Evaluating potential of green alga Chlorella vulgaris to accumulate phosphorus and to fertilize nutrient-poor soil substrates for crop plants

Algae are capable of accumulating nutrients from aqueous waste, which makes them a potential fertilizer. The ability of the fast growing Chlorella vulgaris strain IPPAS C1 to accumulate phosphorus (P) was probed in V-shaped plastic foil photobioreactors. The P uptake was 0.13–0.53 g(P)·m−2·day−1 when the algal culture densities were kept between 0.1 and 1.0 g(DW)·L−1 in a typical summer irradiance of Central Europe. The algal biomass can be...