TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Method: The species are selected from the Trebouxiophyceae. The species are selected from Botryococcus species or their varieties or strains. The cultivating step produces a biomass, and further comprises exposing the Chlorophyta to a second nutrient medium having a phosphate content of at least 80 mM. The nutrient medium further comprises 200 ppm to 3% N, 100 ppm to 15% P2O5, and 100 ppm to 3.5% K2O. The nutrient medium comprises nutrients selected from phosphate salts, ammonium salts, calcium salts, potassium salts, magnesium salts, sodium salts, phosphoric acid, pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, glycerophosphates, or their mixtures, where the second nutrient medium comprises from 800 ppm to 15% phosphates and 5 ppm to 70 ppm soluble zinc. The second nutrient medium further comprises nutrients selected from ammonium salts, potassium salts, magnesium salts, sodium salts, phosphoric acid, pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, glycerophosphates, or their mixtures. The second nutrient medium further comprises phosphate buffers comprised of monobasic, dibasic, and tribasic salts; citrates; and Krebs Cycle carboxylates, where the second nutrient medium comprises 25-250 ppm soluble magnesium, 0.3-3 ppm soluble manganese, 3-10 ppm soluble iron, and 5-70 ppm soluble zinc (Zn+2 ). The hydrocarbons are cultivated on an aqueous solid substrate, where the substrate is paper, plastic, colloids, phycocolloids, agar, agarose, carrageenan, agar substitutes, textiles, gel, mud, soil, earth, shale, clays, foam, ceramics, concrete, brick, metal foam, wovens, or nonwovens. The Chlorophytan is cultivated with a supply of carbon dioxide and carbonates. The Chlorophytan is cultivated under light exposure of 100-2000 muE/m2/sec PAR illumination. The hydrocarbons comprise any of C2H2n-10, where n is 30-37, inclusive. The zinc content is at least 5 ppm. The nutrient medium further comprises at least 5 ppm soluble iron. Producing hydrocarbons from the Chlorophyta comprises inoculating a substrate with the Chlorophytan exposing the organism to PAR in a nutrient medium having a phosphate content of at least 2 mM, a zinc content of at least 0.2 ppm, a manganese content of at least 0.1 ppm, and an iron content of at least 3 ppm, and harvesting the hydrocarbons.Preferred Nutrient Composition: The nutrient composition comprises 136 ppm KH2PO4, 174 ppm K2HPO4, 570 ppm KNO3, 200-1750 ppm chelants, 100 ppm MgSO4, 88 ppm Ca+2, at least 5 ppm Fe, 0.2 ppm Mn, 0.01 ppm Cu, 0.2 ppm B, 0.2 ppm Zn+2, 0.02 ppm Mo, and 0.002 ppm Co. The nutrient composition is in liquid water and culture of Botryococcus sp..