Elsevier

Bioresource Technology

Volume 151, January 2014, Pages 12-18
Bioresource Technology

Combined remediation and lipid production using Chlorella sorokiniana grown on wastewater and exhaust gases

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.10.040Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Chlorella sorokiniana can grow phototrophically using wastewater and exhaust gas.

  • Biomass yields from waste streams were comparable to commercial media.

  • Lipid production was highest in the final effluent augmented with 12% CO2.

  • CO2 addition improved the rate of nitrogen removal in both wastewater types.

  • The cultures removed 20–30% of CO, 30–45% of CO2 and 95–100% of NOx.

Abstract

Substitution of conventional feedstock with waste based alternatives is one route towards both remediation and reducing costs associated with production of algal biomass. This work explores whether exhaust gases and wastewater can replace conventional feedstock in the production of biomass from Chlorella sorokiniana. Exhaust gases were used to augment production in final effluent, anaerobic digester centrate or in standard medium. Cultures were grown in 1 L bottles under illumination of 80 μmol m−2 s−1. The results showed an average μmax ranging between 0.04 and 0.07 h−1, whilst the final biomass yield in different media ranged between 220 and 330 mg L−1. Lipid yield was increased over time to 31 mg L−1. CO2 addition resulted in complete nitrogen removal between 48 and 96 h in both final effluent and centrate. The results also indicated that levels of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gases can be reduced by between 20% and 95%.

Graphical abstract

Image is an adapted composite formed from three separate images. ‘Chimney Image’; permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation Licence, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. ‘Wastewater treatment works’; photograph taken by Martina Nolte distributed under a creative commons licence; http://creativecommons.org/licences/by-sa/3.0/de/legalcode. ‘Conical flask’; Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation Licence, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

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Keywords

Chlorella sorokiniana
Wastewater
Exhaust gas
Remediation
Biomass

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