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Cultivating Chlorella sp. in a Pilot-Scale Photobioreactor Using Centrate Wastewater for Microalgae Biomass Production and Wastewater Nutrient Removal

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Abstract

This study is concerned with a novel mass microalgae production system which, for the first time, uses “centrate”, a concentrated wastewater stream, to produce microalgal biomass for energy production. Centrate contains a high level of nutrients that support algal growth. The objective of this study was to investigate the growth characteristics of a locally isolated microalgae strain Chlorella sp. in centrate and its ability to remove nutrients from centrate. A pilot-scale photobioreactor (PBR) was constructed at a local wastewater treatment plant. The system was tested under different harvesting rates and exogenous CO2 levels with the local strain of Chlorella sp. Under low light conditions (25 μmol·m-2s-1) the system can produce 34.6 and 17.7 g·m-2day-1 biomass in terms of total suspended solids and volatile suspended solids, respectively. At a one fourth harvesting rate, reduction of chemical oxygen demand, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and soluble total phosphorus were 70%, 61%, and 61%, respectively. The addition of CO2 to the system did not exhibit a positive effect on biomass productivity or nutrient removal in centrate which is an organic carbon rich medium. The unique PBR system is highly scalable and provides a great opportunity for biomass production coupled with wastewater treatment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr. Robert C. Polta and Adam Sealock at the Saint Paul Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) for helping with system construction, data collection, and data analysis. This project was supported by grants from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), MCES, University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE), and the Center for Biorefining at the University of Minnesota.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Department, University Of Minnesota, 1390 Eckles Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Min Min, Liang Wang, Yecong Li, Michael J. Mohr, Bing Hu, Wenguang Zhou, Paul Chen & Roger Ruan

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  1. Min Min
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  2. Liang Wang
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  3. Yecong Li
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  4. Michael J. Mohr
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  5. Bing Hu
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  6. Wenguang Zhou
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  7. Paul Chen
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  8. Roger Ruan
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Correspondence to Roger Ruan.

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Min, M., Wang, L., Li, Y. et al. Cultivating Chlorella sp. in a Pilot-Scale Photobioreactor Using Centrate Wastewater for Microalgae Biomass Production and Wastewater Nutrient Removal. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 165, 123–137 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-011-9238-7

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