Biomass Production of Chlorella sp., Scenedesmus sp., and Oscillatoria sp. in Nitrified Landfill Leachate

• Published in: Waste and biomass valorization 2017-10, Vol.8 (7), p.2301-2311
• Main Authors: Nordin, Norazela, Yusof, Norjan, Samsudin, Syakirah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algae; Biofuels; Biomass; Carbohydrates; Chlorella; Engineering; Environment; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Industrial Pollution Prevention; Landfill; Landfills; Leachates; Lipids; Nitrate removal; Nutrient removal; Original Paper; Oscillatoria; Productivity; Protein composition; Proteins; Renewable and Green Energy; Scenedesmus; Waste disposal sites; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Wastewater; Water pollution treatment
• ISSN: 1877-2641; 1877-265X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12649-016-9709-8

Purpose This study aims to examine the biomass production of local microalgae isolates; Chlorella sp., Scenedesmus sp. and Oscillatoria sp. cultivated in high nitrate (NO 3 − ) concentration of nitrified landfill leachate (NLL). Methods NLL concentration of 10–30 % v/v was optimized for maximum microalgae growth, NO 3 − removal performance, and biomass productivity. The biomass produced was further characterized for carbohydrate, lipid, and protein composition. Results NO 3 − was able to be removed by all microalgae isolates with a NO 3 − removal rate of 26.5–27.5 mg/L/day and a maximum NO 3 − removal percentage of 84 % (20 % NLL) by Oscillatoria sp. Highest biomass productivity (0.11 g/L/day), carbohydrate productivity (2.92 g/L/day), lipid productivity (1.41 g/L/day), and protein productivity (4.87 g/L/day) were observed for Oscillatoria sp. cultured in 10 % NLL. Meanwhile, highest lipid, carbohydrate, and protein content was observed in Chlorella sp. cultured in 10 % NLL (18.23 %), Chlorella sp. cultured in 30 % NLL (37.5 %), and Oscillatoria sp. cultured in 20 % NLL (61.4 %), respectively. Conclusions These results suggest that dual application of microalgae for phycoremediation of high NO 3 − wastewater and biomass production was feasible particularly for Oscillatoria sp. in term of high nitrate removal capability and biomass productivity. This finding is significant for potential application of microalgae biomass as biofuels feedstock in near future.