Photosynthesis Monitoring in Microalgae Cultures Grown on Municipal Wastewater as a Nutrient Source in Large-Scale Outdoor Bioreactors

Autor: Jiří Masojídek, Cintia Gómez-Serrano, Karolína Ranglová, Bernardo Cicchi, Ángel Encinas Bogeat, João A. Câmara Manoel, Ana Sanches Zurano, Ana Margarita Silva Benavides, Marta Barceló-Villalobos, Victor A. Robles Carnero, Vince Ördög, Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti, Lajos Vörös, Zouhayr Arbib, Frank Rogalla, Giuseppe Torzillo, Félix Lopez Figueroa, Francisco Gabriel Acién-Fernándéz
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Biology, Vol 11, Iss 10, p 1380 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2079-7737
DOI: 10.3390/biology11101380
Popis: 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.
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