Sustainable Nutrient Recovery from Wastewater Mixture to Optimize Microalgal Lipid Production: A Vision of Zero Water Footprint.
| Title: | Sustainable Nutrient Recovery from Wastewater Mixture to Optimize Microalgal Lipid Production: A Vision of Zero Water Footprint. |
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| Authors: | Mamani Condori MA; Facultad de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa 04000, Peru.; Colque Ollachica D; Facultad de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa 04000, Peru.; Ccapa Loncone AR; Facultad de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa 04000, Peru.; Pires JCM; LEPABE, ALiCE, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.; Gagneten AM; Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, RN 168, Km 0, Santa Fe S3000ADQ, Argentina. |
| Source: | Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) [Bioengineering (Basel)] 2025 Nov 24; Vol. 12 (12). Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Nov 24. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: MDPI AG Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101676056 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2306-5354 (Print) Linking ISSN: 23065354 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Bioengineering (Basel) Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : MDPI AG, [2014]- |
| Abstract: | In this study, two native microalgae, Chlorella sp. MC18 (CH) and Scenedesmus sp. MJ23-R (SC) were cultivated in bubble column photobioreactors for wastewater treatment. Domestic wastewater (DWW) was used as the main culture medium, alone (100%) and blended (10%) with vinasse, whey, or agro-food waste (AFW), respectively. Both species thrived in 100% DWW, achieving significantly high removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Mineral removal exceeded 90% in all blended systems, highlighting the strong nutrient uptake capacity of both strains. The maximum specific growth rate (µmax) in 100% DWW was higher for SC than in standard BG11 medium, and supplementation with vinasse, whey, or AFW further increased µmax for both species. Blending DWW significantly enhanced microalgal biomass and lipid production compared to 100% DWW. Lipid production (max., 374 mg L-1), proximate lipid composition (max., 30.4%), and lipid productivity (max., 52.9 mg L-1 d-1) significantly increased in all supplemented cultures relative to DWW alone, demonstrating the potential of co-substrate supplementation to optimize microalgal cultivation. This study contributes to reducing the water footprint and fills a gap in the bioprocessing potential of algae-based systems, highlighting wastewater blending as a circular economy-aligned approach that supports sustainable bioprocesses and resource recovery. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: circular economy; mixotrophic cultivation; nutrient removal; sustainable bioprocess; wastewater blending |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251230 Date Completed: 20251230 Latest Revision: 20260102 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12730106 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/bioengineering12121291 |
| PMID: | 41463588 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article