Spirogyra sp. is a filamentous green alga, which is common in
freshwater habitats. It contains about 11–21% of lipids and a high
content of sugar, about 33–64% [10]. Spirogyra sp. contains
Chlorophyll a and Chlorophyll b which are responsible for its green
color. However, in some culture/stress conditions the microalga
appears yellow or orange due to the presence of secondary
pigments (carotenoids). These carotenoids are of high value, for
example the astaxanthin is recognized as a potential anti-oxidant,
and could prevent cancer and cardio-vascular problems [11,12].
The high productivity of the microalga Spirogyra sp. and its
capacity to accumulate high amounts of sugar, make this biomass
also attractive as substrate for bioethanol and bioH2 production.
The biofuel production by this microalga is still in development
and so far, there are no references in the literature related to bioH2
production from Spirogyra sp. biomass. Nevertheless, several
studies, regarding bioH2 production using other microalgae, have
already been published