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Cultivation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in Anaerobically Digested Vinasse for Bioethanol Production

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Abstract

This study describes a new algal biofuel process that integrates sugarcane biorefinery wastewater treatment by nutrient removal with algae into bioethanol. The process is free of common industrial problems, including algal contamination, nutrients and fresh water usage, carbohydrate extraction, liquefaction, and saccharification. Cultivation and fermentation were conducted in one step by turning the light-air on and off, respectively. Three series of experiments with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC-1093 cultivation and fermentation were performed in anaerobically digested vinasse. Control experiments were a reference to compare the influence of chloride and ammonium-sulfate stress conditions on ethanol yield. Experimental results showed: (1) algal biomass can be successfully cultured within biorefinery wastewater (1129 mg·L−1·day−1); (2) relatively high bioremediation was achieved (26.1%–83.5%); (3) obtained ethanol yield was (maximum 68.3% of the theoretical yield) in one process step; and (4) the chloride stress condition influences on algae to synthesize extracellular polysaccharides as add-in product (120 mg/L).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo-FAPESP (grant numbers 17/14056-9 and 15/20630-4). Authors are also thankful for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Project III 45001); Prof. Dr. Telma Teixeira Franco (LEBBPOR, FEQ, UNICAMP, São Paulo, Brazil), who permitted the use of TOC-VCSN Analyzer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan); Prof. Dr. Ljubica Tasic and Dr. Danijela Stanisic (Institute of Chemistry, UNICAMP, São Paulo, Brazil), who kindly provided rotary shaker. Special acknowledgments belong to the following individuals from LOPCA (FEQ, UNICAMP, São Paulo, Brazil), who provided the technical and logistics support during the research: Luisa Fernanda Rios Pinto, Gabriela Filipini Ferreira, Jean Felipe Leal Silva and Renato Sano Coelho.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Technology, University of Nis, Bulevar oslobodjenja 124, 16000, Leskovac, Serbia

    Marija B. Tasic & Vlada B. Veljković

  2. HORIBA Scientific, HORIBA Instruments, Inc, 9755 Research Dr, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA

    Anderson de Jesus Bonon

  3. Faculty of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, University Town Zeferino Vaz, Avenue Albert Einstein 500, Campinas, Sao Paulo, CEP 13083-852, Brazil

    Maria Ingrid Rocha Barbosa Schiavon & Rubens Maciel Filho

  4. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 15013 Denver W Pkwy, Golden, CO, 80401, USA

    Bruno Colling Klein

  5. The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Knez Mihailova 35, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Vlada B. Veljković

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  1. Marija B. Tasic
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  2. Anderson de Jesus Bonon
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Contributions

MBT performed the fermentations, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data, design conception and drafting of the article. AJB was involved in the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of GC data. MIRBS was involved in the acquisition and interpretation of absorbents data. BCK was involved in the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of ADV data. VBV participated in design conception and drafting of the article. RMF participated in the design of this study as well as coordination and supervision of the work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Marija B. Tasic.

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Tasic, M.B., Bonon, A., Rocha Barbosa Schiavon, M. et al. Cultivation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in Anaerobically Digested Vinasse for Bioethanol Production. Waste Biomass Valor 12, 857–865 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-020-01034-0

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