Application of Chlorella vulgaris for nutrient removal from synthetic wastewater and MBR-treated bio-park secondary effluent: growth kinetics, effects of carbon and phosphate concentrations.
- Publisher:
- Springer Nature
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Environ Monit Assess, 2023, 195, (3), pp. 415
- Issue Date:
- 2023-02-20
Open Access
Copyright Clearance Process
- Recently Added
- In Progress
- Open Access
This item is open access.
Application of Chlorella vulgaris for polishing secondary effluent of a wastewater treatment (containing C, N and P) was investigated. As a first step, batch experiments were conducted in Bold's Basal Media (BBM) to quantify the effects of orthophosphates (0.1-107 mg/L), organic carbon (0-500 mg/L as acetate) and N/P ratio on the growth of Chlorella vulgaris. The results revealed that the orthophosphate concentration was found to control the removal rates of nitrates and phosphates; however, both were effectively removed (> 90%) when the initial orthophosphate concentration was 4-12 mg/L. The maximum nitrate and orthophosphate removals were observed at an N:P ratio of ~ 11. However, the specific growth rate (µ) was significantly increased (from 0.226 to 0.336 g/g/day) when the initial orthophosphate concentration was 0.1-4.3 mg/L. On the other hand, the presence of acetate had significantly improved the specific growth and specific nitrate removal rates of Chlorella vulgaris. The specific growth rate increased from 0.34 g/g/day in a purely autotrophic culture to 0.70 g/g/day in the presence of acetate. Subsequently, the Chlorella vulgaris (grown in BBM) was acclimated and grown in the membrane bioreactor (MBR)-treated real-time secondary effluent. Under the optimised conditions, 92% nitrate and 98% phosphate removals (with a growth rate of 0.192 g/g/day) were observed in the bio-park MBR effluent. Overall, the results indicate that coupling Chlorella vulgaris as a polishing treatment in existing wastewater treatment units could be beneficial for highest level of water reuse and energy recovery goals.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: