Valorization of poultry litter using Acutodesmus obliquus and its integrated application for lipids and fertilizer production

Pfano Musetsho; Nirmal Renuka; Abhishek Guldhe; Poonam Singh; Kriveshin Pillay; Ismail Rawat; Faizal Bux

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149018

Valorization of poultry litter using Acutodesmus obliquus and its integrated application for lipids and fertilizer production

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Nov 20:796:149018. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149018. Epub 2021 Jul 13.

Authors

Pfano Musetsho¹, Nirmal Renuka¹, Abhishek Guldhe², Poonam Singh¹, Kriveshin Pillay¹, Ismail Rawat¹, Faizal Bux³

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa.
² Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa; Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Mumbai 410206, India.
³ Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa. Electronic address: faizalb@dut.ac.za.

PMID: 34274677
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149018

Abstract

Microalgae are recognized as potential candidates for resource recovery from wastewater and projected for biorefinery models. This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of poultry litter and municipal wastewater as nutrient and water sources, for the cultivation of Acutodesmus obliquus for lipids production for biodiesel application. The efficacy of lipid extracted biomass (LEA) as fertilizer for mung bean crops was also assessed in microcosm. A. obliquus cultivation in acid pre-treated poultry litter extract (PPLE) showed maximum biomass production of 1.90 g L^-1, which was 74.67% and 12.61% higher than the raw poultry litter extract (RPPE) and BG11 respectively. Higher NO₃-N, NH₃-N, and PO₄-P removal of 79.51%, 81.82%, and 80.52% respectively were observed in PPLE as compared to RPLE treatment. The highest biomass (140.36 mg L^-1 d^-1), lipids (38.49 mg L^-1 d^-1), and carbohydrates (49.55 mg L^-1 d^-1) productivities were observed in the PPLE medium. The application of LEA as a fertilizer for mung bean crops showed improvement in plant growth and soil microbial activity. A maximum increase in organic carbon (59.5%) and dehydrogenase activity (130.8%) was observed in LEA amended soil which was significantly higher than chemical fertilizer (CF) control in 30 days. Whilst plant fresh weight and leaf chlorophyll in the LEA amended soil was comparable to whole algal biomass (WA) and CF control. The strategy developed could be a basis for sustainable biorefinery for the valorization of wastewater for the production of microalgae-derived biofuel and byproducts for agricultural application.

Keywords: Biodiesel; Biorefinery; Lipid; Microalgae; Nutrient; Organic fertilizer.

MeSH terms

Animals
Biofuels
Biomass
Fertilizers*
Lipids
Microalgae*
Poultry
Wastewater

Substances

Biofuels
Fertilizers
Lipids
Waste Water