Nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance of sequential batch operation for algal cultivation through suspended-solid phase photobioreactor

Han Yan; Zhuo Chen; Huu Hao Ngo; Qiu-Ping Wang; Hong-Ying Hu

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130143

Nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance of sequential batch operation for algal cultivation through suspended-solid phase photobioreactor

Bioresour Technol. 2024 Feb:393:130143. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130143. Epub 2023 Nov 30.

Authors

Han Yan¹, Zhuo Chen², Huu Hao Ngo³, Qiu-Ping Wang¹, Hong-Ying Hu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
² Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: zhuochen@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
³ School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
⁴ Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Beijing Laboratory for Environmental Frontier Technologies, Beijing 100084, China; Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua University, Suzhou 215163, China.

PMID: 38042434
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130143

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) absorbed by algae in the suspended-solid phase photobioreactor (ssPBR) have emerged as an efficient pathway to purify the effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, the key operational parameters of the ssPBR need to be optimized. In this study, the stability of the system after sequential batch operations and the efficiency under various influent P concentrations were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the ssPBR maintained a high N/P removal efficiency of 96 % and 98 %, respectively, after 5 cycles. When N was kept at 15 mg/L and P ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 mg/L, the system yielded plenty of algae products and guaranteed the effluent quality that met the discharge standards. Notably, the carriers were a key contributor to the high metabolism of algae and high performance. This work provided theoretical ideas and technical guidance for effluent quality improvement in WWTPs.

Keywords: Algae cultivation; Biomass; Nutrients removal; Scenedesmus sp. LX1; Water quality improvement.

MeSH terms

Biomass
Microalgae* / metabolism
Nitrogen / metabolism
Phosphorus / metabolism
Photobioreactors
Water Purification* / methods

Substances

Nitrogen
Phosphorus