Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion Effluent

Microalgae demonstrate significant efficacy in wastewater treatment. Anaerobic digestion effluent (ADE) is regarded as an underutilized resource, abundant in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients; however, the presence of inhibitory factors restricts microalgal growth, thereby preventing...

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Main Authors: Canbo Wang, Qi Zhang, Zhiqiang Gu, Longfei Zhang, Rumeng Lu, Cuixia Liu, Yuhuan Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Fermentation
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/10/11/577
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author Canbo Wang
Qi Zhang
Zhiqiang Gu
Longfei Zhang
Rumeng Lu
Cuixia Liu
Yuhuan Liu
author_facet Canbo Wang
Qi Zhang
Zhiqiang Gu
Longfei Zhang
Rumeng Lu
Cuixia Liu
Yuhuan Liu
author_sort Canbo Wang
collection DOAJ
description Microalgae demonstrate significant efficacy in wastewater treatment. Anaerobic digestion effluent (ADE) is regarded as an underutilized resource, abundant in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients; however, the presence of inhibitory factors restricts microalgal growth, thereby preventing its direct treatment via microalgae. The purpose of this study was to dilute ADE using various dilution media and subsequently cultivate <i>Chlorella</i> sp. to identify optimal culture conditions that enhance microalgal biomass and water quality. The effects of various dilution conditions were assessed by evaluating the biomass, sedimentation properties, and nutrient removal efficiencies of microalgae. The results demonstrate that microalgal biomass increases as the dilution ratio increased. The microalgae biomass in the treatments diluted with simulated wastewater was significantly higher than that with deionized water, but their effluent quality failed to meet discharge standards. The treatment diluted with deionized water for 10 times exhibited abundant microbial biomass with strong antioxidant properties. The corresponding total phosphorus concentration in the effluent (6.96 mg/L) adhered to emission limits under the Livestock and Poultry Industry Pollutant Emission Standards (8 mg/L), while ammonia nitrogen concentration (90 mg/L) was near compliance (80 mg/L). The corresponding microbial biomass, with a sludge volume index (SVI<sub>30</sub>) of 72.72 mL/g, can be recovered economically and efficiently by simple precipitation. Its high protein (52.07%) and carbohydrate (27.05%) content, coupled with low ash (10.75%), makes it a promising candidate for animal feed and fermentation. This study will aid in understanding microalgal growth in unsterilized ADE and establish a theoretical foundation for cost-effective ADE purification and microalgal biomass production.
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issn 2311-5637
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series Fermentation
spelling doaj-art-2ac14a1ca6af4640accc84b20484c0222025-08-20T02:28:10ZengMDPI AGFermentation2311-56372024-11-01101157710.3390/fermentation10110577Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion EffluentCanbo Wang0Qi Zhang1Zhiqiang Gu2Longfei Zhang3Rumeng Lu4Cuixia Liu5Yuhuan Liu6State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Engineering Research Center for Biomass Conversion, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Engineering Research Center for Biomass Conversion, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Engineering Research Center for Biomass Conversion, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Engineering Research Center for Biomass Conversion, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Engineering Research Center for Biomass Conversion, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, ChinaSchool of Energy & Environment, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Engineering Research Center for Biomass Conversion, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, ChinaMicroalgae demonstrate significant efficacy in wastewater treatment. Anaerobic digestion effluent (ADE) is regarded as an underutilized resource, abundant in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients; however, the presence of inhibitory factors restricts microalgal growth, thereby preventing its direct treatment via microalgae. The purpose of this study was to dilute ADE using various dilution media and subsequently cultivate <i>Chlorella</i> sp. to identify optimal culture conditions that enhance microalgal biomass and water quality. The effects of various dilution conditions were assessed by evaluating the biomass, sedimentation properties, and nutrient removal efficiencies of microalgae. The results demonstrate that microalgal biomass increases as the dilution ratio increased. The microalgae biomass in the treatments diluted with simulated wastewater was significantly higher than that with deionized water, but their effluent quality failed to meet discharge standards. The treatment diluted with deionized water for 10 times exhibited abundant microbial biomass with strong antioxidant properties. The corresponding total phosphorus concentration in the effluent (6.96 mg/L) adhered to emission limits under the Livestock and Poultry Industry Pollutant Emission Standards (8 mg/L), while ammonia nitrogen concentration (90 mg/L) was near compliance (80 mg/L). The corresponding microbial biomass, with a sludge volume index (SVI<sub>30</sub>) of 72.72 mL/g, can be recovered economically and efficiently by simple precipitation. Its high protein (52.07%) and carbohydrate (27.05%) content, coupled with low ash (10.75%), makes it a promising candidate for animal feed and fermentation. This study will aid in understanding microalgal growth in unsterilized ADE and establish a theoretical foundation for cost-effective ADE purification and microalgal biomass production.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/10/11/577anaerobic digestion effluentsmicroalgaewastewater treatmentnutrient recoverysedimentation performance
spellingShingle Canbo Wang
Qi Zhang
Zhiqiang Gu
Longfei Zhang
Rumeng Lu
Cuixia Liu
Yuhuan Liu
Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion Effluent
Fermentation
anaerobic digestion effluents
microalgae
wastewater treatment
nutrient recovery
sedimentation performance
title Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion Effluent
title_full Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion Effluent
title_fullStr Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion Effluent
title_full_unstemmed Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion Effluent
title_short Biomass Accumulation, Contaminant Removal, and Settling Performance of <i>Chlorella</i> sp. in Unsterilized and Diluted Anaerobic Digestion Effluent
title_sort biomass accumulation contaminant removal and settling performance of i chlorella i sp in unsterilized and diluted anaerobic digestion effluent
topic anaerobic digestion effluents
microalgae
wastewater treatment
nutrient recovery
sedimentation performance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/10/11/577
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