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Kashem AHM, Das P, AbdulQuadir M, Khan S, Thaher MI, Alghasal G, Hawari AH, Al-Jabri H. Microalgal bioremediation of brackish aquaculture wastewater. Sci Total Environ 2023; 873:162384. [PMID: 36841414 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Rapid aquaculture industry development contributed to a major increase in aquaculture wastewater generation. In the context of a circular economy, aquaculture wastewater treatment should simultaneously recover nutrients from the wastewater. Among many treatment methods, bioremediation using microalgae could be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly system that can be applied to treat aquaculture wastewater and simultaneously produce high-value microalgal biomass. This study explored the feasibility of treating brackish wastewater (0.8 % NaCl) generated from a Qatari commercial tilapia farm by microalgae. At first, 10 strains were grown using wastewater from the local farm in an indoor experiment. Based on nitrogen assimilation, biomass yield, biomass quality, and ease of harvesting, 4 candidate strains (Haematococcus sp., Neochloris sp., Monoraphidium sp., and Nostoc sp.) were shortlisted for outdoor growth experiments. Although Nostoc sp. could not grow outdoor in the wastewater, the other three strains were able to assimilate at least 70.5 % of the total nitrogen in the wastewater. Haematococcus sp. and Neochloris sp. could be harvested using self-settling, whereas Monoraphidium required an energy-intensive tangential flow filtration membrane process. Hence, the overall energy requirement for bioremediation, including biomass dewatering, for Haematococcus sp., Neochloris sp., and Monoraphidium sp. were determined as 0.64, 0.78, and 5.68 MJ/m3, respectively. Neochloris sp. had almost twice the biomass yield compared to Haematococcus sp. - suggesting that Neochloris sp. could be a potential candidate for aquaculture wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdurahman Hafez Mohammed Kashem
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar; Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Probir Das
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar.
| | - Mohammad AbdulQuadir
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Shoyeb Khan
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Mahmoud Ibrahim Thaher
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Ghamza Alghasal
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Alaa H Hawari
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Hareb Al-Jabri
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
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Al-Jabri H, Das P, Thaher M, Khan S, AbdulQuadir M. Potential utilization of waste nitrogen fertilizer from a fertilizer industry using marine microalgae. Sci Total Environ 2021; 755:142532. [PMID: 33035988 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the feasibility of microalgal biomass production using waste nitrogen fertilizers (WNFs) generated by the Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO). From the plant, three types of WNFs (WNF1, WNF2, and WNF3) were collected; WNF1 and WNF2 had high solubility (e.g., 1000 g/L) whereas WNF3 had low solubility (65 g/L). For a lower dosage (i.e., 100 mg N/L) of these WNFs, >98% of nitrogen was soluble in water for WNF1 and WNF2; however, 52 mg N/L was soluble for WNF3. Nitrogen content in these wastes was 44, 43, and 39% for WNF1, WNF2, and WNF3, respectively. As these WNFs were used as the sole nitrogen source to grow Tetraselmis sp., Picochlorum sp., and Synechococcus sp., Tetraselmis sp. could utilize all the three WNFs more efficiently than other two strains. The biomass yield of Tetraselmis sp. in a 100,000 L raceway pond was 0.58 g/L and 0.67 g/L for mixed WNFs (all WNF in equal ratio) and urea, respectively. The metabolite profiles of Tetraselmis sp. biomass grown using mixed WNFs were very similar to the biomass obtained from urea-added culture - suggesting that WNFs produced Tetraselmis sp. biomass could be used as animal feed ingredients. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) was conducted for six potential scenarios, using the data from the outdoor cultivation. The production of Tetraselmis sp. biomass in QAFCO premises using its WNFs, flue gas, and waste heat could not only eliminate the consequences of landfilling WNFs but also would improve the energy, cost, and environmental burdens of microalgal biomass production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hareb Al-Jabri
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
| | - Probir Das
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar.
| | - Mahmoud Thaher
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
| | - Shoyeb Khan
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
| | - Mohammad AbdulQuadir
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
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Das P, AbdulQuadir M, Thaher M, Khan S, Chaudhary AK, Al-Jabri H. A feasibility study of utilizing hydrothermal liquefaction derived aqueous phase as nutrients for semi-continuous cultivation of Tetraselmis sp. Bioresour Technol 2020; 295:122310. [PMID: 31670114 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The feasibility of substituting 50% nutrients by aqueous phase liquid (APL), derived from hydrothermal liquefaction of Tetraselmis sp. biomass, in a semi-continuous cultivation of Tetraselmis sp. was studied. Growth experiments were conducted in indoor photobioreactor and outdoor raceway tank for three consecutive cycles. At the end of exponential growth pahse, 75% of the culture was harvested, and the supernatant was returned to the cultivation system. For control cultures, fresh nutrients were added; however, for the experimental cultures, an appropriate volume of APL was added to replace half of the nutrients. Either indoor or outdoor, the growth rate and biomass yield in APL-added cultures were either equal or slightly better compared to control culture; although APL had little to no effect on the metabolite content of Tetraselmis sp., metabolites profile of Tetraselmis sp. varied between APL-added and control cultures. Nevertheless, 50% nutrients requirements for microalgae cultivation could be replaced by APL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Probir Das
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar.
| | - Mohammad AbdulQuadir
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Mahmoud Thaher
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Shoyeb Khan
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Hareb Al-Jabri
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
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Das P, Thaher M, Khan S, AbdulQuadir M, Al-Jabri H. The effect of culture salinity on the harvesting of microalgae biomass using pilot-scale tangential-flow-filter membrane. Bioresour Technol 2019; 293:122057. [PMID: 31491653 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the effect of culture salinity (4-6% NaCl) on the harvesting of two microalgal strains (i.e., Picochlorum sp., and Tetraselmis sp.) was investigated using pilot-scale TFF membranes. The cultures of these two strains were collected from their respective continuous cultivation in 2, 25,000 L raceway ponds. For both strains, an increase in culture salinity aggravated the membrane fouling and hence negatively influenced the permeate flux rate, biomass concentrating factor, and energy requirement in biomass harvesting. For the TFF membranes, an increase in 1% NaCl salinity, the volume of processed permeate reduced by 30-44 %, the energy consumption per unit volume of permeate increased by 3-63%, and the biomass concentrating factor reduced by 47-61%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Probir Das
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar.
| | - Mahmoud Thaher
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Shoyeb Khan
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Mohammad AbdulQuadir
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Hareb Al-Jabri
- Algal Technology Program, Center for Sustainable Development, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar
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