Separation of microalgae cultivated in anaerobically digested black water using Moringa Oleifera Lam seeds as coagulant

Author(s)

Santos Silva, Debora Fernanda ^[1] ; Speranza, Lais Galileu ^[2] ; Quartaroli, Larissa ^[1] ; Moruzzi, Rodrigo Braga ^[2] ; Ribeiro Silva, Gustavo Henrique ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Sao Paulo Julio de Mesquita Filho U, Campus Bauru, Ave Eng Luiz Edmundo C Coube 14-01, BR-17033360 Bauru, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Sao Paulo Julio de Mesquita Filho U, Campus Rio Claro, Ave 24 A, 1515, BR-13506692 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING; v. 39, FEB 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The main aim of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of Moringa oleifera Lam (MOL) integral powder as a natural coagulant for the harvesting of microalgae cultivated in anaerobically digested black water (AnBW) and to evaluate the microalgae's characteristics for its application as an organic fertilizer. The use of 475 mg L-1 of MOL as coagulant with 45 min for sedimentation (settling velocity of 0.17 cm min(-1)) at pH value of 7 presented high efficiency in removing turbidity (93 %), optical density (90 %), true color (38 %), total suspended solids (58 %), chemical oxygen demand (53 %), nitrogen (57 %) and phosphorus (60 %). The microalgae biomass harvested from the process has the potential to be applied as fertilizer as presented characteristics (nutrients amount) comparable to other organic fertilizers available on the market. (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