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Soudagar MEM, Kiong TS, Jathar L, Nik Ghazali NN, Ramesh S, Awasarmol U, Ong HC. Perspectives on cultivation and harvesting technologies of microalgae, towards environmental sustainability and life cycle analysis. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 353:141540. [PMID: 38423144 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The development of algae is seen as a potential and ecologically sound approach to address the increasing demands in multiple sectors. However, successful implementation of processes is highly dependent on effective growing and harvesting methods. The present study provides a complete examination of contemporary techniques employed in the production and harvesting of algae, with a particular emphasis on their sustainability. The review begins by examining several culture strategies, encompassing open ponds, closed photobioreactors, and raceway ponds. The analysis of each method is conducted in a systematic manner, with a particular focus on highlighting their advantages, limitations, and potential for expansion. This approach ensures that the conversation is in line with the objectives of sustainability. Moreover, this study explores essential elements of algae harvesting, including the processes of cell separation, dewatering, and biomass extraction. Traditional methods such as centrifugation, filtration, and sedimentation are examined in conjunction with novel, environmentally concerned strategies including flocculation, electro-coagulation, and membrane filtration. It evaluates the impacts on the environment that are caused by the cultivation process, including the usage of water and land, the use of energy, the production of carbon dioxide, and the runoff of nutrients. Furthermore, this study presents a thorough examination of the current body of research pertaining to Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) studies, presenting a perspective that emphasizes sustainability in the context of algae harvesting systems. In conclusion, the analysis ends up with an examination ahead at potential areas for future study in the cultivation and harvesting of algae. This review is an essential guide for scientists, policymakers, and industry experts associated with the advancement and implementation of algae-based technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manzoore Elahi M Soudagar
- Institute of Sustainable Energy (ISE), Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan IKRAM-UNITEN, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, Uttarakhand - 248002, India; Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences Research Group, Scientific Research Center, Al-Ayen University, Thi-Qar, Nasiriyah, 64001, Iraq.
| | - Tiong Sieh Kiong
- Institute of Sustainable Energy (ISE), Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan IKRAM-UNITEN, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Laxmikant Jathar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Army Institute of Technology, Pune, 411015, India.
| | - Nik Nazri Nik Ghazali
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - S Ramesh
- Institute of Sustainable Energy (ISE), Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan IKRAM-UNITEN, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Umesh Awasarmol
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Army Institute of Technology, Pune, 411015, India.
| | - Hwai Chyuan Ong
- Department of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia.
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Ferreira GF, Pinto LFR, Filho RM, Fregolente LV. Maximizing unsaturated fatty acids production by using sugarcane agroindustry wastes in cultivation of Desmodesmus sp. in a flat plate photobioreactor. J Biotechnol 2022; 360:117-124. [PMID: 36375622 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2022.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Microalgae lipid accumulation can be accomplished by different strategies rather than naturally reaching the stationary phase. Many studies employ nitrogen (N) depletion to improve lipid production; however, this approach might not be a suitable alternative when growth in wastewater is attempted. Agro-industry effluents in particular can have high concentrations of N, so nutrient removal is also required. This study evaluated two possibilities of achieving stress conditions in Desmodesmus sp. cultivation: light intensity and CO2 concentration. The culture medium also included liquid and solid residues from the sugarcane agro-industry: vinasse and a biofertilizer produced from bagasse biochar. Optimization of growth in a flat plate photobioreactor was conducted by combining a two-level factorial design and simplex methodology. Both the highest biomass and polyunsaturated fatty acid productivities (150.2 and 21.4 mg L-1 day-1, respectively) were achieved near the central points (5% CO2 in air and 1000 μmol m-2 s-1 light intensity). These results show the possibility of microalgae growth in a sustainable medium coupled with high-value lipid production, e.g., omegas-3, - 6, and - 9.
