An approach for phycoremediation of different wastewaters and biodiesel production using microalgae

Abstract

Four microalgal strains, namely, Tetraselmis indica (T. indica), Scenedesmus abundans (S. abundans), Spirulina sp., and Nostoc muscorum (N. muscorum) were cultivated on four different wastewaters in 1000 ml photobioreactors with 750 ml working volume under 94.5 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ light intensity for 14 days for phycoremediation of wastewaters and sustainable biodiesel production. These microalgal strains attained maximum biomass growth in the secondary treated sewage (STS). Maximum biomass yield (0.6533 g L⁻¹) and lipid productivity (25.44 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹) for T. indica were achieved in STS. T. indica removed (63.6–78.24%) of nitrate, (60.90–65.97%) of phosphate, (61.01–80.01%) of ammonical nitrogen, and (71.16–85.70%) of total organic carbon (TOC) in all four wastewaters. The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profile of T. indica shows the presence of myristic acid (1.2%) pentadecylic acid (0.28%), palmitic acid (10.32%), oleic acid (34.59%), linoleic acid (12.38%), and eicosanoic acid (14.88%) in STS. This study demonstrates that T. indica is the most suitable microalgal species among the four microalgal strains selected for phycoremediation of wastewaters and higher biomass production for sustainable biodiesel production.