| Producing biodiesel from triacylglycerol (TAG) generates glycerol as a byproduct which could be recycled and used to grow the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula glutinis. R. glutinis has the ability to produce up to 70% of its weight in the form of TAG. This study is designed to determine the effects of glycerol on the TAG and fatty acids produced by R. glutinis.; After 24 hrs, R. glutinis cultured on medium containing dextrose, xylose, glycerol, dextrose and xylose, xylose and glycerol, or dextrose and glycerol accumulated 16, 12, 25, 10, 21, and 34% TAG on a dry weight basis, respectively. The fatty acids derived from R. glutinis were mostly saturated, however, cells cultivated on glycerol alone had the highest degree of unsaturated fatty acids (53%). Growth on dextrose may be enhanced by the addition of glycerol, but it cannot be determined if using glycerol as a secondary carbon substrate enhances lipid production. |
