Loading...

Microalgae Cultivation for Simultaneous Treatment of Municipal Wastewater and Biofuel Feedstock Production

Ebrahimian Kafshaei, Atefeh | 2012

621 Viewed
  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 42969 (06)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Vossoughi, Manoochehr; Kariminia, Hamid Reza
  7. Abstract:
  8. Depletion of fossil fuels and their price increase, world is going to face critical energy challenges in the near future. Thereforefinding proper replacements for fossil fuels is inevitable. On the other hand, releasing of huge amount of wastewater into environment imposes serious nvironmental threats. Microalgae can be a potential alternative for biological wastewater treatment as well as fuel production. Microalgae grown in wastewater can eliminate remaining nitrogen and phosphorous. The gorwn biomass can be used for biofuel production afterward. Microalgae can also decrease the amount of greenhouse gas through the consumption of CO2 as energy sources. In this study, nutrient removal from municipal wastewater by Chlorella vulgaris in batch culture was investigated. Also the biomass yield was determined. All experiments were conducted at room temperature, under an artificial illumination. The required CO2 was supplied as sodium hydrogen carbonate. In the first stage, the effect of parameters including light intensity, sodium hydrogen carbonate concentration, andlight emission time on the biomass and lipid productivity, and nutrient removal was studied. The optimum condition for gaining maximum biomass and lipid productivity and nutrient removal was determined by using statistical analysis as: 1 g/l sodium hydrogen carbonate, 7400 lux light intensity and 12 hours light emistion time. In order to gain more biomass and lipid productivity, ixotrophiccultivating of the microalgae in a mixture of primary and secondary wastewater was examined. For this purpose, microaglea was cultivated in the mixtures of 25, 50 and 75 volume percent of primary wastewater. At this stage, the maximum removal rate of COD (100%), ammonium(100%), and nitrate (82%), and also the biomass productivity (138.76 mg/l/day) and lipid productivity (45.49 mg/l/day) were obtained in the composition of 25% of primary wastewater
  9. Keywords:
  10. Urban Sewage ; Nutrients ; Biomass ; Lipids ; Chlorelavulgaris

 Digital Object List

 Bookmark

No TOC