Culture of microalgae in hatcheries (original) (raw)

Microalgae or microscopic algae grow in either marine or freshwater systems. They are primary producers in the oceans that convert water and carbon dioxide to biomass and oxygen in the presence of sunlight. The oldest documented use of microalgae was 2000 years ago, when the Chinese used the cyanobacteria Nostoc as a food source during a famine. Another type of microalgae, the cyanobacteria Arthrospira (Spirulina), was a common food source among populations in Chad and Aztecs in Mexico as far back as the 16th century.