a b s t r a c t
Biodiesel production from microalgae lipids is being considered as a potential source of renewable
energy. However, practical production processes will probably require the use of local strains adapted
to prevailing climatic conditions. This report describes the isolation of 100 microalgal strains from freshwater
lakes and rivers located in the vicinity of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Strains were identified and
surveyed for their growth on secondary effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (La Prairie,
QC, Canada) using a simple and high throughput microalgal screening method employing 12 well plates.
The biomass and lipid productivity of these strains on wastewater were compared to a synthetic medium
under different temperatures (10 ± 2 C and 22 ± 2 C) and a number identified that showed good growth
at 10 C, gave a high lipid content (ranging from 20% to 45% of dry weight) or a high capacity for nutrient
removal.