Title:
Microalgae Cultivation in Drinking Water RO Reject for Water Recycling and Biomass Production
Author(s):
Bhandari, M., Prajapati, S.K.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
The generation of concentrated reject in massive amounts from the drinking water reverse osmosis (RO) plant is emerging as a serious global threat, which could increase the ever-increasing freshwater scarcity. Thus, this study unveiled the usability of reject for microalgae cultivation. The rejects ROR1, ROR2, and ROR3, respectively, were collected from three different locations of Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in India. The growth study showed that the microalgae could survive in all the tested concentrations, and the maximum biomass productivity (mg L-1 d-1) of 75.13±0.26, 58.92±1.82, and 65.27±3.55 were achieved in 50% ROR1, ROR2, and ROR3, respectively. In addition, the resulting microalgal biomass was rich in metabolites like pigments, lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins. For example, up to 29.36% lipid, 37.77% carbohydrate, and 33.63% protein can be achievable when the microalgae are subjected to different ROR1, ROR2, and ROR3 concentrations. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that the reject of the drinking water RO plant is a potential media for biochemical-rich microalgal biomass production. Recycling this reject will reduce the water and nutrient demand for microalgal biomass production. At the same time, the synthesis and extraction of these valuable metabolites will further enhance the overall economy of the process.
Keywords:
algae, biomass, recycling, wastewater, biobased products
Topic:
Sustainable Resources for Decarbonising the Economy
Subtopic:
Algae and aquatic biomass production systems
Event:
31st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1DV.3.6
Pages:
246 - 249
ISBN:
978-88-89407-23-3
Paper DOI:
10.5071/31stEUBCE2023-1DV.3.6
Price:
FREE
