Nutrient and pathogen removal from anaerobically treated black water by microalgae

Author(s)

Miranda Slompo, Nathalie Dyane ^[1] ; Quartaroli, Larissa ^[2] ; Fernandes, Tania Vasconcelos ^[3] ; Ribeiro da Silva, Gustavo Henrique ^[2] ; Daniel, Luiz Antonio ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo EESC USP, Dept Hydraul & Sanitat, Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Dept Environm & Civil Engn, Bauru, SP - Brazil

^[3] Netherlands Inst Ecol NIOO KNAW, Dept Aquat Ecol, Wageningen - Netherlands

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Environmental Management; v. 268, AUG 15 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The demand for systems that efficiently and sustainably recover value-added compounds and materials from waste streams is a major challenge. The use of wastewater as a source for recovery of carbon and nutrients is an attractive and sustainable alternative. In this study, anaerobically treated black water was treated in photobioreactors (PBRs) inoculated with Chlorella sorokiniana, and the process was investigated in terms of phosphorus and nitrogen removal, biomass growth, and the removal of pathogens. The consumption of bicarbonate (alkalinity) and acetate (volatile fatty acids) as carbon sources by microalgae was investigated. The average nutrient removal achieved was 66% for N and 74% for P. A high consumption of alkalinity (83%) and volatile organic acids (76%) was observed, which suggests that these compounds were used as a source of carbon. The biomass production was 73 mg L-1 day(-1), with a mean biomass of 0.7 g L-1 at the end of the batch treatment. At the end of the experiments, a log removal/inactivation of 0.51 log for total coliforms and 2.73 log for Escherichia coli (E. coli) was observed. The configuration used, a flat-panel PBR operated in batch mode without CO2 supplementation, is a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable method for recovering of nutrients and production of algal biomass. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50351-4 - Recovering nutrients and carbon from concentrated black water: a sustainable decentralized approach for wastewater treatment
• Grantee: Luiz Antonio Daniel
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/04594-8 - Evaluation of processes of removal and inactivation of Giardia spp., Cryptosporidium spp. and indicator microorganisms in blackwater previously treated sequentially by UASB reactor, photobioreactor and flotation
• Grantee: Nathalie Dyane Miranda Slompo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/13581-5 - 15th International Specialised Conferences on Small Water and Wastewater Systems and 7th Specialized Conference on Resources Oriented Sanitation
• Grantee: Gustavo Henrique Ribeiro da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Meeting - Abroad