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Comparison of ecuadorian native chlorella m2 and m6 growth in flat and cylindrical photobioreactors using rural wastewater effluent, aerobically and anaerobically treated, outdoors with non-regulated conditions

Abstract:

World natural resources are limited and should be used wisely, especially when science has raised individuals' life expectancy and the population is increasing worldwide. Therefore, efforts are made to secure sources for future generations. Rural areas of developing countries are not the exception; however, they usually lack proper municipal wastewater treatments. The small towns and villages have small budgets. As a result, traditional wastewater treatment plants are off their economy. Most of the time, the sewage receives poor and elemental treatment; interestingly, algae could be used as a biological treatment for sewage to improve the current systems' performance. This research aimed to compare the growth of two native Chlorella (Chlorella sp, M2, and M6), using as a growth media the effluent of low-cost wastewater treatment, i.e., anaerobic digestion (AD) and an aerated system (AS). The cultures were let grow outdoors in two different photobioreactors (cylindrical and flat) without light and temperature control. The result suggested Chlorella sp. M6 performed better when using AD effluent with a maximum growth rate of 0.84 + 0.04 d-1 regardless of photobioreactor type, with reasonable nutrient consumption. Meanwhile, Chlorella sp. M2 did not show a significant difference for any of the used media or photobioreactors.