Wastewater treatment using filamentous algae – A review

Liu, Jiajun; Pemberton, Bill; Lewis, Justin; Scales, Peter J.; Martin, Gael M.

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122556

Cited by 120 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 104 publications

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“…Overall, the biomass of coculture increased by 3.3, 2.5 and 2 times in three consecutive pilot tests (Table 2). The obtained algae productivity was consistent with the reported range of 0.8-50.0 g m 2 d − 1 on lamentous algae (Liu et al 2020). It is worth pointing out that the algae growth was doomed to slow down after day 3 in the rst two pilot tests, as N and P became de cient afterward (Fig.…”

Section: Nutrient Depletion Co2 Supplement and Biomass Production Insupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Meanwhile, the uctuation of wastewater biotic and abiotic conditions is an inevitable challenge and threat to the microalgae cultivation especially to the commonly proposed monoculture as pointed by Liu et al (2020). Apparently, this fact will make both algae productivity and wastewater treatment e ciency unsecured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species from the genera Oedogonium, Cladophora, Spirogyra, Klebsormidium and Stigioclonium have been approved as optimal candidates for wastewater treatment applications (Liu et al 2020). These lamentous algae have several inherent advantages in wastewater treatment, such as robust ability to uptake nutrients from wastewater to achieve about 60% increase in dry biomass per day (Auer and Canale 1982), simplicity of harvesting, stronger resistance to a variety of aquatic grazers and competing organisms, as well as better adaptation to changeable aquatic conditions (Grayburn et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is already highlighted that using microalgae for nutrient recovery in municipal wastewater water can remove up to 99% of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P), and reduce the nutrient concentration below 1 mg/L (Silkina et al 2019). More importantly, the produced algal biomass can be utilised for different valorisation purposes, from niche markets on special materials (e.g., biopolymers and coatings) to the large-scale uses of fertilizer (Liu et al 2020). Albeit some applications for feed, food and/or high value bioproducts will need further clari cation due to the safety/legislation concerns, how to valorize the yield of algal biomass stands for a new value chain for the wastewater treatment process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, these lamentous algae can naturally grow and bloom in a broad spectrum of waste streams including ash dam water (Sternberg and Dorn 2002). Like microalgae, they can also form a symbiotic relation with bacterial consortia for oxygen and CO 2 supplements to improve the productivity and yield of algae biomass in wastewater treatment (Liu et al 2020). Hence, the use of lamentous algae for phycoremediation becomes an emerging area for wastewater treatment research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phycoremediation of tertiary municipal wastewater: a new insight of filamentous algae coculture in Nordic country

Wood

Kósa

et al. 2021

Preprint

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This study demonstrated that the application of filamentous co-culture could be a promising supplementary approach to further purify municipal tertiary wastewater in Nordic country. Initial screening of 25 algae strains across multiple genera revealed that Spirogyra sp. and Klebsormidium sp. were suitable for use as a coculture for phycoremediation of the tertiary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant, and this result was validated in three consecutive outdoor pilot tests at 10–15 oC. In the first two batches of pilot tests, the total prosperous and ammonium were depleted close to zero in 24 hours, while the pH in the wastewater increased from 7 to 9. In the 3rd batch, CO2 was thereby added for pH control. Macronutrients (N and P) were successfully removed from the treated wastewater. The total algae biomass increased 2 to 3 times over 7 days with average algae productivity of 1.68 g m2 d− 1. Meanwhile, the produced algae biomass accumulated notable mineral elements (Ca, Mg, K, Fe and Al) and some heavy metals at levels of g kg− 1 and mg kg− 1, respectively. In light of circular economy concept, the produced biomass could be used for different valorizations based on the analytical analysis. This study provides a new insight of phycoremediation for further purification of municipal treated wastewater, by effectively using filamentous algae coculture. Given a great potential for further optimization and improvement, this proof of concept will benefit to the green transition of wastewater treatment plants in Nordic country.

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Section: Nutrient Depletion Co2 Supplement and Biomass Production Insupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%