The aim of this study was to improve the protein content and yield of heterotrophic microalgal cultivation and establish a simple, economical, and efficient method for microalgal protein production using the novel green alga, Graesiella emersonii WBG-1, which has not been previously reported for heterotrophic cultivation. Through batch heterotrophic cultivation of this alga, we observed that glucose was the optimal carbon source, while it could not use sucrose as a carbon source. Biomass production and protein content were significantly reduced when sodium acetate was used as the carbon source. Compared with nitrate, protein content increased by 93% when urea was used as the nitrogen source. Cultivation temperature had a significant impact on biomass production and protein content. The optimal conditions were glucose as the carbon source at an initial concentration of 10 g/L, urea as the nitrogen source at an initial concentration of 1.62 g/L, and a culture temperature of 35 °C. On the second day of batch cultivation, the highest protein content (66.14%) was achieved, which was significantly higher than that reported in heterotrophic cultures of Chlorella and much higher than that reported for specially established technologies aimed at increasing the protein content, such as two-stage heterotrophic, heterotrophy–dilution–photoinduction, and mixotrophic processes. These results demonstrate the great potential of the heterotrophic cultivation of G. emersonii WBG-1 for protein production.

Caprolactam wastewater (WCP), which is generated during the production of caprolactam, contains high contents of NO₃⁻ and inorganic P and is considered to be difficult to treat. In this study, Arthrospira platensis was used to remove N and P from WCP. Culture conditions and wastewater addition were optimized to relieve the inhibition effects of WCP. The results show that A. platensis growth and photosynthetic activity were inhibited depending on WCP concentrations. The inhibition rates were enhanced as the culture time increased under batch mode. However, the fed-batch mode significantly minimized the negative impact on A. platensis, which is beneficial for removing N and P from WCP by Arthrospira. After 10 d of cultivation of A. platensis in a 25 L circular photobioreactor in fed-batch addition of WCP (1.25% mixed WCP (v/v) each day), the average biomass productivity reached 17.48 g/(m²·d), the maximum protein content was 69.93%, and the N and P removal ratios were 100%. The accumulation effect of WCP inhibition on algal growth was not observed under this culture condition. Fed-batch cultivation of A. platensis is a promising way for bioremediation of WCP with high N and P removal efficiencies and high value-added biomass production.