To fix CO2 emissions efficiently from flue gas of coal-fired power plants, the culture medium, light intensity and bioreactors were comprehensively optimized in the process of CO2 fixation by Chlorella PY-ZU1. To make up for relative insufficiency of nutrients (except for the carbon source) resulting from continuous bubbling of 15% CO2, three chemicals were added into the culture to optimize the molar ratios of nitrogen to carbon, phosphorus to carbon, and magnesium to carbon in culture from 0.17 to 0.69, from 0.093 to 0.096, and from 0.018 to 0.030, respectively. Such adjustments led to a 1.25-fold increase in biomass (from 2.41 to 5.42 g L-1). By enhancing light intensity from 4500 to 6000 lux, the peak growth rate of Chlorella PY-ZU1 increased by 99% and reached to 0.95 g L-1 day(-1). Use of a multi-stage sequential bioreactor notably improved the peak CO2 fixation efficiency to 85.6%. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.