Porphyridium cruentum Grown in Ultra-Filtered Swine Wastewater and Its Effects on Microalgae Growth Productivity and Fatty Acid Composition

Humeyra B. Ulusoy Erol, Mariana Lara Menegazzo, Heather Sandefur, Emily Gottberg, Jessica Vaden, Maryam Asgharpour, Christa N. Hestekin and Jamie A. Hestekin
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Humeyra B. Ulusoy Erol: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Mariana Lara Menegazzo: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Heather Sandefur: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Emily Gottberg: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Jessica Vaden: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Maryam Asgharpour: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Christa N. Hestekin: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Jamie A. Hestekin: Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-9

Abstract: Microalgae have been extensively tested for their ability to create bio-based fuels. Microalgae have also been explored as an alternative wastewater treatment solution due to their significant uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as their ability to grow in different water types. Recently, there has been significant interest in combining these two characteristics to create economic and environmentally friendly biofuel using wastewater. This study examined the growth and lipid production of the microalgae Porphyridium (P.) cruentum grown in swine wastewater (ultra-filtered and raw) as compared with control media (L −1 , modified f/2) at two different salt concentrations (seawater and saltwater). The cultivation of P. cruentum in the treated swine wastewater media (seawater = 5.18 ± 2.3 mgL −1 day −1 , saltwater = 3.32 ± 1.93 mgL −1 day −1 ) resulted in a statistically similar biomass productivity compared to the control medium (seawater = 2.61 ± 2.47 mgL −1 day −1 , saltwater = 6.53 ± 0.81 mgL −1 day −1 ) at the corresponding salt concentration. Furthermore, no major differences between the fatty acid compositions of microalgae in the treated swine wastewater medium and the control medium were observed. For all conditions, saturated acids were present in the highest amounts (≥67%), followed by polyunsaturated (≤22%) and finally monounsaturated (≤12%). This is the first study to find that P. cruentum could be used to remediate wastewater and then be turned into fuel by using swine wastewater with a similar productivity to the microalgae grown in control media.

Keywords: microalgae; Porphyridium cruentum; wastewater treatment; ultrafiltration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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