Plant, Algae, and Environment

Plant, Algae, and Environment

Design and Production of an Algal Biofilter for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sasan Ghobadian 1
Neda Soltani 2
Maryam Ameri 3
Mehdi Bolfion 4
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran
2 Department of Research and Development, Afaghzist Company
3 Industrial Microorganisms Biotechnology Research Department, Industrial Biotechnology Institute, ACECR, Mashhad, Iran
4 Department of Petroleum Microbiology, Research Institute of Applied Sciences, ACECR, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.52547/jpr.2022.103476
Abstract
The increasing need for water resources and other factors in reducing these resources, along with the health and environmental problems of wastewater, make it clear that our linear water economy must evolve into a resilient circular water economy, where water is continuously reused, and contaminants become the feedstocks for other economically valuable processes. Biofilters utilize biological living things as catalysts to harvest valuable components which is a critical emerging technique.
Cyanobacteria and microalgae's ability to be mixotrophs provides a competitive advantage against bacteria and fungi to be used in biofilters. Due to the reduction of environmental nutrients, heavy metals, pathogens, oxygen production for aerobic organisms, and carbon dioxide consumption, microalgae play a prominent role in purification processes.
In this research, the appropriate species were chosen by examining different types of algal species and immobilization methods to produce biofilters. The performance of the optimally produced biofilter to reduce the pollution indicators of the industrial effluent was investigated.
The results show the appropriate performance of the biofilter produced with AFC008 and AFC110 species to perfect removal of nitrate and phosphate and 76%  COD reduction and 79% reduction of BOD in less than a week (along with aeration pretreatment).
Keywords
Biofilter
Industrial wastewater
Phycoremediation
wastewater treatment
algae
Abdel-Raouf N, Al-Homaidan A, Ibraheem I. (2012). Microalgae and wastewater treatment. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 19 (3): 257-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2012.04.005.
Al-Rub FA, El-Naas M, Benyahia F, Ashour I. (2004). Biosorption of nickel on blank alginate beads, free and immobilized algal cells. Process Biochemistry. 39(11): 1767-1773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2003.08.002.
Aslan S and Kapdan IK. (2006). Batch kinetics of nitrogen and phosphorus removal from synthetic wastewater by algae. Ecological Engineering. 28 (1): 64-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2006.04.003.
Azeez RA. (2010). A study on the effect of temperature on the treatment of industrial wastewater using Chlorella vulgaris alga. Algae. 8: 9.
Baltrėnas P, Baltrėnaitė E, Baltrėnas P, Baltrėnaitė E. (2020). The major properties of natural materials in biofiltration systems. Sustainable Environmental Protection Technologies: Contaminant Biofiltration, Adsorption, and Stabilization. 259-357. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47725-7_6.
Blanes PS, Sala LF, García SI, González JC, Fracaroli MI, Harada M, Cong C, Niwa Y, Matulewicz MC, Prado HJ. (2011). Biosorption of trivalent chromium from aqueous solution by red seaweed Polysiphonia nigrescens. Journal of Water Resource and Protection. 3 (11): 832-843. https://doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2011.311093.
Bootsma HA, Young EB, Berges JA. (2004). Temporal and spatial patterns of Cladophora biomass and nutrient stoichiometry in Lake Michigan. Cladophora Research and Management in the Great Lakes: 81.
Bouldin DR, Johnson RL, Burda C,  Kao CW. (1974). Losses of inorganic nitrogen from aquatic systems. Wiley Online Library. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1974.00472425000300020003x.
Bressani-Ribeiro T, Almeida P, Volcke E,  Chernicharo C. (2018). Trickling filters following anaerobic sewage treatment: state of the art and perspectives. Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology. 4 (11): 1721-1738. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8EW00330K.
Chen Y and Xu C. (2021). How to narrow the CO2 gap from growth-optimal to flue gas levels by using microalgae for carbon capture and sustainable biomass production. Journal of Cleaner Production. 280 (2): 124448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124448.
Christenson L and Sims R. (2011). Production and harvesting of microalgae for wastewater treatment, biofuels, and bioproducts. Biotechnology Advances. 29 (6): 686-702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.05.015.
da Silva Cerozi B and Fitzsimmons K. (2016). The effect of pH on phosphorus availability and speciation in an aquaponics nutrient solution. Bioresource Technology. 219: 778-781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.08.079.
De-Bashan LE and Bashan Y. (2010). Immobilized microalgae for removing pollutants: a review of practical aspects. Bioresource Technology. 101 (6): 1611-1627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.09.043.
De-Bashan LE, Hernandez JP, Morey T, Bashan Y. (2004). Microalgae growth-promoting bacteria as “helpers” for microalgae: a novel approach for removing ammonium and phosphorus from municipal wastewater. Water Research. 38 (2): 466-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2003.09.022.
