Botryococcus sp. BAA-2026

History of Receipt and Isolation

• Country of origin: Republic of Kazakhstan.
• Place of isolation: Lake Alakol (saline lake), Abai–Zhetisu region.
• Habitat: brackish–saline lake ecosystem.
• Isolated by: Zayadan B.K., Kabaeva A.E., Dauletova A.A., Bolatkhan K., Sanatov S.S., Askar A. at the Laboratory of Biotechnology, al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
• Year of accession to the collection: 2026.
• Method of obtainment: isolated from an enrichment culture obtained from a natural sample by successive microbiological plating.
• Genetic features: Wild type.
• Culture condition: Axenic.

Morphology and Structure

Green colonial microalga consisting of oval or drop-shaped cells. Cell length is 8–13 µm, width is 5–8 µm. On solid nutrient medium, the culture forms light green colonies resembling microscopic grape clusters; colony shape is unstable (lobed or clustered).

Cultivation

• Nutrient Media: BG-11 (liquid and agarized)
• Temperature: 25 ± 2 °C
• Light Intensity: 40–55 µmol photons/m²/s
• Photoperiod: 12:12 h (light/dark)
• pH: 7.0–7.2.

Physiological Characteristics

Mesophilic, photoautotrophic.

Long-term Preservation Conditions

Maintained in liquid BG-11 medium with subculturing every 2–3 months.

Field of Application

Promising for biofuel and valuable chemical production: representatives of the genus Botryococcus (primarily B. braunii) are characterized by the synthesis and accumulation of liquid hydrocarbons, which can be converted via hydrocracking into high-quality gasoline, aviation jet fuel (kerosene), and diesel. It is also a promising raw material source for biodegradable bioplastics.