Nutrients recycling and biomass production from Chlorella pyrenoidosa culture using anaerobic food processing wastewater in a pilot-scale tubular photobioreactor

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 270; p. 129459
• Main Authors: Tan, Xiao-Bo, Wan, Xi-Ping, Yang, Li-Bin, Wang, Xin, Meng, Jing, Jiang, Ming-Juan, Pi, He-Jie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Anaerobic food processing wastewater; Anaerobiosis; Biomass; Chlorella; Chlorella pyrenoidosa; Food Handling; Lipids production; Microalgae; Nutrients; Photobioreactors; Pollutants removal; Tubular photobioreactor; Waste Water; Chlorella pyrenoidosa; Pollutants removal; Lipids production; Tubular photobioreactor; Anaerobic food processing wastewater
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129459

Microalgae cultivation in anaerobic food wastewater was a feasible way for high biomass production and nutrients recycling. In this study, Chlorella pyrenoidosa culture on anaerobic food wastewater was processed outdoors using a pilot-scale tubular photobioreactor. The microalgae showed rapid growth in different seasons, achieving high biomass production of 1.83–2.10 g L−1 and specific growth rate of 0.73–1.59 d−1. The biological contamination and dissolved oxygen were controlled at suitable levels for algal growth in the tubular photobioreactor. Lipids content in harvested biomass was 8.1–15.3% of dried weight, and the analysis in fatty acids revealed high quality with long carbon chain length and high saturation. Additionally, algal growth achieved effective pollutants purification from wastewater, removing 42.3–53.8% of CODCr, 82.6–88.7% of TN and 59.7–67.6% of TP. This study gave a successful application for scaled-up microalgae culture in anaerobic food processing wastewater for biodiesel production and wastewater purification. •A pilot-scale tubular photobioreactor was applied for microalgae culture outdoors.•Anaerobic food processing wastewater was used as medium for cultivating microalgae.•High biomass production and nutrients recovery were achieved during outdoors culture.