De-Bashan LE, Moreno M, Hernandez JP, Bashan Y. (2002). Removal of ammonium and phosphorus ions from synthetic wastewater by the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris coimmobilized in alginate beads with the microalgae growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. Water Research. 36 (12): 2941-2948. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(01)00522-X.
Delhoménie M, Heitz M. (2005). Biofiltration of Air: A Review. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology. 25: (1-2): 53-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/07388550590935814.
Eroglu E, Smith SM, Raston CL. (2015). Application of various immobilization techniques for algal bioprocesses. Biomass and Biofuels from Microalgae: Advances in Engineering and Biology. 19-44. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/978-3-319-16640-7_2.
Fouilland E. (2012). Biodiversity as a tool for waste phycoremediation and biomass production. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology. 11 (1): 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-012-9270-2.
Goldman JC, Porcella DB, Middlebrooks EJ, Toerien DF. (1972). The effect of carbon on algal growth—its relationship to eutrophication. Water Research. (6): 637-679. https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(72)90182-0.
Gonçalves AL, Pires JC, Simões M. (2017). A review on the use of microalgal consortia for wastewater treatment. Algal Research 24: 403-415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2016.11.008
González LE, Cañizares RO, Baena S. (1997). The efficiency of ammonia and phosphorus removal from a Colombian agroindustrial wastewater by the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus dimorphus. Bioresource Technology. 60 (3): 259-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(97)00029-1.
Hammouda O, Gaber A, Abdelraouf N. (1995). Microalgae and wastewater treatment. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 31 (3): 205-210. https://doi.org/10.1006/eesa.1995.1064.
He P, Mao B, Lü F, Shao L, Lee D, Chang J. (2013). The combined effect of bacteria and Chlorella vulgaris on the treatment of municipal wastewater. Bioresource Technology. 146: 562-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.07.111.
He S and Xue G. (2010). Algal-based immobilization process to treat the effluent from a secondary wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Journal of Hazardous Materials. 178 (1-3): 895-899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.02.022.
Hoffmann JP. (1998). Wastewater treatment with suspended and nonsuspended algae. Journal of Phycology. 34 (5): 757-763. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1529-8817.1998.340757.x.
Ibáñez JP and Umetsu Y. (2002). The potential of protonated alginate beads for heavy metals uptake. Hydrometallurgy. 64 (2): 89-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-386X(02)00012-9.
Jain C, Bandyopadhyay A, Bhadra A. (2010). Assessment of ground water quality for drinking purpose, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 166: 663-676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1031-5.
Kim SK. (2011). Handbook of marine macroalgae: biotechnology and applied phycology. John Wiley and Sons.
Lau P, Tam N, Wong Y. (1997). Wastewater nutrients (N and P) removal by carrageenan and alginate immobilized Chlorella vulgaris. Environmental Technology. 18 (9): 945-951. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593331808616614.
Le Moal M, Gascuel-Odoux C, Ménesguen A, Souchon Y, Étrillard C, Levain A,  Moatar F, Pannard A, Souchu P, Lefebvre A. (2019). Eutrophication: a new wine in an old bottle? Science of the Total Environment. 651: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.139.
Liang Z, Liu Y, Ge F, Xu Y, Tao N, Peng F, Wong M. (2013). Efficiency assessment and pH effect in removing nitrogen and phosphorus by algae-bacteria combined system of Chlorella vulgaris and Bacillus licheniformis. Chemosphere. 92 (10): 1383-1389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.05.014.
Mahmoud M and Mohamed SA.  (2017). Calcium alginate as an eco-friendly supporting material for Baker’s yeast strain in chromium bioremediation. HBRC Journal. 13 (3): 245-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hbrcj.2015.06.003.
Mauter MS and Fiske PS. (2020). Desalination for a circular water economy. Energy and Environmental Science. 13 (10): 3180-3184. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EE01653E.
McGinn PJ, Dickinson KE, Park KC, Whitney CG, MacQuarrie SP, Black FJ, Frigon JC, Guiot SR, O'Leary SJ. (2012). Assessment of the bioenergy and bioremediation potentials of the microalga Scenedesmus sp. AMDD is cultivated in municipal wastewater effluent in batch and continuous modes. Algal Research. 1 (2): 155-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2012.05.001.
Mihranyan A. (2011). Cellulose from cladophorales green algae: From environmental problem to high‐tech composite materials. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 119 (4): 2449-2460. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.32959.
Muñoz R and Guieysse B. (2006). Algal–bacterial processes for the treatment of hazardous contaminants: a review. Water Research. 40 (15): 2799-2815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2006.06.011.
Olguı́n EJ. (2003). Phycoremediation: key issues for cost-effective nutrient removal processes. Biotechnology Advances. 22 (1-2): 81-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0734-9750(03)00130-7.
