TY - JOUR
T1 - Algal-based, single-step treatment of urban wastewaters
AU - Henkanatte-Gedera, S. M.
AU - Selvaratnam, T.
AU - Caskan, N.
AU - Nirmalakhandan, N.
AU - Van Voorhies, W.
AU - Lammers, Peter J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by the NSF Engineering Research Center, ReNUWIT award # EEC 1028968 ; NSF NM EPSCOR award # IIA-1301346 ; DOE Regional Algal Fuels Testbed Partnership Award # DE-EE0006269 ; and the Ed & Harold Foreman Endowed Chair .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2015/8/1
Y1 - 2015/8/1
N2 - Currently, urban wastewaters (UWW) laden with organic carbon (BOD) and nutrients (ammoniacal nitrogen, N, and phosphates, P) are treated in multi-stage, energy-intensive process trains to meet the mandated discharge standards. This study presents a single-step process based on mixotrophic metabolism for simultaneous removal of carbon and nutrients from UWWs. The proposed system is designed specifically for hot, arid environments utilizing an acidophilic, thermotolerant algal species, Galdieria sulphuraria, and an enclosed photobioreactor to limit evaporation. Removal rates of BOD, N, and P recorded in this study (14.93, 7.23, and 1.38mgL-1d-1, respectively) are comparable to literature reports. These results confirm that the mixotrophic system can reduce the energy costs associated with oxygen supply in current UWW treatment systems, and has the potential to generate more energy-rich biomass for net energy extraction from UWW.
AB - Currently, urban wastewaters (UWW) laden with organic carbon (BOD) and nutrients (ammoniacal nitrogen, N, and phosphates, P) are treated in multi-stage, energy-intensive process trains to meet the mandated discharge standards. This study presents a single-step process based on mixotrophic metabolism for simultaneous removal of carbon and nutrients from UWWs. The proposed system is designed specifically for hot, arid environments utilizing an acidophilic, thermotolerant algal species, Galdieria sulphuraria, and an enclosed photobioreactor to limit evaporation. Removal rates of BOD, N, and P recorded in this study (14.93, 7.23, and 1.38mgL-1d-1, respectively) are comparable to literature reports. These results confirm that the mixotrophic system can reduce the energy costs associated with oxygen supply in current UWW treatment systems, and has the potential to generate more energy-rich biomass for net energy extraction from UWW.
KW - Galdieria sulphuraria
KW - Mixotrophic metabolism
KW - Nutrient removal
KW - Organic removal
KW - Wastewater treatment
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.03.120
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.03.120
M3 - Article
C2 - 25898089
AN - SCOPUS:84927725732
SN - 0960-8524
VL - 189
SP - 273
EP - 278
JO - Agricultural Wastes
JF - Agricultural Wastes
ER -