Utilization of inland saline water for Spirulina cultivation

Abstract

An attempt was made to assess the suitability of the inland saline water of Rohtak (Haryana) for mass cultivation of Spirulina platensis, a salt loving cyanobacterium. Cultivation of S. platensis was performed in indoor and outdoor culture units. The investigation revealed that the yield of biomass in de-calcified inland saline water was comparable to the yield obtained in synthetic chemical-based prescribed growth medium. Further, the quality of biomass in terms of protein, chlorophyll a, carotenoids and phycocyanin contents was also comparable to the prescribed medium. The downstream processing of the biomass through a three-step process resulted in an appreciable quantity of a highly valuable pigment, phycocyanin (purity ratio: A 620 /A 280 ¼ 3.13-3.39). The overall observations of the study suggest that inland saline water can be used for cost-effective production of Spirulina biomass and value-added chemicals. The removal of calcium and salts from inland saline water by S. platensis cultivation also offers an added advantage for the reuse of the spent medium for agricultural and aquacultural purposes.

Uses of the reject brine from inland desalination for fish farming, Spirulina cultivation, and irrigation of forage shrub and crops

“…Spirulina has a unique quality to detoxify (neutralize) or to chelate toxic minerals and heavy metals [70] and is also capable of removing calcium and salts from inland saline waters [43]. Also, there is the possibility of using Spirulina as a fertilizer, replacing chemical fertilizers in the treatment of depleted soils [71].…”

“…The production of microalgae using a brine reject stream mixed with wastewater as a source of phosphorus is of special interest in the treatment of brine rejects loaded with nitrogen compounds, which are generated in reclamation and reuse plants. Regarding algaculture, of particular interest is the cultivation of Spirulina cyanobacteria [43]. Halotolerant algae like Gracilaria tenuistipitata [44], the genus Dunaliella (Dunaliella bardawil and Dunaliella salina) and others [45] are a source of biological products (such as lipids and fatty acids) that may be isolated from the algal biomass.…”

Inland Saline Aquaculture-A Hope for Farmers

“…About 1000 million hectares of salt-affected soil (CSSRI, 2011;Sandeep, et. al., 2013) is spread over in the world.…”

“…al., 1994;Garg, 1996;Kumar, 2000;Pillai et. al., 2003;Dhawanet al, 2009;Kumar, 2013). Kumar (2000) reported that Cirrihinusmrigala can be culture in saline water of 8-10 ppt at Hisar.…”

“…Both the species have high salinity tolerance and the persistent sunshine provide the essential energy to convert nutrients to biomass. Sandeep et al (2013) conducted an experiment in inland saline area of Rohtakto assess the suitability for mass cultivation of Spirulinaplatensis and found high growth in de-calcified inland saline water. The cultivation of S. platensis offers an added advantage for the reuse of the spent medium for agricultural and aquacultural purposes by removing calcium and salts from inland saline water.…”