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CO2-assisted removal of nutrients from municipal wastewater by microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus

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Abstract

Axenic culture of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris ATCC® 13482 and Scenedesmus obliquus FACHB 417 was used for phycoremediation of primary municipal wastewater. The main aim of this study was to measure the effects of normal air and CO2-augmented air on the removal efficacy of nutrients (ammonia N and phosphate P) from municipal wastewater by the two microalgae. Batch experiments were carried out in cylindrical glass bottles of 1 L working volume at 25 °C and cool fluorescent light of 6500 lux maintaining 14/10 h of light/dark cycle with normal air supplied at 0.2 L min−1 per liter of the liquid for both algal strains for the experimental period. In the next set of experiments, the treatment process was enhanced by using 1, 2 and 5% CO2/air (vol./vol.) supply into microalgal cultures. The enrichment of inlet air with CO2 was found to be beneficial. The maximum removal of 76.3 and 76% COD, 94.2 and 92.6% ammonia, and 94.8 and 93.1% phosphate after a period of 10 days was reported for C. vulgaris and S. obliquus, respectively, with 5% CO2/air supply. Comparing the two microalgae, maximum removal rates of ammonia and phosphate by C. vulgaris were 4.12 and 1.75 mg L−1 day−1, respectively, at 5% CO2/air supply. From kinetic study data, it was found that the specific rates of phosphate utilization (q phsophate) by C. vulgaris and S. obliquus at 5% CO2/air supply were 1.98 and 2.11 day−1, respectively. Scale-up estimation of a reactor removing phosphate (the criteria pollutant) from 50 MLD wastewater influent was also done.

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Acknowledgements

The present research study was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister’s Office Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program. The first author is very grateful to thank National University of Singapore for hosting his doctoral research under the Joint-Ph.D. Programme between Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and National University of Singapore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India

    R. Chaudhary & A. K. Dikshit

  2. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117576, Singapore

    R. Chaudhary & Y. W. Tong

  3. Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Y. W. Tong

  4. School of Business, Environment and Society, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden

    A. K. Dikshit

  5. School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, Klong Luang, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand

    A. K. Dikshit

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  1. R. Chaudhary
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Correspondence to R. Chaudhary.

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Chaudhary, R., Tong, Y.W. & Dikshit, A.K. CO2-assisted removal of nutrients from municipal wastewater by microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus . Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 15, 2183–2192 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1571-0

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