Removal of cephalosporin antibiotics 7-ACA from wastewater during the cultivation of lipid-accumulating microalgae

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2016-12, Vol.221, p.284-290
• Main Authors: Guo, Wan-Qian, Zheng, He-Shan, Li, Shuo, Du, Juan-Shan, Feng, Xiao-Chi, Yin, Ren-Li, Wu, Qing-Lian, Ren, Nan-Qi, Chang, Jo-Shu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 7-ACA; Antibiotics-containing wastewater; Biofuels; Biomass; Cephalosporins; Cephalosporins - isolation & purification; Chlamydomonas - growth & development; Chlamydomonas - metabolism; Chlorella - growth & development; Chlorella - metabolism; Lipid production; Lipids - biosynthesis; Microalgae; Microalgae - growth & development; Microalgae - metabolism; Waste Water - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Water Purification - methods
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.09.036

Schematic diagram of 7-ACA removal in cultivation of lipid-rich microalgae. [Display omitted] •Three lipid-rich microalgae examined exhibited relatively high resistance to 7-ACA.•7-ACA at 100mgL−1 could be completely removed during microalgae cultivation.•7-ACA removal in algal culture was due to hydrolysis, photolysis and biosorption.•Using lipid-rich microalgae to treat antibiotics-containing wastewater is promising. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using lipid-accumulating microalgae to remove cephalosporin antibiotics 7-amino cephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) from wastewater with the additional benefit of biofuels production. Three isolated microalgal strains (namely, Chlorella sp. Cha-01, Chlamydomonas sp. Tai-03 and Mychonastes sp. YL-02) were cultivated under 7-ACA stress and their biomass productivity, lipid production and N-NO3− consumption were monitored. It was found that 7-ACA had slight inhibition effects on the microalgal growth at the ratio of 12.0% (Cha-01), 9.6% (YL-02), 11.7% (Tai-03). However, lipid accumulation in the three microalgae was not influenced by the presence of 7-ACA. The investigation on the 7-ACA removal mechanisms during microalgal growth shows that 7-ACA was mainly removed by microalgae adsorption as well as hydrolysis and photolysis reactions. This study demonstrates that using microalgae to treat antibiotic-containing wastewater is promising due to the potential of simultaneous antibiotic removal and biofuel production.