Bioprocess Integration of Candida ethanolica and Chlorella vulgaris for Sustainable Treatment of Organic Effluents in the Honey Industry

Juan Gabriel Sánchez Novoa (), Natalia Rodriguez, Tomás Debandi, Juana María Navarro Llorens, Laura Isabel de Cabo and Patricia Laura Marconi
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Juan Gabriel Sánchez Novoa: CONICET, CEBBAD-University Maimónides, Hidalgo 775, Ciudad, Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1405, Argentina
Natalia Rodriguez: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales B. Rivadavia-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 480, Ciudad, Autónoma de Buenos Aire C1405, Argentina
Tomás Debandi: Instituto de Investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental 3iA, Universidad Nacional de San Martin, Francia 34, Villa Lynch B1650, Argentina
Juana María Navarro Llorens: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Laura Isabel de Cabo: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales B. Rivadavia-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 480, Ciudad, Autónoma de Buenos Aire C1405, Argentina
Patricia Laura Marconi: CONICET, CEBBAD-University Maimónides, Hidalgo 775, Ciudad, Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1405, Argentina

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Honey processing is closely linked to water pollution due to the lack of a specific wastewater treatment. This study proposes a sustainable and innovative solution based on two sequential bioprocesses using a real effluent from an Argentine honey-exporting facility. In the initial stage, the honey wastewater was enriched with a non-Saccharomyces yeast ( Candida ethanolica ), isolated from the same effluent. Treatment with this yeast in a bioreactor nearly doubled the total sugar removal efficiency compared to the control (native flora). Subsequent clarification with diatomaceous earth reduced the optical density (91.6%) and COD (30.9%). In the second stage, secondary sewage effluent was added to the clarified effluent and inoculated with Chlorella vulgaris under different culture conditions. The best microalgae performance was observed under high light intensity and high inoculum concentration, achieving a fivefold increase in cell density, a specific growth rate of 0.752 d −1 , and a doubling time of 0.921 d. Although total sugar removal in this stage remained below 28%, cumulative COD removal reached 90% after nine days under both lighting conditions. This study presents the first integrated treatment approach for honey industry effluents using a native yeast–microalgae system, incorporating in situ effluent recycling and the potential for dual waste valorization.

Keywords: sustainable wastewater treatment; honey wastewater; microalgae; phycoremediation; yeast (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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