Harnessing Symbiotic Mixotrophic Microalgal–Bacterial Biofilms for N and P Elimination

Symbiotic microalgal–bacterial biofilms can be very attractive for potato wastewater treatment. Microalgae remove nitrogen and phosphorus and simultaneously produce the oxygen that is required for the aerobic, heterotrophic degradation of organic pollutants. In this study, symbiotic microalgal–bacte...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sedghi, Mahshid, Fagan, John, Sedghi, Soheil, Küpper, Frithjof C., Amils, Ricardo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/338313
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/338313
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Mixotrophy
Wastewater
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Wastewater treatment
Descripción
Sumario:Symbiotic microalgal–bacterial biofilms can be very attractive for potato wastewater treatment. Microalgae remove nitrogen and phosphorus and simultaneously produce the oxygen that is required for the aerobic, heterotrophic degradation of organic pollutants. In this study, symbiotic microalgal–bacterial biofilms were grown in flow cells with ammonium and phosphate, and with acetate as a simulated biodegradable organic pollutant. The symbiotic biofilms removed acetate without an external oxygen or carbon dioxide supply, but ammonium and phosphate could not be completely removed. The biofilm was shown to have a considerable heterotrophic denitrification capacity. The symbiotic relationship between microalgae and aerobic heterotrophs was proven by subsequently removing light and acetate. In both cases, this resulted in the cessation of the symbiosis and in increasing effluent concentrations of both acetate and the nutrients ammonium and phosphate.