ABACO: A New Model of Microalgae-Bacteria Consortia for Biological Treatment of Wastewaters

Microalgae-bacteria consortia have been proposed as alternatives to conventional biological processes to treat different types of wastewaters, including animal slurry. In this work, a microalgae-bacteria consortia (ABACO) model for wastewater treatment is proposed, it being calibrated and validated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2021-02, Vol.11 (3), p.998
Main Authors: Sánchez-Zurano, Ana, Rodríguez-Miranda, Enrique, Guzmán, José Luis, Acién-Fernández, Francisco Gabriel, Fernández-Sevilla, José M., Molina Grima, Emilio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Animal wastes
Aquatic microorganisms
Bacteria
Biological activity
Biological treatment
Biomass
Calibration
Carbon
Carbon dioxide
Chemical oxygen demand
Consortia
Genetic algorithms
Heterotrophic bacteria
Inorganic carbon
Laboratories
Light
Mathematical models
Methods
microalgae
Microorganisms
modelling
Nitrifying bacteria
Nutrient availability
nutrients
photobioreactor
Photosynthesis
Pig manure
Reactors
Respiration
Slurries
Software
Wastewater treatment
Water treatment
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Summary:Microalgae-bacteria consortia have been proposed as alternatives to conventional biological processes to treat different types of wastewaters, including animal slurry. In this work, a microalgae-bacteria consortia (ABACO) model for wastewater treatment is proposed, it being calibrated and validated using pig slurry. The model includes the most relevant features of microalgae, such as light dependence, endogenous respiration, and growth and nutrient consumption as a function of nutrient availability (especially inorganic carbon), in addition to the already reported features of heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria. The interrelation between the different populations is also included in the model, in addition to the simultaneous release and consumption of the most relevant compounds, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. The implementation of the model has been performed in MATLAB software; the calibration of model parameters was carried out using genetic algorithms. The ABACO model allows one to simulate the dynamics of different components in the system, and the relative proportions of microalgae, heterotrophic bacteria, and nitrifying bacteria. The percentage of each microbial population obtained with the model was confirmed by respirometric techniques. The proposed model is a powerful tool for the development of microalgae-related wastewater treatment processes, both to maximize the production of microalgal biomass and to optimize the wastewater treatment capacity.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app11030998