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Li N, Chen C, Zhong F, Zhang S, Xia A, Huang Y, Liao Q, Zhu X. A novel magnet-driven rotary mixing aerator for carbon dioxide fixation and microalgae cultivation: focusing on bubble behavior and cultivation performance. J Biotechnol 2022; 352:26-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2022.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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López-Sánchez A, Silva-Gálvez AL, Aguilar-Juárez Ó, Senés-Guerrero C, Orozco-Nunnelly DA, Carrillo-Nieves D, Gradilla-Hernández MS. Microalgae-based livestock wastewater treatment (MbWT) as a circular bioeconomy approach: Enhancement of biomass productivity, pollutant removal and high-value compound production. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 308:114612. [PMID: 35149401 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The intensive livestock activities that are carried out worldwide to feed the growing human population have led to significant environmental problems, such as soil degradation, surface and groundwater pollution. Livestock wastewater (LW) contains high loads of organic matter, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). These compounds can promote cultural eutrophication of water bodies and pose environmental and human hazards. Therefore, humanity faces an enormous challenge to adequately treat LW and avoid the overexploitation of natural resources. This can be accomplished through circular bioeconomy approaches, which aim to achieve sustainable production using biological resources, such as LW, as feedstock. Circular bioeconomy uses innovative processes to produce biomaterials and bioenergy, while lowering the consumption of virgin resources. Microalgae-based wastewater treatment (MbWT) has recently received special attention due to its low energy demand, the robust capacity of microalgae to grow under different environmental conditions and the possibility to recover and transform wastewater nutrients into highly valuable bioactive compounds. Some of the high-value products that may be obtained through MbWT are biomass and pigments for human food and animal feed, nutraceuticals, biofuels, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins and fertilizers. This article reviews recent advances in MbWT of LW (including swine, cattle and poultry wastewater). Additionally, the most significant factors affecting nutrient removal and biomass productivity in MbWT are addressed, including: (1) microbiological aspects, such as the microalgae strain used for MbWT and the interactions between microbial populations; (2) physical parameters, such as temperature, light intensity and photoperiods; and (3) chemical parameters, such as the C/N ratio, pH and the presence of inhibitory compounds. Finally, different strategies to enhance nutrient removal and biomass productivity, such as acclimation, UV mutagenesis and multiple microalgae culture stages (including monocultures and multicultures) are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaid López-Sánchez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Ana Laura Silva-Gálvez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Óscar Aguilar-Juárez
- Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Carolina Senés-Guerrero
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
| | | | - Danay Carrillo-Nieves
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
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Comprehensive assessment of the microalgae-nitrifying bacteria competition in microalgae-based wastewater treatment systems: Relevant factors, evaluation methods and control strategies. ALGAL RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2021.102563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Wurm H, Sandmann M. Establishment of a simple method to evaluate mixing times in a plastic bag photobioreactor using image processing based on freeware tools. BMC Res Notes 2021; 14:470. [PMID: 34965888 PMCID: PMC8715616 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05892-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Accurate determination of the mixing time in bioreactors is essential for the optimization of the productivity of bioprocesses. The aim of this work was to develop a simple optical method to determine the mixing time in a photobioreactor. The image processing method should be based on freeware tools, should not require programming skills, and thus could be used in education within high schools and in early stages of undergraduate programs. Results An optical method has been established to analyze images from recorded videos of mixing experiments. The steps are: 1. Extraction of a sequence of images from the video file; 2. Cropping of the pictures; 3. Background removal; and 4. Image analysis and mixing time evaluation based on quantification of pixel-to-pixel heterogeneity within a given area of interest. The novel method was generally able to track the dependency between aeration rate and mixing time within the investigated photobioreactor. In direct comparison, a pearson correlation coefficient of rho = 0.99 was obtained. Gas flow rates between 10 L h−1, and 300 L h−1 resulted from mixing times of between 48 and 14 s, respectively. This technique is applicable without programming skills and can be used in education with inexperienced user groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrike Wurm
- University of Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg, Brodaer Straße 2, 17033, Neubrandenburg, Germany
| | - Michael Sandmann
- University of Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg, Brodaer Straße 2, 17033, Neubrandenburg, Germany.
