Pathways to economic viability: a pilot scale and techno-economic assessment for algal bioremediation of challenging waste streams

Abstract

Waste production and landfilling are a growing problem due to population growth and more affluent societies following a ‘take-make-waste’ linear economy. All landfills generate leachate, which must be detoxified before...

Metagenomic analysis of microbial consortia native to the Amazon, Highlands, and Galapagos regions of Ecuador with potential for wastewater remediation

“…6 “Clean Water and Sanitation” by 2030 (2017 UN World Water Development Report, Wastewater: The Untapped Resource | UNEP – UN Environment Programme, n.d. ). Existing tertiary treatment strategies for the removal of N, P, and organic matter (e.g., anaerobic digestion followed by biological denitrification, chemical precipitation) tend to be technically complex, entail high implementation costs, and are energy demanding (Lee & Lei, 2019 ; Leflay et al, 2020 ; Quijano et al, 2017 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ). In this respect, wastewater remediation using microalgae‐bacteria consortia has emerged as a cost‐effective strategy (Abdelfattah et al, 2023 ).…”

“…For example, photosynthetic microalgae produce dissolved oxygen to drive bacterial growth, and in turn, bacteria supply essential secondary metabolites and supplementary inorganic carbon (through the breakdown of organic matter) to stimulate microalgae growth through respiration (Fallahi et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ). Ultimately, the cultivation of microalgae–bacteria consortia using wastewater is an efficient, biologically driven nutrient removal system with low implementation costs, easy scalability, and low energy demand (Lee & Lei, 2019 ; Leflay et al, 2020 ).…”

Construction of microalgae polyculture based on key population analysis to improve biomass production in municipal wastewater

“…The cost brought by the addition of bioaugmentation microbial agents has in turn become a limiting factor for the commercial application of energy microalgae. 17,18 Based on the above information, how to construct a microbial community that is favorable for biomass production and operates at low cost is a key issue. Previous studies have proved that there is a huge difference in the microbial communities of different microalgae monoculture systems, and the types of microalgae can have a remarkable impact on the structure of the microbial community in wastewater.…”

“…The cost brought by the addition of bioaugmentation microbial agents has in turn become a limiting factor for the commercial application of energy microalgae. 17,18…”

Direct measurements of CO2 capture are essential to assess the technical and economic potential of algal-CCUS

“…The unit has a working volume of 300 L, composed of a 100 L plastic tank and a serpentine borosilicate bioreactor. The PBR is encased in a Sunlite multiwall protective structure with 83 % light penetration [37].…”