CULTIVATION OF Chlorella vulgaris IN MEDIUM SUPPLEMENTED WITH DESALINATION CONCENTRATE GROWN IN A PILOT-SCALE OPEN RACEWAY

• Main Authors: Â. P. Matos, W. B. Ferreira, L. R. I. Morioka, E. H. S. Moecke, K. B. França, E. S. Sant’Anna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazilian Society of Chemical Engineering
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering
• Subjects: Desalination wastewater; Algal cultivation; Autotrophic system; Biochemical composition; Protein
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-66322018000401183&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigated the outdoor production of a microalga C. vulgaris cultured in two different media under autotrophic cultivation: Bold Basal Medium (BBM) as the control and BBM supplemented with desalination concentrate (BBM + DC) using open raceway ponds (8 m2). Data were collected on the growth, biomass productivity and biochemical composition. The culture developed in BBM + DC showed a biomass productivity of 6.8 g m-2 day-1, while for the BBM control it was 8.5 g m-2 day-1. Intracellular protein was the main algal component (~28.6%), followed by carbohydrate + fiber (~26.0%) and lipids (~5.0%). The predominant fatty acids were mainly α-linolenic (~19.5%), palmitic (~16.5%) and linoleic (~10.0%) acids. This study demonstrates the feasibility of culturing C. vulgaris in an alternative medium based on DC in order to valorize the desalination wastewater through its application to algal mass production.