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Can luminescent solar concentrators increase microalgal growth on anaerobically digested food effluent?

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Abstract

Increasing microalgal biomass productivity and enhancing nutrient removal rates are critical when growing microalgae in wastewater. In most cases, the effluents such as anaerobically digested food effluent (ADFE) are very turbid. Using such effluents as a medium for an algal culture would leave the culture with high turbidity resulting in photo-limitation of the algal culture. Light-diffusing systems can be used to overcome the light limitation in microalgal cultures. In this study, red luminescent solar concentrators were used to shift the sunlight into the desired wavelength and deliver it into the depth of cultures of an outdoor microalgal consortium cultivated in ADFE in paddlewheel-driven raceway ponds. Biomass productivity and specific growth rate of cultures grown using red luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) were 61% and 59% higher than those in control cultures. The nitrogen assimilation rate of biomass under red LSCs was 1.8-fold higher than that in the control. Further, the lipid content of the cultures under red LSCs (490 mg lipid g−1 biomass) was 30% higher than that of the control. The results of this study showed that using red LSCs can improve microalga growth on ADFE when paddlewheel raceway ponds are used.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Richgro Garden Products, WA, for providing anaerobically digested food effluent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Algae R&D Centre, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia

    Mohammadjavad Raeisossadati & Navid Reza Moheimani

  2. Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, 6150, Australia

    Navid Reza Moheimani

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  1. Mohammadjavad Raeisossadati
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  2. Navid Reza Moheimani
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Correspondence to Navid Reza Moheimani.

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Raeisossadati, M., Moheimani, N.R. Can luminescent solar concentrators increase microalgal growth on anaerobically digested food effluent?. J Appl Phycol 32, 3703–3710 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02278-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02278-y

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