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Reformation of dairy effluent—a phycoremediation approach

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Abstract

Microalgae are a unique renewable resource utilized since ages, serving as a reservoir for the production of various metabolites. In this study, dairy waste water (DWW) is used as the nutrient media for the cultivation of microalgae. This study focuses on the phycoremediation process of converting rich nutrients in the effluent into biomass and removing contaminants using microalgae. The specific growth rate reached the maximum of 0.55 day−1 in Desmococcus olivaceous, followed by 0.39 day−1 for Scenedesmus dimorphus, 0.23 day−1 in DCS (consortia composing all three strains in equal ratio), and lastly 0.22 day−1 in Chlorella vulgaris. The biomass productivity was 1.44 g L−1 day−1, 1.06 g L−1 day−1, 0.88 g L−1 day−1, and 0.65 g L−1 day−1 in D. olivaceous, S. dimorphus, C. vulgaris, and DCS, respectively. The COD and BOD removal percentage was 82.85% and 45.40% in D. olivaceous, 81.98% and 44.25% in C. vulgaris, 80.73% and 53.45% in S. dimorphus, and 80.10% and 43.10% in DCS, respectively. These results emphasize the promising role of algae in dairy effluent treatment, highlighting the effluent as a suitable medium for microalgae cultivation. It verifies the circular bio-economy concept where the treated wastewater is converted into value-added products.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the VIT management and the Dean SBST for providing the required facilities, infrastructure, support, and encouragement. A special acknowledgment to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli for providing us with the microalgal strains and helping with SEM analysis. The authors also acknowledge Mr. Arunram, Mr. Sasi Bhushan, Mr. Nagaraj, Mr. Manoj, and Ms. Chandra for their extended support in performing the experiments. The authors extend their gratitute to Prof. Michael Pillay, Erudite Scientific Editing & Science Writing Solutions, South Africa, for English correction and proofreading of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632 014, India

    Nachiappan Kanagam & Chandrasekaran Rajasekaran

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Sriperumbudur Taluk, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, 602 117, India

    Nachiappan Kanagam

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Highlights

• Phycoremediation technology is robust due to minimum automation, maintenance, and skilled human resources.

• Algae are eligible candidates for bioremediation due to the following factors: (a) oxygenation of the environment, (b) CO2 sequestration ability—a solution for the threat of global warming, and (c) removal of excess nutrients that lead to eutrophication.

• Promote and ensure the integration of algae-feed-fertilizer production with livestock raising in the nitrogen recycling systems lead industries towards zero-waste management.

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Nachiappan, K., Chandrasekaran, R. Reformation of dairy effluent—a phycoremediation approach. Environ Monit Assess 195, 405 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-10995-3

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