Integration of microalgal cultivation system for wastewater remediation and sustainable biomass production

Abstract

Untreated wastewaters have been a great concern and can cause major pollution problems for environment. Conventional approaches for treating wastewater involve tremendous capital cost, have major short comings and are not sustainable. Microalgae culture offers an interesting step for wastewater treatment. Microalgae serve the dual purpose of phycoremediation along with the production of potentially valuable biomass, which can be used for several purposes. The ability of microalgae to accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals and other toxic compounds can be integrated with wastewater treatment system to offer an elegant solution towards tertiary and quaternary treatment. The current review explores possible role of microalgal based wastewater treatment and explores the current progress, key challenges, limitations and future prospects with special emphasis on strategies involved in harvesting, boosting biomass and lipid yield.

Advances in microalgal biomass/bioenergy production with agricultural by-products: Analysis with various growth rate models

“…Since glucoside component of CCE accounted for nearly half of its total sugar content, CCE might be a good source for microalgae growth. It is known that pH is a major factor that affects the solubility of inorganic carbon (DTC) [6]. Most inorganic carbon is present as CO 2 when pH is less than 5.…”

“…Therefore, pH should be controlled during cultivation to increase the absorption and availability of CO 2 by microalgae [16]. The pH can also directly affect the permeability of microalgae cell and hydronium form of inorganic salt, thus indirectly affecting the absorption of inorganic salts [6,17]. During cultivation of microalgae, CO 2 is consumed by microalgae due to photosynthesis, thus increasing the pH of medium.…”

“…With external carbon source microalgae can produce 4-5 times more biomass than those under autotrophic conditions. In addition, lipid contents in microalgae cells are increased by over 40% [6]. Xylose, saccharide, acetate, glucose, and methanol are generally used carbon sources for microalgae cultivation.…”

“…C. vulgaris has high protein content and balanced amino acid compositions. It has the potential to produce high value-added products useful for various fields such as pharmaceuticals, health foods, feeds, and nutrients [6].…”

Steam Explosion and Vibrating Membrane Filtration to Improve the Processing Cost of Microalgae Cell Disruption and Fractionation

“…To achieve a positive economic balance, several matters should be taken into account such as CO 2 capture [6,7], water quality improvement [8,9], procurement of commodities [10,11], and high-added value products [12,13].…”