US 12,454,673 B1
Method of cultivating algal biomass using oilfield hypersaline brine
Shaikh Abdur Razzak, Dhahran (SA); Mohammed Omar Faruque, Dhahran (SA); and Mohammad Mozahar Hossain, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Jun. 24, 2025, as Appl. No. 19/246,983.
Int. Cl. C12N 1/12 (2006.01); C12R 1/89 (2006.01)
CPC C12N 1/12 (2013.01) [C12R 2001/89 (2021.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of cultivating algal biomass using oilfield hypersaline brine (HSB), the method including:
(a) admixing the oilfield HSB with a first aqueous composition including a source of nitrogen and a source of phosphorous to form an aqueous medium having a total salinity of from about 0.1 to about 40 grams per liter (g/L);
(b) inoculating the aqueous medium with an algal culture including Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 1230 to form an aqueous growth medium; and,
(c) after a first duration of time, collecting algal biomass from the aqueous growth medium;
wherein the Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 1230 of the algal culture is obtained by subjecting the Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 1230 to n media having serially increased salinity in the range from about 0.1 to about 40 g/L;
further wherein: n is from 5 to 10;
the first medium of the series has a salinity of from about 0.1 to about 10 g/L;
the nth medium of the series has a salinity of from about 30 to about 40 g/L; and
the Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 1230 is isolated from each medium of the series.