Microalgal Growth and Nutrient Removal Efficiency in Non-Sterilised Primary Domestic Wastewater

Yeong Hwang Tan, Mee Kin Chai (), Ji Yu Na and Ling Shing Wong ()
Additional contact information
Yeong Hwang Tan: Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan Ikram-Uniten, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
Mee Kin Chai: Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan Ikram-Uniten, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
Ji Yu Na: Faculty of Health and Life Science, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Ling Shing Wong: Faculty of Health and Life Science, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Microalgae biomass can produce high quantities of biochemicals that can be used in various applications such as biodiesel, biogas, and aquaculture feed. The potential of sterilizing wastewater for microalgae-based wastewater treatment on a lab scale is well introduced. However, the operation cost for large-scale microalgae cultivation in wastewater treatment plants is high if using sterilising wastewater as the growth medium. The present study aimed to evaluate the growth of Scenedesmus sp., Chlorococcum aquaticum , Ankistrodesmus augustus , and Haematococcus pluvialis in non-sterilised domestic wastewater and their potential for pollutant removal in wastewater. The microalgae were cultivated in different concentrations of non-sterilised domestic wastewater, collected from a primary wastewater plant of a national sewerage company in Malaysia. Each species’ capacity for growth and the removal of pollutants were assessed. The results showed that the cell density, maximum biomass productivity, and biomass concentration of H. pluvialis , Scenedesmus sp., and C. aquaticum in 100% wastewater were significantly higher than the standard medium. Higher biomass concentration was obtained from H. pluvialis and C. aquaticum in 100% wastewater (815 g/L and 775.83 mg/L); nevertheless, Scenedesmus sp. in 100% wastewater yielded the highest specific growth rate (0.798 d −1 ) and the maximum biomass productivity (99.33 mg/L/day). Scenedesmus sp. in 100% wastewater also achieved better removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and ammonia (N-NH 4 ) with more than 90%. All tested microalgae species successfully remove nitrogen, ammonium, and phosphorus and reach the concentration limits set by the Department of the Environment, Malaysia. This study demonstrated that microalgae can grow well in non-sterilised domestic wastewater while simultaneously removing nitrogen and phosphorus effectively.

Keywords: domestic wastewater treatment; microalgal biomass; biomass energy; non-sterile microalgae growth; nitrogen removal; Scenedesmus; phosphorus removal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6601/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6601/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6601-:d:1122717

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().