The Performance of a Self-Flocculating Microalga Chlorococcum sp. GD in Wastewater with Different Ammonia Concentrations

Junping Lv, Xuechun Wang, Wei Liu, Jia Feng, Qi Liu, Fangru Nan, Xiaoyan Jiao and Shulian Xie
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Junping Lv: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Xuechun Wang: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Wei Liu: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Jia Feng: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Qi Liu: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Fangru Nan: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Xiaoyan Jiao: Institute of Agricultural Environment and Resource, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Taiyuan 030031, China
Shulian Xie: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: The performance of a self-flocculating microalga Chlorococcum sp. GD on the flocculation, growth, and lipid accumulation in wastewater with different ammonia nitrogen concentrations was investigated. It was revealed that relative high ammonia nitrogen concentration (20–50 mg·L −1 ) was beneficial to the flocculation of Chlorococcum sp. GD, and the highest flocculating efficiency was up to 84.4%. It was also found that the highest flocculating efficiency occurred in the middle of the culture (4–5 days) regardless of initial ammonia concentration in wastewater. It was speculated that high flocculating efficiency was likely related to the production of extracellular proteins. 20 mg·L −1 of ammonia was found to be a preferred concentration for both biomass production and lipid accumulation. 92.8% COD, 98.8% ammonia, and 69.4% phosphorus were removed when Chlorococcum sp. GD was cultivated in wastewater with 20 mg·L −1 ammonia. The novelty and significance of the investigation was the integration of flocculation, biomass production, wastewater treatment, and lipid accumulation, simultaneously, which made Chlorococcum sp. GD a potential candidate for wastewater treatment and biodiesel production if harvested in wastewater with suitable ammonia nitrogen concentration.

Keywords: ammonia nitrogen; biomass production; lipid accumulation; wastewater treatment; self-flocculation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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