ABSTRACT
Increased use of microalgae as food additives, biofuels, pharmaceuticals and in waste treatment increases effluent production. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different culture media on growth of Chlorella sorokiniana and the influence of the cultural refuse on seed germination of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). The microalga was grown in different media for 27 days. The maximum specific growth rate (µmax) during mixotrophic growth phase was obtained in the novel medium composed of 50% NPK medium and 50% Bold Basal medium supplemented with glucose (1 g L-1). Cell proliferation in Bold Basal and NPK media presented a very close µmax values, indicating that NPK may be a good option for low-cost microalgal production. The effluents from the microalgal culture failed to induce any marked variation in the germination of lettuce seeds. This clearly shows that the microalgal effluent does not cause any toxicity to germinating lettuce seeds. Thus C. sorokiniana cultivation combined with horticulture can be utilized as a feasible productive integrated system.