivation time. The information is shown to be a useful guide for determining the optimal condition of the PBRs. Light wavelengths and intensities were determinant factors in affecting the growth and lipid content of autotrophic organisms such as C. vulgaris. The experiment investigated the effect of algal lipid production by using LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) with different wavelengths. C. vulgaris was grown in the effluent for 10 days under the photoperiod of 18:6 h Light/Dark cycles with different visible light sources (cool white, blue and red) and intensities (50 μmol m -2 s -1 ) at 25°C. The overall maximum dry biomass of 1353.33 mg/L was observed at 50 μmol m -2 s -1 cool white light during 10th culture day, with the highest overall productivity of dry biomass production (117.23 mg/L d -1 ) within cultivation time. The highest lipid content (34.06 %) was obtained with the blue color due to light efficiency and deep penetration to the photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll) in C. vulgaris. However, the highest lipid productivity was observed in cool white light of 318.63 mg/L during the 10th culture day. The effect of light intensity toward the lipid productivity was further investigated by increasing the light intensity of cool white light. The highest lipid productivity was observed at 110 μmol m -2 s -1 in a light intensity of 658.99 mg/L during the 10th culture day. In high irradiance (110 μmol m -2 s -1 ), the proportion of poly unsaturated fatty acid (C18:1 and C18:2) contributed most of the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content in the collected sample, irrespective of all treatments. The next study optimized the harvesting rate of algae by using an electro- coagulation-flotation (ECF) harvester, which combines the electrochemical reaction in the electrodes and the dispersion of hydrogen gas to allow floatation of microalgae cell for surface harvesting. The response surface methodology model (RSM) was employed to optimize different ECF parameters: electrode plate material, electrode plate number, charge of electrode, electrolyte concentration and pH of the solution. The model revealed that aluminum was the best electrode material for the ECF process. It was also found that a three electrode plates setup with one anode and two cathodes had the best performance for harvesting. Additionally, sodium chloride (NaCl) at 8 g/L in harvesting medium could increase the flocculant concentration and reduce electric power consumption. Also, having the culture medium at pH 4 also had a significant effect on improving the flocculant production. Combining these optimal conditions, the highest flocculant concentration reached 2966 mg/L in 60 mins; a 79.8% increase in flocculant concentration, based on the tested conditions. The results of this study show the significance of different parameters affecting the coagulation and flocculation of C. vulgaris and provide a reference for the design of a large-scaled harvester for microalgae harvesting in the further study. To conclude, this research comprises a study on the use of indigenous algae for the production of algal lipid, which is used to produce commodity chemicals. Details on the use of nutrient sources, the techniques of cultivation and the optimization of cell harvesting were included so as to remove nutrients from effluents to minimize the occurrence of eutrophication in harbor, thereby providing economic advantages. Thus, the optimization of these processes is very adequate and offers significant advantages for the wastewater treatment. The developing of algal cell biotechnology is necessary to further enhance algal lipid production in an attempt to apply it commercially.
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Woolsey, Paul A. "Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactors: Mathematical Modeling and Lipid Production." DigitalCommons@USU, 2011. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1107.
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Harvesting of algal biomass presents a large barrier to the success of biofuels made from algae feedstock. Small cell sizes coupled with dilute concentrations of biomass in lagoon systems make separation an expensive and energy intense-process. The rotating algal biofilm reactor (RABR) has been developed at USU to provide a sustainable technology solution to this issue. Algae cells grown as a biofilm are concentrated in one location for ease of harvesting of high density biomass. A mathematical model of this biofilm system was developed based on data generated from three pilot scale reactors at the City of Logan, Utah wastewater reclamation plant. The data were fit using nonlinear regression to a modified logistic growth equation. The logistic growth equation was used to estimate nitrogen and phosphorus removal from the system, and to find the best harvesting time for the reactors. These values were extrapolated to determine yields of methane and biodiesel from algae biomass that could be used to provide energy to the City of Logan if these reactors were implemented at full scale. For transesterification into biodiesel, algae need to have high lipid content. Algae biofilms have been relatively unexplored in terms of cell lipid composition accumulation and changes with regard to environmental stressors. Results indicated that biofilm biomass was largely unaffected by nutrient stresses. Neither nitrogen limitation nor excess inorganic carbon triggered a significant change in lipid content. Biofilm algae grown with indoor lighting produced an average of 4.2% lipid content by dry weight. Biofilm algae gown outdoors yielded an average of 6.2% lipid content by dry weight.