Pachaiappan R, Cornejo-Ponce L, Rajendran R, Manavalan K, Femilaa Rajan V, Awad F. (2022). A review on biofiltration techniques: Recent advancements in the removal of volatile organic compounds and heavy metals in the treatment of polluted water. Bioengineered. 13 (4): 8432-8477. https://doi.org/10.1080/21655979.2022.2050538.
Petrovič A and Simonič M. (2016). Removal of heavy metal ions from drinking water by alginate-immobilized Chlorella sorokiniana. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 13: 1761-1780. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-016-1015-2.
Pires J, Alvim-Ferraz M, Martins F, Simões M. (2013). Wastewater treatment to enhance the economic viability of microalgae culture. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 20: 5096-5105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1791-x.
Pittman, JK, Dean AP, Osundeko O. (2011). The potential of sustainable algal biofuel production using wastewater resources. Bioresource Technology. 102 (1): 17-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.06.035.
Prajapati SK, Kaushik P, Malik A, Vijay VK. (2013). Phycoremediation coupled production of algal biomass, harvesting, and anaerobic digestion: possibilities and challenges. Biotechnology Advances. 31 (8): 1408-1425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2013.06.005.
Rawat I, Kumar RR,  Mutanda T, Bux F. (2011). Dual role of microalgae: phycoremediation of domestic wastewater and biomass production for sustainable biofuels production. Applied Energy 88(10): 3411-3424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.11.025.
Renuka N, Sood A, Ratha SK, Prasanna R, Ahluwalia AS. (2013). Evaluation of microalgal consortia for treatment of primary treated sewage effluent and biomass production. Journal of Applied Phycology 25: 1529-1537. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-9982-x.
Ruiz-Marin A, Mendoza-Espinosa LG, Stephenson T. (2010). Growth and nutrient removal in free and immobilized green algae in batch and semi-continuous cultures treating real wastewater. Bioresource Technology. 101 (1): 58-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.02.076.
Sarada R, Vidhyavathi R, Usha D, Ravishankar G. (2006). An efficient method for extraction of astaxanthin from green alga Haematococcus pluvialis. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 54 (20): 7585-7588. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf060737t.
Sriram S and Seenivasan R. (2012). Microalgae cultivation in wastewater for nutrient removal. Algal Biomass Utilization. 3 (2): 9-13. https://storage.unitedwebnetwork.com/files/521/f0b1f8c7b925deebd4570c98852dba20.pdf.
Su Y, Mennerich A, Urban B. (2012). Synergistic cooperation between wastewater-born algae and activated sludge for wastewater treatment: influence of algae and sludge inoculation ratios. Bioresource Technology. 105: 67-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.11.113.
Subashchandrabose SR, Ramakrishnan B, Megharaj M, Venkateswarlu K, Naidu R. (2013). Mixotrophic cyanobacteria and microalgae as distinctive biological agents for organic pollutant degradation. Environment International. 51: 59-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2012.10.007.
Tam N and  Wong Y. (2000). Effect of immobilized microalgal bead concentrations on wastewater nutrient removal. Environmental Pollution. 107 (1): 145-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00118-9.
Tarlan E, Dilek FB, Yetis U. (2002). Effectiveness of algae in the treatment of a wood-based pulp and paper industry wastewater. Bioresource Technology. 84 (1): 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(02)00029-9.
Thumvijit T, Thuschana W, Amornlerdpison D, Peerapornpisal Y, Wongpoomchai R. (2013). Evaluation of hepatic antioxidant capacities of Spirogyra neglecta (Hassall) Kützing in rats. Interdisciplinary Toxicology 6 (3): 152-156. https://doi.org/10.2478/intox-2013-0024.
Travieso L, Benitez F, Weiland P, Sanchez E, Dupeyron R, Dominguez A. (1996). Experiments on immobilization of microalgae for nutrient removal in wastewater treatments. Bioresource Technology. 55 (3): 181-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-8524(95)00196-4.
Valderrama LT, Del Campo CM, Rodriguez CM, de-Bashan  LE, Bashan Y (2002). Treatment of recalcitrant wastewater from ethanol and citric acid production using the microalga Chlorella vulgaris and the macrophyte Lemna minuscula. Water Research. 36 (17): 4185-4192. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(02)00143-4.
Vasseur C, Bougaran G, Garnier M, Hamelin J, Leboulanger C, Le Chevanton M, Mostajir B, Sialve B, Steyer JP, Fouilland E. (2012). Carbon conversion efficiency and population dynamics of marine algae–bacteria consortium growing on simplified synthetic digestate: First step in a bioprocess coupling algal production and anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology. 119: 79-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.05.128.
Villarín MC and Merel S. (2020). Paradigm shifts and current challenges in wastewater management. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 390: 122139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122139.
Wada Y, Gleeson T, Esnault L. (2014). Wedge approach to water stress. Nature Geoscience. 7 (9): 615-617. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2241.
Plant, Algae, and Environment
Volume 6, Issue 2
2022
Pages 923-942