Finding alternatives to fossil fuels is important to mitigate climate change. This study investigates the development of Chlorella vulgaris under different levels of light intensities, whey, and pH from a Box-Behnken experimental design. Maximum biomass growth and lipids/carbohydrate content were measured as response variables. The aim is to understand how the microalga responds to various environmental conditions to optimize its growth and biofuel precursors accumulation. The modified Gompertz kinetic model was adjusted to experimental data to understand how the studied conditions impact the growth rate. As a response, it reached production of 2.17 gbiomass·L-1 at high level of intensity light, whey, and pH. The experiments indicated that the accumulation of lipids/carbohydrates is directly correlated with light intensity; however, the levels of whey concentration and pH played a diffe...