BACKGROUNDBiodiesel is an alternative to conventional fossil diesel fuel. Currently, it is mainly produced from vegetable oils and consequently it has an adverse impact on food price. Lipids from oleaginous microorganisms (e.g. microalgae, bacteria, fungi and yeasts) could be an alternative feedstock for biodiesel production and therefore the growth and lipid accumulation of Trichosporon oleaginosus was studied under different conditions. RESULTSThe growth of T. oleaginosus on the xylose containing media enhanced the lipid accumulation and reduced cell growth, while on the glucose-containing media the opposite effect was observed. Trichosporon oleaginosus can accumulate above 50% of total lipids in dry cell mass during continuous and batch culture in the nitrogen-limited conditions. In the continuous culture relatively high productivity of total lipid accumulation (0.67 g dm(-3) h(-1)) was observed on the glucose containing media. The type of substrate limitation has considerable impact on the fatty acid composition of yeast cell lipids. The predicted biodiesel properties (based on the fatty acids composition of lipids) were found to meet the CEN quality standards. CONCLUSIONThe results obtained show that T. oleaginosus has great potential for feasible biodiesel production, especially when sugars from industrial and agricultural waste are used as a substrate. (c) 2016 Society of Chemical Industry