Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis growth in a continuous membrane photobioreactor using industrial winery wastewater

Investigation on thermal pyrolysis of microalgae grown in winery wastewater: biofuels and chemicals production

“…The co-culture of Arthrospira platensis and Chlorella vulgaris was grown for 21 days in a 20-L membrane photobioreactor continuously fed with a solution of winery wastewater (20% v/v) in bold basal medium (BBM) at a hydraulic retention time of 4.6 days. The results relating to the co-culture growth and the reduction of the polluting load of wastewater impact have been reported in our previous study [24]. As a control run, the co-culture was also grown in the same reactor configuration using only BBM as growth medium.…”

“…The presence of complex polar compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen in the liquid leads to undesirable properties such as low heating value and high viscosity, and do not allow it to be fully miscible with fossil fuels [23]. In this study, with the aim of getting closer to the goals of the 2030 agenda (6: clean water and sanitation and 7: affordable and clean energy), pyrolysis process was carried out on microalgal biomass (co-culture of Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis) obtained after the continuous treatment of winery wastewater, as described in our previous work [24]; this leads to a valorization of the biomass grown in wastewater. The composition and yield of the reaction products were compared with those of the same co-culture grown in its conventional medium as well as of axenic cultures of A. platensis and C. vulgaris.…”

Leveraging Phenotypic Traits in Microalgae: A Novel Strategy for Wastewater Treatment and Sustainable Biomass Production

“…Growth response, in terms of biomass dry weight, in the two acid-tolerant strains grown in winery wastewater was monitored besides observing changes in pH of the cultures as described earlier. , After biomass harvest, nutrient removal was determined in the culture supernatant following centrifugation and the UV spectrophotometric method. , Microalgal biomass in acid-tolerant strains was determined every 3 days following the gravimetric method. In brief, 5 mL of microalgal cultures was centrifuged (6500 × g for 10 min, Thermo Fisher, USA), biomass was separated, and the pH of the supernatant was measured using a Horiba pH meter (Japan).…”

“…The full potential of microalgal technology in wastewater remediation and biomass valorization relies heavily on the understanding of changes in phenotypic traits, an area that is currently underexplored. Phenotypic plasticity, in terms of both physiological and metabolic changes, has been shown to enhance microalgal ability to thrive in different environmental settings. ,, Such phenotypic changes are crucial for nutrient assimilation and biomass production. ,, Although microalgae-based winery wastewater treatment is an efficient technology, studies are often confined to the use of pretreatments, dilution, and consortia involving bacteria. − ,, In addition, extremophilic or acid-tolerant microalgal strains have been shown to thrive under any stressful conditions due to their unique metabolic plasticity. , As such, there is a paucity of information on implications of the expressed phenotypic traits in overcoming the limitations associated with microalgal culturing in wastewater. Our present study aims to understand the crucial role of nutritional modes in influencing these phenotypic traits in acid-tolerant microalgal strains.…”

“…Similarly, biological treatments contribute to enhanced sludge formation and subsequent CO 2 emission during reduction in heavy organic load from winery wastewater. , The anaerobic digestion process, used widely to convert organics into a renewable energy (biogas), is unviable for medium- and small-scale wineries because of the high capital and maintenance costs. Over the years, the use of microalgae-based remediation of various types of wastewater for biofuel production has been shown to increase the sustainability and efficiency of the process besides reducing the cost of treatment. − …”