Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure
Animal production inevitably causes the emission of greenhouse gases and the generation of large amounts of slurry, both representing a serious environmental problem. Photosynthetic microorganisms such as microalgae and cyanobacteria have been proposed as alternative strategies to bioremediate agric...
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doaj-b74a01e309974037944447ec583eeb342021-01-22T00:06:24ZengMDPI AGProcesses2227-97172021-01-01920320310.3390/pr9020203Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig ManureAna Sánchez-Zurano0Martina Ciardi1Tomás Lafarga2José María Fernández-Sevilla3Ruperto Bermejo4Emilio Molina-Grima5Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Jaén, 23700 Linares, SpainDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainAnimal production inevitably causes the emission of greenhouse gases and the generation of large amounts of slurry, both representing a serious environmental problem. Photosynthetic microorganisms such as microalgae and cyanobacteria have been proposed as alternative strategies to bioremediate agricultural waste while consuming carbon dioxide and producing valuable biomass. The current study assessed the potential of the microalga <i>Scenedesmus </i>sp. to remove nutrients from piggery wastewater (PWW) and the influence of the microalga on the microbial consortia. Maximum N-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> consumption was 55.3 ± 3.7 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>·day<sup>−1</sup> while P-PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup> removal rates were in the range 0.1–1.9 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>·day<sup>−1</sup>. N-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> removal was partially caused by the action of nitrifying bacteria, which led to the production of N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>. N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> production values where lower when microalgae were more active. This work demonstrated that the photosynthetic activity of microalgae allows us to increase nutrient removal rates from PWW and to reduce the coliform bacterial load of the effluent, minimising both their environmental impact and health risks. Microalgae assimilated part of the N-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> present in the media to produce biomass and did not to convert it into N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> as in traditional processes.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/9/2/203<i>Scenedesmus</i>waste treatmentbiotechnologyphotosynthesisrespirometrybiomass |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Ana Sánchez-Zurano Martina Ciardi Tomás Lafarga José María Fernández-Sevilla Ruperto Bermejo Emilio Molina-Grima |
spellingShingle |
Ana Sánchez-Zurano Martina Ciardi Tomás Lafarga José María Fernández-Sevilla Ruperto Bermejo Emilio Molina-Grima Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure Processes <i>Scenedesmus</i> waste treatment biotechnology photosynthesis respirometry biomass |
author_facet |
Ana Sánchez-Zurano Martina Ciardi Tomás Lafarga José María Fernández-Sevilla Ruperto Bermejo Emilio Molina-Grima |
author_sort |
Ana Sánchez-Zurano |
title |
Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure |
title_short |
Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure |
title_full |
Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure |
title_fullStr |
Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure |
title_full_unstemmed |
Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure |
title_sort |
role of microalgae in the recovery of nutrients from pig manure |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Processes |
issn |
2227-9717 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
Animal production inevitably causes the emission of greenhouse gases and the generation of large amounts of slurry, both representing a serious environmental problem. Photosynthetic microorganisms such as microalgae and cyanobacteria have been proposed as alternative strategies to bioremediate agricultural waste while consuming carbon dioxide and producing valuable biomass. The current study assessed the potential of the microalga <i>Scenedesmus </i>sp. to remove nutrients from piggery wastewater (PWW) and the influence of the microalga on the microbial consortia. Maximum N-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> consumption was 55.3 ± 3.7 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>·day<sup>−1</sup> while P-PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup> removal rates were in the range 0.1–1.9 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>·day<sup>−1</sup>. N-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> removal was partially caused by the action of nitrifying bacteria, which led to the production of N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>. N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> production values where lower when microalgae were more active. This work demonstrated that the photosynthetic activity of microalgae allows us to increase nutrient removal rates from PWW and to reduce the coliform bacterial load of the effluent, minimising both their environmental impact and health risks. Microalgae assimilated part of the N-NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> present in the media to produce biomass and did not to convert it into N-NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> as in traditional processes. |
topic |
<i>Scenedesmus</i> waste treatment biotechnology photosynthesis respirometry biomass |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/9/2/203 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT anasanchezzurano roleofmicroalgaeintherecoveryofnutrientsfrompigmanure AT martinaciardi roleofmicroalgaeintherecoveryofnutrientsfrompigmanure AT tomaslafarga roleofmicroalgaeintherecoveryofnutrientsfrompigmanure AT josemariafernandezsevilla roleofmicroalgaeintherecoveryofnutrientsfrompigmanure AT rupertobermejo roleofmicroalgaeintherecoveryofnutrientsfrompigmanure AT emiliomolinagrima roleofmicroalgaeintherecoveryofnutrientsfrompigmanure |
_version_ |
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