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Wang X, Wang Q, Hong Y, Wang Z. A whole process study of dual microalgae cultivation coupled to domestic wastewater treatment and wheat growth. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 254:119168. [PMID: 38762007 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
The multiple microalgal collaborative treatment of domestic wastewater has been extensively investigated, but its whole life cycle tracking and consequent potential have not been fully explored. Herein, a dual microalgal system was employed for domestic wastewater treatment, tracking the variation in microalgal growth and pollutants removal from shake flask scale to 18 L photobioreactors scales. The results showed that Chlorella sp. HL and Scenedesmus sp. LX1 combination had superior growth and water purification performance, and the interspecies soluble algal products promoted their growth. Through microalgae mixing ratio and inoculum size optimized, the highest biomass yield (0.42 ± 0.03 g/L) and over 91 % N, P removal rates were achieved in 18 L photobioreactor. Harvested microalgae treated in different forms all promoted wheat growth and suppressed yellow leaf rate. This study provided data support for the whole process tracking of dual microalgal system in treating domestic wastewater and improving wheat growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Wang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Qiao Wang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yu Hong
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Zeyuan Wang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
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Rossi S, Carecci D, Marazzi F, Di Benedetto F, Mezzanotte V, Parati K, Alberti D, Geraci I, Ficara E. Integrating microalgae growth in biomethane plants: Process design, modelling, and cost evaluation. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23240. [PMID: 38163195 PMCID: PMC10755323 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The integration of microalgae cultivation in anaerobic digestion (AD) plants can take advantage of relevant nutrients (ammonium and ortho-phosphate) and CO2 loads. The proposed scheme of microalgae integration in existing biogas plants aims at producing approximately 250 t·y-1 of microalgal biomass, targeting the biostimulants market that is currently under rapid expansion. A full-scale biorefinery was designed to treat 50 kt·y-1 of raw liquid digestate from AD and 0.45 kt·y-1 of CO2 from biogas upgrading, and 0.40 kt·y-1 of sugar-rich solid by-products from a local confectionery industry. An innovative three-stage cultivation process was designed, modelled, and verified, including: i) microalgae inoculation in tubular PBRs to select the desired algal strains, ii) microalgae cultivation in raceway ponds under greenhouses, and iii) heterotrophic microalgae cultivation in fermenters. A detailed economic assessment of the proposed biorefinery allowed to compute a biomass production cost of 2.8 ± 0.3 €·kg DW-1, that is compatible with current downstream process costs to produce biostimulants, suggesting that the proposed nutrient recovery route is feasible from the technical and economic perspective. Based on the case study analysis, a discussion of process, bioproducts and policy barriers that currently hinder the development of microalgae-based biorefineries is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Rossi
- Politecnico di Milano, DICA – Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Davide Carecci
- Politecnico di Milano, DICA – Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Francesca Marazzi
- University of Milano – Bicocca, DISAT – Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 1, P.zza della Scienza, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Benedetto
- Politecnico di Milano, DICA – Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Valeria Mezzanotte
- University of Milano – Bicocca, DISAT – Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 1, P.zza della Scienza, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Katia Parati
- Istituto Sperimentale Italiano Lazzaro Spallanzani, Aquaculture division, 26027 Rivolta d’Adda, Italy
| | | | | | - Elena Ficara
- Politecnico di Milano, DICA – Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Rojo EM, Rossi S, Bolado S, Stampino PG, Ficara E, Dotelli G. Life cycle assessment of biostimulant production from algal biomass grown on piggery wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:168083. [PMID: 37879487 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Piggery wastewater has become a large source of pollution with high concentrations of nutrients, that must be managed and properly treated to increase its environmental viability. Currently, the use of microalgae for treating this type of wastewater has emerged as a sustainable process with several benefits, including nutrient recovery to produce valuable products such as biostimulants, and CO2 capture from flue gases. However, the biostimulant production from biomass grown on piggery wastewater also has environmental impacts that need to be studied to identify possible hotspots. This work presents the life cycle assessment by IMPACT 2002+ method of the production of microalgae-based biostimulants, comparing two different harvesting technologies (membrane in scenario 1 and centrifuge in scenario 2) and two different technologies for on-site CO2 capture from flue gases (chemical absorption and membrane separation). The use of membranes for harvesting (scenario 1) reduced the environmental impact in all categories (human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources) by 30 % on average, compared to centrifuge (scenario 2). Also, membranes for CO2 capture allowed to decrease environmental impacts by 16 %, with the largest reduction in the resource category (∼33 %). Thus, the process with the best environmental viability was achieved in scenario 1 using membranes for CO2 capture, with a value of 217 kg CO2 eq/FU. In scenario 2 with centrifugation, the high contribution of the cultivation sub-unit in all impacts was highlighted (>75 %), while in scenario 1 the production sub-unit also had moderate contribution in the human health (∼35 %) and climate change (∼30 %) categories due to the lower concentration and high flow rates. These results were obtained under a worst-case situation with pilot scale optimized parameters, with limited data which would have to be further optimized at industrial-scale implementation. The sensitivity analysis showed a little influence of the parameters that contribute the most to the impacts, except for the transportation of the piggery wastewater to the processing plant in scenario 2. Because of the relevant impact of biostimulant transportation in scenario 1, centrifugation becomes more favourable when transportation distance is longer than 321 km.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena M Rojo
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, School of Industrial Engineering, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, 47011 Valladolid, Spain.
| | - Simone Rossi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Bolado
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, School of Industrial Engineering, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Paola Gallo Stampino
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Elena Ficara
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Giovanni Dotelli
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
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