The role of bacteria/extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) coated carriers on attached microalgae growth in suspended-solid phase photobioreactor (sspBR) was assessed in this study. The results showed that pre-coating cotton with ambient bacteria and their EPS improved the attached microalgal growth by as much as 230% in terms of attached microalgae density. Additionally, the single cell dry weight, chemical composition and oxygen evolving activity of attached microalgae were significantly affected by the presence of bacteria/EPS coating on the cotton carriers. The protein content of microalgae cells cultivated in the ssPBRs with carriers coated by bacteria and sterilized bacteria were on average 26% and 15% more than uncoated carriers, respectively. Through absorbing and immobilizing nutrients from the bulk medium, the bacteria/EPS coating provided the attached microalgae with nitrogen/phosphorus for protein synthesis, especially during the late stages of batch cultivation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.