Enhancement of Biomass and Lipid Productivities of Scenedesmus sp. Cultivated in the Wastewater of the Dairy Industry

Abstract

Microalgae are photoautotrophic microorganisms capable of producing compounds with potential bioenergetic applications as an alternative energy source due to the imminent exhaustion of fossil fuels, their impact on the environment, and the constant population increase. The mass cultivation of these microorganisms requires high concentrations of nutrients, which is not profitable if analytical grade culture media are used. A viable alternative is the use of agro-industrial wastewater, due to the metabolic flexibility of these microorganisms and their ability to take advantage of the nutrients present in these substrates. For the reasons mentioned above, the effect of the cultivation in wastewater from cheese processing on the growth parameters and biomass composition of Scenedesmus sp. was evaluated, and its nutrient removal capacity determined. A high lipid concentration was obtained in the cultures with the dairy effluent (507.81 ± 19.09 mg g−1) compared to the standard culture medium, while the growth parameters remained similar to the control medium. Scenedesmus sp. achieved high percentages of nutrient assimilation of the wastewater used (88.41% and 97.07% for nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively). With the results obtained, the feasibility of cultivating microalgae in agro-industrial wastewater as an alternative culture medium that induces the accumulation of compounds with potential bioenergetic applications was verified.

A comparative study on the productivity of selected tropical freshwater microalgae

“…Volumetric, areal and lipid productivity of selected freshwater microalgae: The biomass production of microalgae is a mere function of the instantaneous growth rate and algal cell concentration in culture (Daniel and Srivastava 2016). In the present study, different microalgae showed variation in biomass productivity which can be justified as productivity of microalgae is also influenced by the microalgal strain used and the characteristics of the environment, where it grows (Mercado et al 2020). Moreover, lipid productivity of microalgae also varied among species as it depends on biochemical composition of microalgae, nutrient content of culture media and different stress factors.…”

“…Scenedesmus sp. resulted about 350.81 ± 33.05 mg g −1 of lipid productivity in standard BG11 culture medium (Mercado et al 2020). Based on the outcomes of the current study, Nannochloropsis sp., Monoraphidium sp., and Scenesdesmus sp.…”

“…Moreover, Scenedesmus sp. for 11 days of culture duration resulted 0.51±0.06 day −1 and 0.54±0.14 day −1 SGR in BG11medium and 100% dairy wastewater medium, respectively(Mercado et al 2020). Along with this, Dhup and Dhawan (2014) observed that growth rates of Monoraphidium sp.…”

“…Biomass productivity, areal productivity and lipid productivity were calculated according to Mercado et al (2020) and Sukkrom et al (2016). Productivity data was calculated at the end of the exponential phase.…”

Development of 2,3-Butanediol Production Process from Klebsiella aerogenes ATCC 29007 Using Extracted Sugars of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Biodiesel-Derived Crude Glycerol

“…However, as environmental problems such as global warming and harmful gas emission are growing severe, development of environment friendly and sustainable biotechnology is direly necessary. Accordingly, the development of bioconversion technology is being activated by using microorganisms and biomass resources [1][2][3][4][5].…”