Acclimated green microalgae consortium to treat sewage in an alternative urban WWTP in a coastal area of Central Italy

Due to the increasing production of wastewater from human activities, the use of algal consortia for phytoremediation has become well‐established over the past decade. Understanding how interspecific interactions and cultivation modes (monocultures vs. polyculture) influence algal growth and behaviour is a cutting‐edge topic in both fundamental and applied science. Ammonium‐rich growth media were used to challenge the monocultures of Auxenochlorella protothecoides, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Tetradesmus obliquus, as well as their polyculture; NO3− was also used as the sole nitrogen chemical form in control cultures. The study primarily compared the growth, carbon and nitrogen metabolisms, and protein content of the green microalgae monocultures to those of their consortium. Overall, the cultivation mode significantly affected all the measured parameters. Notably, at 50 mM NH4+, the assimilation rates of carbon and nitrogen were at least twice as high as those in the monoculture counterparts, and the protein content was three times more abundant.Additionally, the consortium's response to NH4+ toxicity was investigated by observing a linear relationship between the indicator of tolerance to NH4+ nutrition and the N isotopic signature. The study highlighted a high degree of acclimation through metabolic flexibility and diversity, as well as species abundance plasticity in the consortium, resulting in a functional resilience that would otherwise have been unattainable by the respective monocultures.

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Biostimulant potential of three chlorophyta and their consortium: application on tomato seeds

Mollo,

Norici

2024

Preprint

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Microalgae offer a promising solution for enhancing agricultural sustainability and mitigating global warming. When extracts from algal cells and their spent medium are used as biostimulants on crop seeds, they can significantly influence plant physiology. This application boosts plant productivity and improves tolerance to abiotic stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biostimulant potential of crude extracts from Tetradesmus obliquus, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Auxenochlorella protothecoides, and their consortium, as well as the potential of their spent growth media, when applied to tomato seeds (Solanum lycopersicum). The study assessed germination indexes and seed development, including weight, root/shoot ratio, and growth speed. The results indicated that the variation in the morphology of the treated seeds was primarily influenced by the concentration of the extracts, with the algal species having a lesser impact on the observed variability. The number of germinated seeds was notably higher at the lowest concentration of biostimulants. Additionally, the algal extracts exhibited greater biostimulant potential than the spent media. Furthermore, the analysis of growth speed revealed that most treated seedlings grew significantly faster than the control seeds. Lastly, the study reported a lower biostimulant potential of the algal consortium compared to the single species, possibly due to the co-cultivation of different species.

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Acclimated green microalgae consortium to treat sewage in an alternative urban WWTP in a coastal area of Central Italy

Cited by 3 publications

References 93 publications

Multi-criteria analysis of the continuous operation of a membrane photobioreactor to treat sewage: Modeling and sensitivity analysis

Multi-criteria analysis of the continuous operation of a membrane photobioreactor to treat sewage: Modeling and sensitivity analysis

Monocultures vs. polyculture of microalgae: unveiling physiological changes to facilitate growth in ammonium rich‐medium

Biostimulant potential of three chlorophyta and their consortium: application on tomato seeds

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