Different pretreatments (electrolysis, centrifugation and autoclaving) coupled with Chlorella vulgaris biological system was used for the treatment of poultry manure anaerobic-digested effluents. The pretreated effluents were used as the growth medium for algal cultivation. The pollutant removal efficiencies of the combined treatments were determined. Electrochemical pretreatment can efficiently remove the ammonia (NH4+), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), total carbon (TC), turbidity and bacteria in the digested effluents. About 100.0% NH4+, turbidity and bacteria, 97.6% TP, 81.5% TOC and 96.6% inorganic carbon were removed by 5-h electrochemical treatment. The maximal algal biomass accumulation (0.53 g L(-1)) was obtained from culture in the effluents pretreated with 2-h electrolysis. The pollutants removal amounts by the combination of electrolysis and biological treatment were much higher than the other combinations.
Keywords: anaerobic-digested effluents; electrochemical oxidation; microalgae; nutrient removal; pretreatment.