Compared to photoautotrophic and heterotrophic cultures, an abundance of lipids were accumulated when Chlorella sp. Y8-1 was cultivated under mixotrophic conditions, suggesting that it
has great potential for renewable biodiesel feedstock applications. Mixotrophic Chlorella sp. Y8-1 showed higher lipid content (35.5 ± 4.2%) and higher lipid productivity (0.01 g/L/d) than
Chlorella sp. Y8-1 cultivated under autotrophic and heterotrophic conditions. Additionally, under mixotrophic conditions, the microalgae accumulates lipids up to 35.5 ± 4.2% of dry cell weight, with palmitic acid (16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) representing the most abundant fatty acid components. Mixotrophic cultivation is much easier to alter conditions to improve the yield of biomass and lipid of microalgal production. Therefore, further study on the influence
of environmental factors would facilitate the improvement of algal lipid production.