The Effect of Varying Nitrogen Levels on Chlorella

Abstract

Nonrenewable resources are running low and algae is a simple and readily available resource which could be used as a biofuel. In this experiment, the effects of varying potassium nitrate on Chlorella was tested. We hypothesized that as the nitrogen levels increased, the algae growth would increase as well. Nitrogen is a key nutrient in algae development. We added 20 µL and 40 µL of potassium nitrate to the experimental environments to stimulate algae growth. We observed the results after one week and then repeated the process for an additional trial. In this experiment, we observed that experimental treatments with higher nitrogen content had an influence on positive growth in Chlorella. The results of our experiment showed that our hypothesis was supported. Our experiment will aid in identifying the ideal amount of nitrogen needed to optimize algae growth for biofuel production.