Porphyridium cruentum Grown in Ultra-Filtered Swine Wastewater and Its Effects on Microalgae Growth Productivity and Fatty Acid Composition

Abstract

Microalgae have been extensively tested for their ability to create bio-based fuels. Microalgae have also been explored as an alternative wastewater treatment solution due to their significant uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as their ability to grow in different water types. Recently, there has been significant interest in combining these two characteristics to create economic and environmentally friendly biofuel using wastewater. This study examined the growth and lipid production of the microalgae Porphyridium (P.) cruentum grown in swine wastewater (ultra-filtered and raw) as compared with control media (L−1, modified f/2) at two different salt concentrations (seawater and saltwater). The cultivation of P. cruentum in the treated swine wastewater media (seawater = 5.18 ± 2.3 mgL−1day−1, saltwater = 3.32 ± 1.93 mgL−1day−1) resulted in a statistically similar biomass productivity compared to the control medium (seawater = 2.61 ± 2.47 mgL−1day−1, saltwater = 6.53 ± 0.81 mgL−1day−1) at the corresponding salt concentration. Furthermore, no major differences between the fatty acid compositions of microalgae in the treated swine wastewater medium and the control medium were observed. For all conditions, saturated acids were present in the highest amounts (≥67%), followed by polyunsaturated (≤22%) and finally monounsaturated (≤12%). This is the first study to find that P. cruentum could be used to remediate wastewater and then be turned into fuel by using swine wastewater with a similar productivity to the microalgae grown in control media.

Microalgae as Potential Sources of Bioactive Compounds for Functional Foods and Pharmaceuticals

“…Whereas saturated fatty acids were the main compounds in hexane fractions of both Porphyridium sp. and Skeletonema sp., PUFAs were always the most abundant compounds in the analyzed fractions of Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Tetraselmis striata CTP4, which is in accordance with previous studies [71][72][73][74]. Microalgae are reportedly good sources of long-chain fatty acids, specially of PUFA.…”

Administration of Dietary Microalgae Ameliorates Intestinal Parameters, Improves Body Weight, and Reduces Thawing Loss of Fillets in Broiler Chickens: A Pilot Study

“…Similarly, P. cruentum produces β-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These microorganisms accumulate various phycobilins, including phycoerythrin, which is responsible for their red color [ 28 , 29 ]. These compounds are known for exerting growth promoting effects and improving intestinal morphology in broiler chickens [ 51 ].…”

“…P. cruentum belongs to the phylum Rhodophyta, which contains chlorophyll a as well as α- and β-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Additionally, these organisms produce water-soluble pigments known as phycobilins [ 28 , 29 ]. This biomass possesses crude protein (35%), crude fat (5%), and crude ash (31%).…”

“…This microalga accumulates high quantities of important compounds, such as pigments, proteins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids [ 27 ]. Among red microalgae, Porphyridium cruentum is considered a promising organism for the food industry because it can synthesize and secrete high amounts of sulfated polysaccharides as well as lipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids [ 28 ], which are recognized as important antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic agents [ 29 ]. Consequently, in this pilot study, we aimed at evaluating the effects of dietary microalgae mainly on intestinal morphometry but also on body weight and selected meat quality parameters in broiler chickens, using biomass from species traditionally used in aquaculture: T. lutea , T. chuii , and P. cruentum .…”

Evaluation of Scenedesmus rubescens for Lipid Production from Swine Wastewater Blended with Municipal Wastewater

“…and antagonistic microorganisms present in the media. A satisfactory level of microalgal biomass production has been attained using sterilized [12] or ultra-filtered [13] swine wastewater, but these approaches have limited applicability to large-scale cultivation because the pretreatment processes are expensive. Dilution of swine wastewater is a straightforward and practical pretreatment to reduce its high turbidity and NH 4 + concentration.…”