Isolation of Several Indigenous Microalgae from Kallar Kahar Lake, Chakwal Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Kallar Kahar lake, Punjab, Pakistan is a rich source of phytoplankton which can be used for biofuel production. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the presence of different microalgae species present in this lake and their possible utilization for bioenergy production. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The crude culture was examined under microscope. Isolation of the identified species was carried out by using serial dilution and colony picking methods. Isolated strains were evaluated by investigating their biomass productivity, salinity resistance and auto-flocculation ability. RESULTS: Four different microalgae species (Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Oscillatoria and Spirulina) were identified in the crude sample. The experimental results indicated that, among the four isolated strains, the Oscillatoria species showed highest biomass productivity (4.2 gL(-1)) and Scenedesmus showed comparatively higher salt resistance. Scenedesmus also showed great potential of auto-flocculation as around 70 % of its cells sediment within 5 h without addition of any external flocculating agent. The lipid content in the isolated strains has also been carried out using Soxhlet extraction. CONCLUSION: Four different microalgae strains have been found in Kallar Kahar lake that reflected good biomass productivity and are capable of auto-flocculation.