Year-long evaluation of microalgae production in wastewater using pilot-scale raceway photobioreactors: Assessment of biomass productivity and nutrient recovery capacity

Morillas-España, Ainoa; Lafarga, Tomás; Sánchez-Zurano, Ana; Acién-Fernández, Francisco Gabriel; Rodríguez-Miranda, Enrique; Gómez-Serrano, Cintia; González-López, Cynthia Victoria

doi:10.1016/j.algal.2021.102500

Cited by 50 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…in summer was 24 g•m −2 •day −1 when operated using centrate from anaerobic digestion as the sole nutrient source and a dilution rate of 0.3 day −1 [27]. Similarly, a previous study utilising the same photobioreactor used herein but operated with wastewater instead of freshwater reported maximum biomass productivities of 25.1 g•m −2 •day −1 in summer [14]. The results demonstrate the robustness of the produced strain that can grow well independently of the type of water used.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

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Production of Scenedesmus almeriensis Using Pilot-Scale Raceway Reactors Located inside a Greenhouse

et al. 2022

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The microalga S. almeriensis was produced in spring and summer using 80 m2 raceway reactors located inside a greenhouse in Almería, Spain. This microalga was selected because it is a fast-growing and robust strain with potential applications in the production of functional foods and feeds or as a high-value agricultural biostimulant. Overall, the biomass productivity obtained in summer was 24.9 ± 0.9 g·m−2·day−1. This value was higher than that obtained in spring, with an average value of 21.4 ± 1.3 g·m−2·day−1 (p < 0.05). The Fv/Fm value of the cultures at the stationary phase was comparable and around 0.6, which is the optimum of this strain. No major differences in the macromolecular composition of the biomass were observed between seasons, with an average protein, lipid, ash, and carbohydrate content of 37.9, 4.6, 10.8, and 46.7%, respectively. The data reported herein were used to validate a previously described model. The differences between the experimental and the predicted biomass productivities were below 5% in spring and 8% in summer, although a larger dataset is needed to validate the model. Overall, results supported the robustness of the selected strain and its utilisation in different industrial sectors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…This microalga also showed potential for use as a feed ingredient promoting the gut functionality of fish [8] and as a biostimulant in agriculture [9]. In addition, S. almeriensis is a robust strain that can be produced using wastewater and different reactor designs [14,15] which has been suggested as key to reduce production costs [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of Scenedesmus almeriensis Using Pilot-Scale Raceway Reactors Located inside a Greenhouse

et al. 2022

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“…Algae productivity ranges between 3.6 and 9.3 (gDW m

), in line with the values recorded in other raceways pond applications [ 28 , 29 ], with a maximum productivity in summer. The rather low considered HRT explains these modest performances, which would have been higher for lower HRT.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

How Heat Transfer Indirectly Affects Performance of Algae-Bacteria Raceways

Casagli

Bernard

2022

Microorganisms

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Oxygenation in wastewater treatment leads to a high energy demand. High-rate algal-bacterial ponds (HRABP) have often been considered an interesting solution to reduce this energy cost, as the oxygen is provided by microalgae during photosynthesis. These complex dynamic processes are subject to solar fluxes and consequently permanent fluctuations in light and temperature. The process efficiency therefore highly depends on the location and the period of the year. In addition, the temperature response can be strongly affected by the process configuration (set-up, water depth). Raised pilot-scale raceways are typically used in experimental campaigns, while raceways lying on the ground are the standard reactor configuration for industrial-scale applications. It is therefore important to assess what the consequences are for the temperature patterns of the different reactor configurations and the water levels. The long-term validated algae-bacteria (ALBA) model was used to represent algae-bacteria dynamics in HRABPs. The model was previously validated over 600 days of outdoor measurements, at two different locations and for the four seasons. However, the first version of the model, like all the existing algae-bacteria models, was not fully predictive, since, to be run, it required the measurement of water temperature. The ALBA model was therefore updated, coupling it with a physical model that predicts the temperature evolution in the HRABP. A heat transfer model was developed, and it was able to accurately predict the temperature during the year (with a standard error of 1.5 ∘C). The full predictive model, using the temperature predictions, degraded the model’s predictive performances by less than 3%. N2O predictions were affected by ±7%, highlighting the sensitivity of nitrification to temperature The temperature response for two different process configurations were then compared. The biological process can be subjected to different temperature dynamics, with more extreme temperature events when the raceway does not lie on the ground and for thinner depths. Such a situation is more likely to lead to culture crashes.

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“…It is more accurate to express removal capacity of a process as grams of nitrogen or phosphorus that can be recovered per square meter and day. Nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates of up to 4286 and 227 mg•m −2 •day −1 respectively have been reported in pilot-scale raceway reactors (80 m 2 , 11.8 m 3 ) operated using primary wastewater (Morillas-España et al, 2021b). In that study, the authors concluded that approximately 15-30% of the nitrogen removed from the wastewater was stripped into the atmosphere (Morillas-España et al, 2021b).…”

Section: Biomass Productivities and Nutrient Recoveriesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates of up to 4286 and 227 mg•m −2 •day −1 respectively have been reported in pilot-scale raceway reactors (80 m 2 , 11.8 m 3 ) operated using primary wastewater (Morillas-España et al, 2021b). In that study, the authors concluded that approximately 15-30% of the nitrogen removed from the wastewater was stripped into the atmosphere (Morillas-España et al, 2021b). Little is known about the effect of environmental and operational conditions on the composition of the microalgaebacteria consortia.…”

Section: Biomass Productivities and Nutrient Recoveriesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Microalgae based wastewater treatment coupled to the production of high value agricultural products: Current needs and challenges

et al. 2022

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Year-long evaluation of microalgae production in wastewater using pilot-scale raceway photobioreactors: Assessment of biomass productivity and nutrient recovery capacity

Cited by 50 publications

References 46 publications

Production of Scenedesmus almeriensis Using Pilot-Scale Raceway Reactors Located inside a Greenhouse

Production of Scenedesmus almeriensis Using Pilot-Scale Raceway Reactors Located inside a Greenhouse

How Heat Transfer Indirectly Affects Performance of Algae-Bacteria Raceways

Microalgae based wastewater treatment coupled to the production of high value agricultural products: Current needs and challenges

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