Sodium Phosphate’s Effects on Nannochloropsis oculata Rates of Growth and Production

Abstract

This study looked to analyze the effects of sodium phosphate concentrations on the growth and production of Nannochloropsis oculata, saltwater algae. This study hypothesized that as the concentration of sodium phosphate increases, the rate of algae growth must also increase. To conduct this experiment, a control group holding no sodium phosphate, an experimental group holding 32 µL of sodium phosphate, and an experimental group holding 48 µL of sodium phosphate were subjected to a one-week trial to examine growth and production rates. All groups were held in a chamber where the light was on for 14 hours, followed by no light for 10 hours, on a repeating cycle for seven days. The results of this study displayed a proportional increase in algae growth and production accompanied with each increase in sodium phosphate concentration, leading to the conclusion that the hypothesis of this study was supported. This study expands knowledge on the effects of varying amounts of sodium phosphate on saltwater algae (Nannochloropsis oculata) growth. This could be beneficial to the scientific community by supplementing the search for more efficient ingredients to increase algae growth and production which can lead to more efficient production of biofuels, a renewable energy source.