Vinasse as Cultivation Medium of Chlorella sp. to Produce Poly–Hydroxy Butyrate in Various Limited Low–Cost Primary Nutrient

Abstract

Vinasse is ethanol wastewater that still contains nutrients. It can be medium cultivation for Chlorella sp. Cultivation Chlorella sp. in vinasse did not only minimize its COD content but also potentially produce Poly–Hydroxy Butyrate (PHB) in a limited nutrient. This paper presents a cultivation process of Chlorella sp. in vinasse on the various limited nutrient. Chlorella sp. was cultivated in vinasse by adding complete nutrient (urea and TSP), TSP (limited N), and urea (limited P). Experimental data was optimized by a mathematical model to predict the behavior of the Chlorella sp. in limited nutrient systematically. The study confirmed that the best condition of the cultivation medium of Chlorella sp. to minimize COD content in vinasse by addition phosphate into the reactor. However, PHB could be best accumulated in the cell on limited phosphate.