Co-cultivation of high-value microalgae species with filamentous microalgae for dairy wastewater treatment
Suvidha Gupta, J.M. Marchetti
Abstract
The study examined the feasibility of co-culturing high-value microalgae sp. ( Chlorella vulgaris (C.) , and Scenedesmus (S.) ) with filamentous microalgae sp. ( Tribonema ( T .) and Lyngbya ( L .)) to remediate dairy wastewater (DW) and enhance biomass production and harvesting. The results showed that biomass productivity increased by 12‒174% compared to monocultures, and the best consortium was S:T . This consortium achieved the highest biomass productivity of 84.25 mg L −1 d −1 while removing 86.7% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), >88.7% of NO 3 − -N and >98.5% of PO 4 3– -P. The study also tested the effect of harvesting time on the accumulation of biochemical components and found the optimal harvesting times of day 9 and day 11 to achieve maximum carbohydrate and lipid productivity, respectively. Additionally, the microalgae consortium S:T achieved a high biomass recovery of 78.5%, compared to 32.4% obtained for S . alone, highlighting its potential for efficient DW remediation and resource recovery.