The effects of temperature, local tap-water and culture medium without sterilization on cell growth and lutein production of Desmodesmus sp. F51 were investigated under indoor conditions. Outdoor batch cultivation of Desmodesmus sp. F51 was also investigated in 50 L cylindrical photobioreactor. The results showed that the best biomass productivity [767.5 mg/(L?d)] and lutein productivity [3.05 mg/(L?d)] occurred at a temperature of 35℃. A low temperature enhanced the lutein content but reduced cell growth rate. There is no significant growth inhibition and microbiological contamination were observed for Desmodesmus sp. F51 using local tap-water and culture medium without sterilization. Under the outdoor temperature of 13.0?27.6℃, the highest biomass productivity, CO2 fixation rate and lutein productivity of 236.3, 444.2 and 1.17 mg/(L?d) were obtained, respectively.