Chlorella pyrenoidosa was cultivated in soybean processing wastewater (SPW) in batch and fed-batch cultures without a supply of additional nutrients. The alga was able to remove 77.8 +/- 5.7%, 88.8 +/- 1.0%, 89.1 +/- 0.6% and 70.3 +/- 11.4% of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD(cr)), total nitrogen (TN). NH(4)(+)-N and total phosphate (TP), respectively, after 120 h in fed-batch culture. C. pyrenoidosa attained an average biomass productivity of 0.64 g L(-1) d(-1), an average lipid content of 37.00 +/- 9.34%, and a high lipid productivity of 0.40 g L(-1) d(-1). Therefore, cultivation of C. pyrenoidosa in SPW could yield cleaner water and useful biomass. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.