Ferric sulfate coagulation and powdered activated carbon adsorption as simultaneous treatment to reuse the medium in Arthrospira platensis cultivation

BACKGROUND Cyanobacteriae and microalgae industries require large amounts of water for their cultivation. Reusing the Arthrospira platensis culture medium is scarcely evaluated in the literature. This work evaluates coagulation and adsorption as a simultaneous process to treat A. platensis spent medium by applying different concentrations of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and ferric sulfate (S) and by using different contact times (T) to remove organic matter and pigments. RESULTS The process efficiency was measured by removal of both organic matter and pigments by absorbance at 254 and 440 nm, respectively. The highest maximum cell concentration (4863 ± 64 mg L−1) and protein content values (60.0 ± 0.6%) were observed in a medium treated with optimal conditions using PAC = 40.0 mg L−1, S = 32.8 mg L−1 and T = 36.1 min. Under such conditions, chlorophyll-a biomass content of 24.5 ± 0.6 mg g dry cell−1 and chlorophyll-a productivity of 16.8 ± 0.1 mg L−1 d−1 were obtained. CONCLUSIONS Coagulation and adsorption as a simultaneus treatment allowing reuse of the spent medium of A. platensis cultivation can diminish not only its production costs but also environmental pollution. The biomass produced in the treated medium contains more protein and chlorophyll than that produced in the standard medium. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

[1]  J. Pruvost,et al.  The culture of Chlorella vulgaris in a recycled supernatant: effects on biomass production and medium quality. , 2013, Bioresource technology.

[2]  J. M. Fernández-Sevilla,et al.  Medium recycling for Nannochloropsis gaditana cultures for aquaculture. , 2013, Bioresource technology.

[3]  Sunao Sato,et al.  Kinetic and thermodynamic investigation of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis fed-batch cultivation in a tubular photobioreactor using urea as nitrogen source , 2012 .

[4]  Hazem Saleh,et al.  Removal of natural organic matter from potential drinking water sources by combined coagulation and adsorption using carbon nanomaterials , 2012 .

[5]  Chun-Chong Fu,et al.  Modeling on chlorophyll a and phycocyanin production by Spirulina platensis under various light-emitting diodes , 2010 .

[6]  Sunao Sato,et al.  Evaluation of the composition of continuously-cultivated Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis using ammonium chloride as nitrogen source , 2010 .

[7]  J. González-Velasco,et al.  The effect of mixed oxidants and powdered activated carbon on the removal of natural organic matter. , 2010, Journal of hazardous materials.

[8]  R. Lovitt,et al.  Integrated production of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)-rich Schizochytrium biomass using a nutrient supplemented marine aquaculture wastewater , 2010 .

[9]  Sunao Sato,et al.  A new approach to ammonium sulphate feeding for fed‐batch Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis cultivation in tubular photobioreactor , 2010, Biotechnology progress.

[10]  A. Converti,et al.  Fed-batch cultivation of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis: potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride as simultaneous nitrogen sources. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[11]  Attilio Converti,et al.  Repeated fed-batch cultivation of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis using urea as nitrogen source , 2009 .

[12]  R. Bezerra,et al.  Influence of ammonium chloride feeding time and light intensity on the cultivation of Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis , 2008, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[13]  V. Uyak,et al.  Disinfection by-products precursors removal by enhanced coagulation and PAC adsorption , 2007 .

[14]  Vijay Kale,et al.  Wastewater treatment in dairy industries — possibility of reuse , 2006 .

[15]  I. E. Nikerel,et al.  Optimizing medium composition for TaqI endonuclease production by recombinant Escherichia coli cells using response surface methodology , 2005 .

[16]  Sunao Sato,et al.  CULTIVATION OF ARTHROSPIRA (SPIRULINA) PLATENSIS (CYANOPHYCEAE) BY FED‐BATCH ADDITION OF AMMONIUM CHLORIDE AT EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING FEEDING RATES 1 , 2004 .

[17]  C. J. Williams,et al.  Treatment of tannery wastewater by chemical coagulation , 2004 .

[18]  In S. Kim,et al.  The effect of pretreatment to ultrafiltration of biologically treated sewage effluent: a detailed effluent organic matter (EfOM) characterization. , 2004, Water research.

[19]  M. Tomaszewska,et al.  Removal of organic matter by coagulation enhanced with adsorption on PAC , 2004 .

[20]  Mario R Tredici,et al.  Growth medium recycling in Nannochloropsis sp. mass cultivation. , 2003, Biomolecular engineering.

[21]  Geneviève Gésan-Guiziou,et al.  Treatment of dairy process waters by membrane operations for water reuse and milk constituents concentration , 2002 .

[22]  E. Olguín,et al.  The effect of low light flux and nitrogen deficiency on the chemical composition of Spirulina sp. (Arthrospira) grown on digested pig waste. , 2001, Bioresource technology.

[23]  Andrew J. Watson,et al.  A mesoscale phytoplankton bloom in the polar Southern Ocean stimulated by iron fertilization , 2000, Nature.

[24]  Stelvio Tassan,et al.  A METHOD USING CHEMICAL OXIDATION TO REMOVE LIGHT ABSORPTION BY PHYTOPLANKTON PIGMENTS , 1999 .

[25]  Carol H. Tate,et al.  Optimizing enhanced coagulation with PAC: A case study , 1998 .

[26]  A. Vonshak,et al.  Spirulina Platensis Arthrospira : Physiology, Cell-Biology And Biotechnology , 1997 .

[27]  B. Biddanda,et al.  Carbon, nitrogen, and carbohydrate fluxes during the production of particulate and dissolved organic matter by marine phytoplankton , 1997 .

[28]  Saed M. Al-Awadi,et al.  Improvement of effluent quality for reuse in a dairy farm , 1996 .

[29]  S. Duff,et al.  Coagulation and precipitation of a mechanical pulping effluent—I. Removal of carbon, colour and turbidity , 1996 .

[30]  A. Vonshak,et al.  Optimization of γ-linolenic acid (GLA) production inSpirulina platensis , 1994, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[31]  G. Amy,et al.  Molecular weight distribution, carboxylic acidity, and humic substances content of aquatic organic matter: implications for removal during water treatment. , 1986, Environmental science & technology.

[32]  James K. Edzwald,et al.  SURROGATE PARAMETERS FOR MONITORING ORGANIC MATTER AND THM PRECURSORS , 1985 .

[33]  U. Schlösser.  Sammlung von Algenkulturen , 1982, Berichte der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft.

[34]  A. Leduy,et al.  An improved method for optical density measurement of the semimicroscopic blue green alga Spirulina maxima , 1977 .

[35]  Q. Hu,et al.  Life-cycle analysis on biodiesel production from microalgae: water footprint and nutrients balance. , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[36]  M. Alam,et al.  Environmental Factors for Optimisation of Spirulina Biomass in Laboratory Culture , 2005 .