Biochemical and phylogenetic characterization of the wastewater tolerant Chlamydomonas biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40 strain cultivated in palm oil mill effluent

Abstract

The increasing demand for water, food and energy poses challenges for the world´s sustainability. Tropical palm oil is currently the major source of vegetable oil worldwide with a production that exceeds 55 million tons per year, while generating over 200 million tons of palm oil mill effluent (POME). It could potentially be used as a substrate for production of microalgal biomass though. In this study, the microalgal strain Chlamydomonas biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40, originally isolated from a sugarcane vinasse stabilization pond, was selected among 17 strains tested for growth in POME retrieved from anaerobic ponds of a palm oil industrial plant located within the Amazon rainforest region. During cultivation in POME, C. biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40 biomass productivity reached 190.60 mgDW • L-1 • d-1 using 15L airlift flat plate photobioreactors. Carbohydrates comprised the major fraction of algal biomass (31.96%), while the lipidic fraction reached up to 11.3% of dry mass. Reductions of 99% in ammonium and nitrite, as well as 98% reduction in phosphate present in POME were detected after 5 days of algal cultivation. This suggests that the aerobic pond stage, usually used in palm oil industrial plants to reduce POME inorganic load, could be substituted by high rate photobioreactors, significantly reducing the time and area requirements for wastewater treatment. In addition, the complete mitochondrial genome of C. biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40 strain was sequenced, revealing a compact mitogenome, with 15.98 kb in size, a total of 14 genes, of which 9 are protein coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the strain taxonomic status within the Chlamydomonas genus, opening up opportunities for future genetic modification and molecular breeding programs in these species.

Intensification of multiphase systems with a jet‐loop reactor: characterization of mass transfer, mixing time, drop oil size, and biomass growth

“…Along the same lines, the airlift bioreactor is an alternative bioreactor that can be used in the presence of vegetable oil due to its simple design, operation, and low energy consumption. 2,5,7 Additionally, various alternative designs of bioreactors are being studied for the biotransformation of vegetable oil into useful products, including an airliftbiofilm reactors, 8 membrane bioreactors, 9,10 and lately, the jetloop reactor. [11][12][13][14] The basic jet-loop reactor design is a cylindrical vessel with a high H/D ratio (>5) and an external pump that quickly recycles the liquid within the vessel through an external loop.…”

“…Examples of these processes include the production of biopolymers, 2‐4 the production of carotenoids (such as β ‐carotene), 5 the production of lipids, 6 and the production of aroma compounds (such as gamma‐decalactone), among other important biomolecules. Along the same lines, the airlift bioreactor is an alternative bioreactor that can be used in the presence of vegetable oil due to its simple design, operation, and low energy consumption 2,5,7 . Additionally, various alternative designs of bioreactors are being studied for the biotransformation of vegetable oil into useful products, including an airlift‐biofilm reactors, 8 membrane bioreactors, 9,10 and lately, the jet‐loop reactor 11‐14 .…”

Natural Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic ENR/PVC Composites as Potential Membrane Technology in Industrial Wastewater Treatment: A Review

“…One of the main causes of water pollution is due to a permanent source of wastewater from sewage treatment plants and industry [3][4][5][6][7]. It is estimated that a large amount of wastewater production is concentrated in the palm oil and textile industries [8][9][10][11]. Therefore, effective and capable solutions to overcome this pollution problem are very much needed.…”