Effect of outdoor conditions on Nannochloropsis salina cultivation in artificial seawater using nutrients from anaerobic digestion effluent

The effects of simulated outdoor seasonal climatic conditions on Nannochloropsis salina (N. salina) grown using nutrients from anaerobic digestion (AD) effluent were evaluated in this study. Under various light exposure (LE) and temperature (10–30 °C) conditions, N. salina specific growth rate (μ) was strongly affected by LE. Light availability (LA) was observed to be crucial for biomass production, with μ values of 0.038 ± 0.013 d−1, 0.093 ± 0.013 d−1, and 0.151 ± 0.021 d−1 for 6-h, 12-h, and 24-h LA conditions, respectively. Temperature (10–25 °C) was not significant in affecting the light dependent growth coefficient (μ/LE), indicating the suitability of culturing this strain in the Ohio climate. Cultures exposed to low illumination had significantly higher unsaturated fatty acid content than those under high illumination, with nearly 29% higher eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5) content. Using LE and light attenuation resulted in adequate prediction of N. salina growth in a 1000 L open raceway pond.