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Morillas-España A, Lafarga T, Sánchez-Zurano A, Acién-Fernández FG, Rodríguez-Miranda E, Gómez-Serrano C, González-López CV. Year-long evaluation of microalgae production in wastewater using pilot-scale raceway photobioreactors: Assessment of biomass productivity and nutrient recovery capacity. ALGAL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2021.102500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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D'Alessandro EB, Soares AT, de Oliveira D'Alessandro NC, Antoniosi Filho NR. Potential use of a thermal water cyanobacterium as raw material to produce biodiesel and pigments. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 2019; 42:2015-2022. [PMID: 31471708 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-019-02196-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Global energy demand is increasing every day and most is still derived from non-renewable sources. Therefore, sustainable alternatives are sought to produce biofuels, such as biodiesel. Several studies have demonstrated the potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria to produce biodiesel and pigments. These pigments, such as lutein and astaxanthin, have a high commercial value and can economically support the production of biodiesel. However, few studies have explored the potential of cyanobacteria collected in thermal water. In these microorganisms, both biomass and metabolites production can be altered by the culture form. Thus, a cosmopolitan filamentous cyanobacterium (Geitlerinema amphibium) from thermal water was collected and isolated to evaluate its potential to produce fatty acids, biodiesel, and pigments in two culture media. G. amphibium was cultured in WC (Wright's Cryptophyte) and BBM (Bold's Basal Medium) media. Thermal stress (40 °C for 48 h) was applied to the medium, which generated higher productivity of the biomass in BBM. The cyanobacterium contained higher biodiesel content in the WC medium and higher pigment content in the BBM medium. Thermal stress increased the biodiesel content by 350%, but decreased pigment content. Two pigments with high commercial value (astaxanthin and lutein) were identified. G. amphibium produced up to 2.74 mg g-1 of astaxanthin and 5.49 mg g-1 of lutein, which is seven times more lutein than Marigold, currently the main raw material used commercially. Therefore, G. amphibium has the potential to produce biodiesel, astaxanthin, and lutein concomitantly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aline Terra Soares
- Chemical Area, Institute of Chemical, University of Goias, Campus II, Goiânia, Goiás, 74690-900, Brazil
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Romero-Villegas GI, Fiamengo M, Acién-Fernández FG, Molina-Grima E. Utilization of centrate for the outdoor production of marine microalgae at the pilot-scale in raceway photobioreactors. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 228:506-516. [PMID: 30273769 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the outdoor production of marine microalgae in raceway photobioreactors was investigated, modifying the centrate percentage in the culture medium (20, 30, 40 and 50%) and using two different dilution rates (0.2 day-1 and 0.3 day-1). The data obtained showed that microalgae are capable of producing biomass in addition to recovering the nutrients contained in the centrate. The best results for biomass productivity and light efficiency were obtained when the centrate was set at 20% with a dilution rate of 0.3 day-1. The biomass productivity was 32.42 g m-2·day-1 while the photosynthetic efficiency was 0.74 gbiomass·E-1 (3.66%). Regarding the nutrients, nitrogen (the majority being in the form of ammonium [NH4+]) and phosphorus were only fixed into biomass when optimal conditions were set; if this was not the case, they were lost to stripping or precipitation. The maximal nutrient removal capacities under the optimal conditions were 28.72 mgN·l-1·day-1 and 3.99 mgP·l-1·day-1. Population changes were determined by the dilution rate set whilst the centrate percentage had little effect. Four strains were present in the culture, Nannochloropsis g. being the main one. Biochemical changes did not vary greatly between the conditions set for the culture, with a composition rich in proteins and carbohydrates being observed. One can conclude that to produce marine microalgal biomass for a range of potential commodities such as feed, biofertilizers and biofuels, it is possible to use centrate from anaerobic digestion as the sole nutrient source, as a way of reducing costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Ivan Romero-Villegas
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Almería, Ctra. Sacramento, s/n, 04120 La Cañada de San Urbano Almería, Spain.
| | - Marco Fiamengo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Via Savonarola, 9, 44121 Ferrara FE, Italy
| | | | - Emilio Molina-Grima
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Almería, Ctra. Sacramento, s/n, 04120 La Cañada de San Urbano Almería, Spain
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