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Simultaneous treatment of municipal wastewater and biodiesel production by cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris with indigenous wastewater bacteria

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Abstract

This study examined the use of Chlorella vulgaris for the simultaneous bioremediation of municipal wastewater and production of biodiesel. We tested the effect of wastewater dilution on C. vulgaris growth in filtered and sterilized wastewater, sterilized wastewater, and untreated wastewater. Growth was the greatest in untreated wastewater, suggesting that certain wastewater components, such as bacteria, may promote microalgal growth. We confirmed the presence of beneficial bacteria by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis and inoculation of wastewater bacteria into microalgal cultures in artificial medium. Furthermore, we employed a semi-continuous cultivation process that successfully combined the advantages of indigenous bacteria with a high level of inoculum. Finally, cells grown in wastewater contained high levels of useful fatty acids. Collectively, our data suggest that it may be feasible to use wastewater-grown C. vulgaris biomass for simultaneous bioremediation and biodiesel production.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental and Energy Program, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 305-701, Korea

    Byung-Gon Ryu

  2. Advanced Biomass R&D Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 305-701, Korea

    Eun Jung Kim & Ji-Won Yang

  3. Environmental Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 305-806, Korea

    Hee-Sik Kim

  4. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 305-701, Korea

    Jungmin Kim & Ji-Won Yang

  5. LED Agri-bio Fusion Technology Research Center, Chonbuk National University, Iksan, 570-752, Korea

    Yoon-E Choi

  6. Department of Bioactive Material Sciences, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, 561-756, Korea

    Yoon-E Choi

Authors
  1. Byung-Gon Ryu
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  2. Eun Jung Kim
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  3. Hee-Sik Kim
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  4. Jungmin Kim
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  5. Yoon-E Choi
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  6. Ji-Won Yang
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Correspondence to Yoon-E Choi or Ji-Won Yang.

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Ryu, BG., Kim, E.J., Kim, HS. et al. Simultaneous treatment of municipal wastewater and biodiesel production by cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris with indigenous wastewater bacteria. Biotechnol Bioproc E 19, 201–210 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-013-0250-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-013-0250-3

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