An indigenous microalga was isolated from the springs in Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico. It was morphologically identified as Scenedesmus obtusiusculus and cultivated in bubble-column photobioreactors in batch operation mode. This microalga grows at 10% of carbon dioxide (CO2) showing a maximum CO2 fixation rate of 970 g m(-3) d(-1). The microalga, without any nutrient limitation, contained 20% of nonpolar lipids with a biomass productivity of 500 g m(-3) d(-1) and a maximum biomass concentration of around 6,000 g m(-3) at 5% CO2 and irradiance of 134 mu mol m(-2) s(-1). Furthermore, it was observed that the microalga stored 55.7% of nonpolar lipids when 5% CO2 was fed at 0.8 vvm and 54.7 mu mol m(-2) s(-1) under nitrogen starvation. The lipid profile included C16:0, C18:0, C18:1n9t, C18:1n9c, C18:3n6 with a productivity of 200 g lipid m(-3) d(-1). Therefore, the microalga may have biotechnological potential producing lipids for biodiesel. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.