Microalgae cultivation trials in a membrane bioreactor operated in heterotrophic, mixotrophic, and phototrophic modes using ammonium-rich wastewater: The study of fouling

• Published in: Water science and technology 2024-05, Vol.89 (10), p.2732-2745
• Main Authors: Shamskilani, Mehrdad, Masojídek, Jiří, Abbasiniasar, Mahdi, Ganji, Alireza, Shayegane, Jalal, Babaei, Azadeh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algae; Ammonia; Ammonium; Ammonium compounds; Ammonium Compounds - metabolism; Aquatic microorganisms; Biofouling; Biomass; Bioreactors; Carbohydrates; Carbon; Cell culture; Cell size; Chemical oxygen demand; Chlorella - growth & development; Chlorella - metabolism; chlorella vulgaris; Costs; Cultivation; Cultures; Extracellular polymers; Fouling; Heterotrophic Processes; Hydrophobicity; membrane bioreactor; Membrane processes; Membranes; Membranes, Artificial; Microalgae; Microalgae - growth & development; Microalgae - metabolism; Microorganisms; mixotrophy; Nitrogen; Nitrogen removal; Nutrients; Phototrophic Processes; Phytoplankton; Proteins; Spectrum analysis; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Wastewater; Wastewater - chemistry; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.2166/wst.2024.148

In this work, microalgae cultivation trials were carried out in a membrane bioreactor to investigate fouling when the cultures of were grown under mixotrophic, heterotrophic, and phototrophic cultivation regimes. The cultures were cultivated in wastewater as a source of nutrients that contained a high concentration of ammonium. In mixotrophic cultivation trials, the results showed that the elevated contents of carbohydrates in the soluble microbial product and proteins in extracellular polymeric substances probably initiated membrane fouling. In this case, the highest protein content was also found in extracellular polymeric substances due to the high nitrogen removal rate. Consequently, transmembrane pressure significantly increased compared to the phototrophic and heterotrophic regimes. The data indicated that cake resistance was the main cause of fouling in all cultivations. Higher protein content in the cake layer made the membrane surface more hydrophobic, while carbohydrates had the opposite effect. Compared to a mixotrophic culture, a phototrophic culture had a larger cell size and higher hydrophobicity, leading to less membrane fouling. Based on our previous data, the highest ammonia removal rate was reached in the mixotrophic cultures; nevertheless, membrane fouling appeared to be the fundamental problem.