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Respiratory relationships of a symbiotic algal‐bacterial culture for wastewater nutrient removal
Author(s) -
Humenik F. J.,
Hanna G. P.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260120405
Subject(s) - aeration , algae , biomass (ecology) , nutrient , oxygen , wastewater , photosynthesis , carbon dioxide , chlorella , biology , activated sludge , steady state (chemistry) , sewage treatment , environmental chemistry , pulp and paper industry , botany , ecology , chemistry , environmental science , environmental engineering , organic chemistry , engineering
A continuous symbiotic algal‐bacterial system was developed consisting essentially of a mixed Chlorella ‐activated sludge culture which would efficiently remove nutrients from wastewater under aerobic conditions without supplementary aeration. Oxygen decline data were fitted to a mathematical model used to predict respiratory rates, photosynthetic oxygenation, and steady‐state oxygen concentrations. Stable relative biological populations and a dissolved oxygen concentration of about 2 mg/1 were maintained during steady‐state operation with daily harvesting of excess biomass. Respiratory and physiological relationships indicated that the carbon dioxide‐oxygen balance is a primary control that governs the steady‐state operation of a symbiotic algal‐bacterial culture. The close association of the algae and bacteria resulted in an algal‐bacterial floc with settled rapidly yielding a clear supernatant.