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Removal of Nitrogen from Wastewater Using Microalgae

Lingaraju, Bala P.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1321888338

Abstract Details

2011, MS, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Chemical Engineering.
Presence of residual nitrogen and phosphorus in treated wastewater that is discharged into the rivers and lakes poses a problem to aquatic species by causing “eutrophication”. There is a strong necessity to bring down the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus to as low as 1 ppm so that the nutrient supply to the wild type algae growing uncontrollably can be restricted. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris was used to effectively treat wastewater from Mill Creek domestic wastewater treatment plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ammonia-nitrogen was the major source of nitrogen. Typically, 8-10 mg/L of ammonia-nitrogen was present in the secondary wastewater effluent. The secondary wastewater effluent was used as a medium to grow Chlorella vulgaris. Ammonia-nitrogen reduced by 99% after the batch culture. Effective results were also obtained for orthophosphate removal. The residence time of algae in wastewater required to achieve effective reduction of nutrients was reduced through culture in nitrogen deficient medium. A comparison of suspended and settled algae for their effectiveness in nutrient removal was carried out. Results indicated that suspended algae are better than settled algae. Increasing the cell density also quickens the nutrient removal process. Lipids were extracted through the well established Bligh and Dyer method and estimated gravimetrically. Additional confirmation of lipids was carried out using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The motivation behind lipid identification and estimation was to effectively utilize algae that were used to clean wastewater to produce biodiesel at a later stage. Results indicate that lipids can be extracted from Chlorella vulgaris. The Current setup is a suitable starting point for wastewater treatment and biodiesel production. However, for practical implementation, further improvements should be made in the maximum density of algae that can be achieved. Increasing the density of algae in the culture medium through elimination of growth limitations can improve the overall efficiency of removal of nitrogen from wastewater and yield of biomass, thereby increasing the yield of lipids. Improvement in the yield of lipids increases the biodiesel yield. Finally, the overall objective of wastewater treatment and renewable energy production can be achieved through improvement in maximum density of algae, for which further research is required.
Joo Youp Lee, PhD (Committee Chair)
Timothy Keener, PhD (Committee Member)
Soon Jai Khang, PhD (Committee Member)
73 p.
Chemical Engineering
Chlorella vulgaris; Nitrogen Removal; Lipid Extraction; Algae Biodiesel

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lingaraju, B. P. (2011). Removal of Nitrogen from Wastewater Using Microalgae [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1321888338

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lingaraju, Bala. Removal of Nitrogen from Wastewater Using Microalgae. 2011. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1321888338.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lingaraju, Bala. "Removal of Nitrogen from Wastewater Using Microalgae." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1321888338

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1321888338
1,237
© 2011, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Removal of Nitrogen from Wastewater Using Microalgae by Bala P. Lingaraju is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.