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Treatment of second cheese whey effluents using a Choricystis ‐based system with simultaneous lipid production
Author(s) -
Tsolcha Olga N,
Tekerlekopoulou Athanasia G,
Akratos Christos S,
Bellou Stamatia,
Aggelis George,
Katsiapi Matina,
MoustakaGouni Maria,
Vayenas Dimitrios V
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.4829
Subject(s) - biodiesel , nutrient , chemical oxygen demand , biodiesel production , biomass (ecology) , effluent , pulp and paper industry , wastewater , food science , chemistry , environmental science , algae fuel , biofuel , sewage treatment , microbiology and biotechnology , environmental engineering , agronomy , biology , organic chemistry , engineering , catalysis
BACKROUND Recently the utilization of microalgae for biological nutrient and organic load removal from industrial wastewater streams has been of great research interest. This present research aimed to develop a biological (algal) second cheese whey wastewater ( SCWW ) treatment system able to generate renewable energy in the form of biodiesel while simultaneously removing polluting nutrients and chemical oxygen demand ( COD ). RESULTS Aerobically‐treated SCWW was diluted in water (dilution factor from 0.05 to 0.35) and evaluated as a substrate for Choricystis ‐like algal growth under photoheterotrophic conditions. Specifically, the algal culture was studied under non‐aseptic conditions for its ability to remove COD , nitrogen, and phosphorous from SCWW and to produce biodiesel. At the end of treatment the pollutant load of COD , TN and PO 4 3 − was reduced by up to 92.3%, 97.3%, and 99.7%, respectively. The lipid content of the algal biomass ranged from 9.2 to 13.4%, which corresponds with an oil production of 60.8–119.5 mg L −1 . The proportions of saturated and mono‐unsaturated fatty acids in the lipids produced reached 79%, thus making the system suitable for biodiesel production. CONCLUSIONS A well‐adapted Choricystis ‐like consortium could be efficiently used to treat SCWW while the biomass produced may be harnessed as a source of biodiesel. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry