Abstract
This report shows that pig manure can be used for algal production in small farms. Huge pig sludge amounts produced using actual methods in large-scale pig breeding farms is a major issue due to the lack of disposal options and potential water pollution. This issue may be solved by using pig sludge for algal biofuel production. Therefore, we studied an economical method of algae production on pig sludge that can be operated on animal farms in Hungary with modest levels of investment. We analyzed four algae species, Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus quadricauda, Scenedesmus dimorphus, and Arthrospira platensis, in the laboratory and C. vulgaris in outdoor conditions. The following parameters were studied: pot size, illumination, temperature, filtered versus unfiltered pig manure, water depth, aeration, CO2 enrichment, inoculums solution, fertilization level, and length of rotation period. Produced alga biomass was measured every 4 days, and the protein- and lipid content was analyzed using the method of Bradford (1976) and Erickson (1993). Our results show first that the unfiltered pig manure is not suitable for algae production due to illumination shortage. By contrast, using filtered pig manure, we found that C. vulgaris yield in 70-l indoor pots was 64% higher than in smaller pots. In a larger outdoor system, the annual dry yield of C. vulgaris reached 141–259 t/ha during 12-day-long rotation periods. Here, we demonstrate that only filtered liquid pig manure can be recommended for algae production. C. vulgaris is the most suitable alga species for use in large-scale experiments on pig sludge. Based on our outdoor experiments, the adaptation of a 12- to 14-day rotation period could be considered the most reasonable. An algae farm can therefore be operated with relative modest amount of capital, can hence address the issue of sludge management, and provide a substrate for energy production.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bai A, Stündl L, Bársony P, Jobbágy P, Herpergel Z, Fehér M, Vaszkó G (2010) Saját kísérleteink komplex gazdasági értékelése esettanulmánnyal. Összefoglaló tanulmány Témafelelős: Vaszkó Gábor. Baross Gábor Research Program, “Biomassza célú algatermesztés fejlesztése, állattartó telepi szubsztráton, gazdasági modellépítés” (ATEBIOEN, 2009–2010) c. projekt. Debrecen, pp. 1–73.
Barlow EWR, Boersma L, Phinney HK, Miner JR (1975) Algal growth in diluted pig waste. Agr Environ 2:339–355. doi:10.1016/0304-1131(75)90040-5
Bradford MM (1976) A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizating the principle of protein-dye binding. Analytical Biochemistry 72(1–2):248–254
Capblancq J (1982) Phytoplancton et production primaire. In: Pourriot, Capblancq, Champ, Meyer (eds) Ecologie du plancton des eaux continentales. Masson, Paris, pp 1–48
De Godos I, Blanco S, García-Encina PA, Becares E, Muńoz R (2009) Long-term operation of high rate algal ponds for the bioremediation of piggery wastewaters at high loading rates. Bioresour Technol 100:4332–4339. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2009.04.016
De la Noüe J, Bassères A (1989) Biotreatment of anaerobically digested swine manure with microalgae. Biol Waste 29:17–31. doi:10.1016/0269-7483(89)90100-6
Erickson, M.C. (1993) Lipid extraction from channel catfish muscle. Comparision of solvent systems. Journal of Food Science 58(1):84–89
Fabregas J, Abalde J, Herrero C, Cabezas B, Veiga M (1984) Growth of the marine microalga Tetraselmis suecica in batch cultures with different salinities and nutrient concentrations. Aquaculture 42:207–215. doi:10.1016/0044-8486(84)90101-7
Fallowfield HJ, Garrett MK (1985) The photosynthetic treatment of pig slurry in temperate climatic conditions: a pilot-plant study. Agr Waste 12(12):111–136. doi:10.1016/0141-4607(85)90003-4
Ghezelbash F, Farboodnia T, Heidari R, Agh N (2008) Biochemical effects of different salinities and luminance on green microalgae tetraselmischuii. Res J Biol Sci 3:217–221. doi:10.3923/rjbsci.2008.217.221
Golueke CG, Oswald WJ (1962) The mass culture of Porphyridium cruentum. Appl Environ Microbiol 10:102–107
Gressler V, Yokoya NS, Fujii MT, Colepicolo P, FilhoJM TRP, Pinto E (2010) Lipid, fatty acid, protein, amino acid and ash contents in four Brazilian red algae species. Food Chem 120:585–590. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.10.028
Kim J, Lingaraju BP, Rheaume R, Lee JY, Siddiqui KF (2010) Removal of ammonia from wastewater effluent by Chlorella vulgaris. Tsinghua Science and Technology 15:391–396. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(10)70078-X
Lau PS, Tam NFY, Wong YS (1995) Effect of algal density on nutrient removal form primary settled wastewater. Environ Pollut 89:59–66. doi:10.1016/0269-7491(94)00044-E
Mulbry W, Kondrad S, Pizarro C, Kebede-Westhead E (2008) Treatment of dairy manure effluent using freshwater algae: algal productivity and recovery of manure nutrients using pilot-scale algal turf scrubbers. Bioresource Technology 99:8137–8142. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2008.03.073
Nábrádi A (2002) Tápanyag-gazdálkodás. In: Bai A (ed) A biomassza felhasználása. Szaktudás, Budapest, pp 30–37
Ördög V (2009) Mikroalgák a mezőgazdaságban és energiatermelésben. In IV. Regionális Természettudományi Konferencia. Conference paper, Budapest, pp. 6.
Ördög V, Bálint P, Lovász Cs (2011) Lipid production in green algae depending on N-supply. In: Pannonian Plant Biotechnology Workshops: The Bioenergy Question: Reality or Wishful Thinking? Conference paper, Budapest, pp. 18–19.
Petkov G, Garcia G (2007) Which are fatty acids of the green alga Chlorella? Biochem Syst Ecol 35:281–285. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2006.10.017
Sevrin-Reyssac J (1998) Biotreatment of swine manure by production aquatic valuable biomasses. Agric Ecosyst Environ 68:177–186. doi:10.1016/S0167-8809(97)00070-4
Seyfabadi J, Ramezanpour Z, Khoeyi ZA (2010) Protein, fatty acid and pigment content of Chlorella vulgaris under different light regimes. J Appl Phycol 23:721–726. doi:10.1007/s10811-010-9569-8
Soletto D, Binaghi L, Ferrari L, Lodi A, Carvalho JCM, Zilli M, Converti A (2008) Effects of carbon dioxide feeding rate and light intensity on the fed-batch pulse-feeding cultivation of Spirulina platensis in helical photobioreactor. Biochem Eng J 39:369–375. doi:10.1016/j.bej.2007.10.007
Tam NFY, Wong YS (2000) Effect of immobilized microalgal bead concentrations on wastewater nutrient removal. Environ Pollut 107:145–151. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00118-9
Wilkie AC, Mulbry WW (2002) Recovery of dairy manure nutrients by benthic freshwater algae. Bioresour Technol 84:81–91. doi:10.1016/S0960-8524(02)00003-2
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Baross Gábor Research Program.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Bai, A., Stündl, L., Bársony, P. et al. Algae production on pig sludge. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 32, 611–618 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-011-0077-2
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-011-0077-2