1. Efficient PAHs removal and CO 2 fixation by marine microalgae in wastewater using an airlift photobioreactor for biofuel production.
- Author
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Daniela Rios Ramirez K, Botero Ñañez K, Leonardo Gonzalez Gomez C, and Thiago Andrade Moreira Í
- Subjects
- Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis, Water Pollutants, Chemical metabolism, Biomass, Waste Disposal, Fluid methods, Microalgae metabolism, Microalgae growth & development, Biofuels analysis, Carbon Dioxide metabolism, Carbon Dioxide analysis, Photobioreactors, Wastewater chemistry, Wastewater microbiology, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons metabolism, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons analysis
- Abstract
Microalgae cultures have emerged as a promising strategy in diverse areas, ranging from wastewater treatment to biofuel production, thus contributing to the search for carbon neutrality. These photosynthetic organisms can utilize the resources present in wastewater and fix atmospheric CO
2 to produce biomass with high energy potential. In this study, the removal efficiency of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), CO2 fixation and lipid content in the biomass produced from microalgae grown in airlift photobioreactor were evaluated. Four mesoscale cultures were carried out: Control (Seawater + Conway medium), Treatment A (Oil Produced Water + Poultry Effluent Water), Treatment B (Poultry Effluent Water + Seawater) and Treatment C (Oil Produced Water, Seawater and nutrients). The impact of biostimulation, through the addition of nutrients, on PAHs removal efficiency (up to 90%), CO2 fixation rate (up to 0.20 g L-1 d-1 ) and the composition of the generated biomass was observed. Primarily, the addition of nitrates to the culture medium impacted CO2 fixation rate of the microalgae. In addition, a direct correlation was observed between PAHs removal and lipid accumulation in the biomass, up to 36% in dry weight, demonstrating microalgae's ability to take advantage of the organic carbon (PAHs) present in the culture medium to generate lipid-rich biomass. The concentration of polysaccharides in the biomass obtained did not exceed 12% on a dry weight basis, and the Higher Heating Value (HHV) ranged between 17 and 21 MJ kg-1 . Finally, the potential of generating hydrogen through pyrolysis was highlighted, taking advantage of the characteristics of biomass as a conversion route to produce biofuels. These results show that microalgae are effective in wastewater treatment and have great potential in producing biofuels, thus contributing to the transition towards more sustainable energy sources and climate change mitigation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2024
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