Cultivation of Lemna Minor on Industry-Derived, Anaerobically Digested, Dairy Processing Wastewater
Rachel O’Mahoney, Neil E. Coughlan, Éamonn Walsh, Marcel A. K. Jansen
Abstract
The growth and nutrient uptake capacity of a common duckweed (Lemnaceae) species, Lemna minor “Blarney”, on dairy processing wastewater pre-treated by an anaerobic digester (AD-DPW) was explored. L. minor was cultivated in small stationary vessels in a controlled indoor environment, as well as in a semi-outdoor 35 L recirculatory system. The use of AD-DPW as a cultivation medium for L. minor offers a novel approach to dairy wastewater treatment, evolving from the current resource-intensive clean-up of wastewaters to duckweed-based valorisation, simultaneously generating valuable plant biomass and remediating the wastewater.
Topics & Concepts
Lemna minorWastewaterBiomass (ecology)Environmental scienceSewage treatmentPulp and paper industryLemnaValorisationBiofilterWaste managementAquatic plantEnvironmental engineeringBiologyAgronomyBotanyEngineeringEcologyMacrophyteConstructed Wetlands for Wastewater TreatmentPhosphorus and nutrient managementWastewater Treatment and Reuse