Growth and nutrient profile of Tetraselmis chuii under different urea concentrations: implications for sustainable uses
Abstract
Nitrogen is regarded as one of the most important nutrients for algal cells, having a direct impact on the growth and biochemical contents of microalgae. The goal of this research was to compare the growth and proximate components of Tetraselmis chuii cultivated in various urea concentrations as an available source of nitrogen. Results disclosed that T. chuii cultivated in urea at 93.4 mg L–1 N had higher cell density, biomass, and optical density compared to 11.67 mg L–1, 23.35 mg L–1, 46.7 mg L–1, and 233.5 mg L–1 N, respectively. Protein content was highly significant for urea at 233.5 mg L–1 N concentration compared to other concentrations. In contrast, higher carbohydrate content was found at 11.67 mg L–1 N compared to other concentrations of urea. Thus, the current study found that raising or decreasing urea concentrations had a substantial effect on the growth and proximate composition of indigenous marine T. chuii, and the highest biomass was recorded at 0.0145 g L–1 (dry biomass) from 93.4 mg L–1 N. These findings have implications for the cultivation of microalgae for various applications, including biofuel production, wastewater treatment, mariculture developments, and a sustainable blue economy in Bangladesh.
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