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Rana QUA, Latif S, Perveen S, Haq A, Ali S, Irfan M, Gauttam R, Shah TA, Dawoud TM, Wondmie GF, Bourhia M, Badshah M. Utilization of microalgae for agricultural runoff remediation and sustainable biofuel production through an integrated biorefinery approach. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2024; 11:8. [PMID: 38647842 PMCID: PMC10992472 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-023-00720-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Generally wastewater such agricultural runoff is considered a nuisance; however, it could be harnessed as a potential source of nutrients like nitrates and phosphates in integrated biorefinery context. In the current study, microalgae Chlorella sp. S5 was used for bioremediation of agricultural runoff and the leftover algal biomass was used as a potential source for production of biofuels in an integrated biorefinery context. The microalgae Chlorella sp. S5 was cultivated on Blue Green (BG 11) medium and a comprehensive optimization of different parameters including phosphates, nitrates, and pH was carried out to acquire maximum algal biomass enriched with high lipids content. Dry biomass was quantified using the solvent extraction technique, while the identification of nitrates and phosphates in agricultural runoff was carried out using commercial kits. The algal extracted lipids (oils) were employed in enzymatic trans-esterification for biodiesel production using whole-cell biomass of Bacillus subtilis Q4 MZ841642. The resultant fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Subsequently, both the intact algal biomass and its lipid-depleted algal biomass were used for biogas production within a batch anaerobic digestion setup. Interestingly, Chlorella sp. S5 demonstrated a substantial reduction of 95% in nitrate and 91% in phosphate from agricultural runoff. The biodiesel derived from algal biomass exhibited a noteworthy total FAME content of 98.2%, meeting the quality standards set by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and European union (EU) standards. Furthermore, the biomethane yields obtained from whole biomass and lipid-depleted biomass were 330.34 NmL/g VSadded and 364.34 NmL/g VSadded, respectively. In conclusion, the findings underscore the potent utility of Chlorella sp. S5 as a multi-faceted resource, proficiently employed in a sequential cascade for treating agricultural runoff, producing biodiesel, and generating biogas within the integrated biorefinery concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qurrat Ul Ain Rana
- Sustainable Bioenergy and Biorefinery Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Saira Latif
- Sustainable Bioenergy and Biorefinery Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Saleha Perveen
- Sustainable Bioenergy and Biorefinery Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Haq
- Sustainable Bioenergy and Biorefinery Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
- Peshawar Laboratories Complex, Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Islamabad, 25120, Pakistan
| | - Sidra Ali
- Sustainable Bioenergy and Biorefinery Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Irfan
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | - Tawaf Ali Shah
- Collee of Agriculture Engineering and Food Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, China
| | - Turki M Dawoud
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P. O. BOX 2455, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Mohammed Bourhia
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ibn Zohr University, 70000, Laayoune, Morocco
| | - Malik Badshah
- Sustainable Bioenergy and Biorefinery Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
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