Wastewater treatment using Scenedesmus almeriensis: effect of operational conditions on the composition of the microalgae-bacteria consortia

Primary urban wastewater was treated in outdoor raceways using microalgae-bacteria consortia dominated by Scenedesmus almeriensis . The current study aimed at assessing the effect of operational conditions, namely, culture depth and dilution rate, on the following: (i) biomass productivity, (ii) the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied phycology 2021-12, Vol.33 (6), p.3885-3897
Main Authors: Sánchez-Zurano, Ana, Lafarga, Tomás, Morales-Amaral, María del Mar, Gómez-Serrano, Cintia, Fernández-Sevilla, José María, Acién-Fernández, Francisco Gabriel, Molina-Grima, Emilio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Aquatic microorganisms
Bacteria
Biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chemical oxygen demand
Composition effects
Consortia
Depth
Dilution
Ecology
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Life Sciences
Microalgae
Microorganisms
Mineral nutrients
Nitrification
Nitrifying bacteria
Nutrient removal
Phosphorus
Phosphorus removal
Phytoplankton
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Relative abundance
Removal
Scenedesmus
Wastewater treatment
Water treatment
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Summary:Primary urban wastewater was treated in outdoor raceways using microalgae-bacteria consortia dominated by Scenedesmus almeriensis . The current study aimed at assessing the effect of operational conditions, namely, culture depth and dilution rate, on the following: (i) biomass productivity, (ii) the nutrient removal capacity and (iii) the composition of the microalgae-bacteria consortium and the presence of unwanted microorganisms. Optimum dilution rates to process large quantities of wastewater during summer and achieve high biomass productivities were 0.3–0.5 day −1 . Under the optimum operational conditions, nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates were higher than 90% while removal of chemical oxygen demand was 70%. Operating at different culture depths had a striking effect on the composition of the microalgae-bacteria consortium. The relative abundance of nitrifiers increased with culture depth and was minimised at 0.05 m: larger culture depths led to enhanced nitrifying activity and therefore to nitrate production and accumulation in the system. Results demonstrate the potential of microalgae-based wastewater treatment processes and the importance of selecting suitable operational conditions to maximise both, biomass production and nutrient removal by minimising the occurrence of nitrifying bacteria.
ISSN:0921-8971
1573-5176
DOI:10.1007/s10811-021-02600-2