Zouhayr Arbib
45760929000
Publications - 1
Photosynthesis Monitoring in Microalgae Cultures Grown on Municipal Wastewater as a Nutrient Source in Large-Scale Outdoor Bioreactors
Zouhayr Arbib
Francisco Gabriel Acién Fernández
Bernardo Cicchi
Marta Barceló-Villalobos
João Artur Câmara Manoel
Cintia Gómez-Serrano
Victor A. Robles Carnero
Ángel Encinas Bogeat
Ana Sanches Zurano
Karolína Ranglová
Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti
Vince Ördög
Ana Margarita Silva Benavides
Giuseppe Torzillo
Jiří Masojídek
L. Vörös
Frank Rogalla
Félix Lopez Figueroa
Publication Name: Biology
Publication Date: 2022-10-01
Volume: 11
Issue: 10
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Microalgae cultures were used for a WW treatment to remediate nutrients while producing biomass and recycling water. In these trials, raceway ponds (RWPs; 1 and 0.5 ha) were located next to a municipal (WW) treatment plant in Mérida, Spain. The ponds were used for continuous, all-year-round microalgae production using WW as a source of nutrients. Neither CO2 nor air was supplied to cultures. The objective was to validate photosynthesis monitoring techniques in large-scale bioreactors. Various in-situ/ex-situ methods based on chlorophyll fluorescence and oxygen evolution measurements were used to follow culture performance. Photosynthesis variables gathered with these techniques were compared to the physiological behavior and growth of cultures. Good photosynthetic activity was indicated by the build-up of dissolved oxygen concentration up to 380% saturation, high photochemical yield (Fv/Fm = 0.62–0.71), and relative electron transport rate rETR between 200 and 450 μmol e− m−2 s−1 at midday, which resulted in biomass productivity of about 15–25 g DW m−2 day−1. The variables represent reliable markers reflecting the physiological status of microalgae cultures. Using waste nutrients, the biomass production cost can be significantly decreased for abundant biomass production in large-scale bioreactors, which can be exploited for agricultural purposes.
Open Access: Yes