Comparing the use of different domestic wastewaters for coupling microalgal production and nutrient removal

Abstract

The streams from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) have been considered a valuable medium for mass cultivation of algal biomass. The aim of this work is to test and compare the performance of Chlorella vulgaris on several streams from five stages, from two different WWTP. The results showed biomass yields ranging from 39 to 195mg dry-weightl(-1)days(-1). The best performance as biomass production was obtained with the centrate (effluent from drying the anaerobic sludge). After testing a wide range of N/P ratios with centrate, the highest productivity and growth rates were obtained with the original N/P ratio (2.0) of this stream. The highest removal rates were of 9.8 (N) and 3.0 (P) mgl(-1)days(-1), in the centrate. Finally, this research also suggests that microalgal production seems to be a promising process when coupled to wastewater treatment.

Feasibility study of biogas upgrading coupled with nutrient removal from anaerobic effluents using microalgae-based processes

“…Similar C, N and P biomass contents were recorded during the 225 d of experimentation regardless of the different C and nutrient load applied, which confirms the constant composition of the algal-bacterial biomass cultivated in wastewater (Posadas et al 2013). The C, N and P biomass contents were in agreement with those reported by Dominguez-Cabanelas et al (2013) (C: 43-56%; N:2-9%; P: 1.4%).…”

Microalgae membrane photobioreactor for further removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from secondary sewage effluent

“…Microalgae-based technology has gained interest as an alternative post-secondary treatment method owing to its high capacity for N and P uptake and providing benefits such as biofuel production, greenhouse gas fixation from the atmosphere and use in manufacture of cosmetic products as well [4,5]. Several types of microalgae cultivation-based wastewater treatment systems have been studied, including both open pond and closed reactor system.…”

Current Status and Outlook in the Application of Microalgae in Biodiesel Production and Environmental Protection

“…However, it can not be ignored that there are a large number of endogenous bacteria in a real wastewater system affecting the growth of microalgae. Cabanelas et al (2013) used C. vulgaris for nitrogen and phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater with the highest removal rates of 9.8 (N) and 3.0 (P) mg/L/day. Other microalgae widely used for nutrient removal from different wastewater streams are Chlorella sp.…”

“…Other microalgae widely used for nutrient removal from different wastewater streams are Chlorella sp. (Gonzales et al, 1997;Cabanelas et al, 2013), Scenedesmus sp. (Martınez et al, 2000), and B. braunii (Álvarez-Díaz et al, 2013).…”