Title:
Effect of Oil Mill Wastewater Use in the Cultivation of Scenedesmus Sp.
Author(s):
Mnasser, F., Martínez-Cartas, M.L., Sánchez, S.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
Olive mill wastewater (OMW) are characterized by a very high organic load, due to high levels of phenolic compounds and sugars, and have minimal levels of nitrogenous compounds, low pH, low dissolved oxygen (OD) and dark coloration. Scenedesmus sp. has been grown in a medium consisting of a mixture of Rodríguez-López culture medium], oil and olive washing wastewater and urban wastewater (from secondary treatment), in different proportions. The experiments were conducted using batch photobioreactors of 1.0 dm3 of useful capacity. The monitoring of the culture has been carried out, controlling the growth of the microalgae and the variation of parameters during the period of growth of the microorganism. It has been possible to determine optimal operating conditions by modifying parameters such as the proportions in the mixture of the medium, temperature, level of aeration, and lighting. After a period of 20 days of cultivation, Scenedesmus sp. reached the decreasing phase of growth; for this microalgae, in this culture medium, it has been determined high specific growth rates, and a reduction in the content of phenolic compounds in the order of 50%, as well as a reduction in the contents of salts such as nitrates, nitrites and total phosphorus. So it can be concluded that the culture medium used to grow Scenedesmus sp. is appropriate firstly to remove from the environment an residue that should no longer be treated, secondly to develop the microorganism, and therefore to increase the amount of biomass, from which biofuels and by-products may be obtained and finally to carry out a purification of the original culture medium for a highly polluting compound such as phenolic compounds, assuming another potential application of this treatment, for the purification of effluents. On the other hand, this study tries to evaluate the growth kinetic parameters (maximum specific growth rate, µm, and volumetric biomass productivity, Pb) as well as the formation of lipids in the biomass formed. At lab level, a concentration of 50% of Rodríguez-López culture medium, 10% of oil washing wastewater and 10% of olive washing wastewater, 30% of urban wastewater and 5% of inoculum permits to reach the highest values of µm and Pb, 0.051 h-1 and 1.5 mg dm-3h-1, respectively.
Keywords:
biofuels, microalgae, lipids, olive mill wastewater, Scenedesmus sp.
Topic:
Sustainable Resources for Decarbonising the Economy
Subtopic:
Algae and aquatic biomass production systems
Event:
31st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1DV.3.3
Pages:
241 - 245
ISBN:
978-88-89407-23-3
Paper DOI:
10.5071/31stEUBCE2023-1DV.3.3
Price:
FREE
