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•Non-suspended microalgae achieve easy biomass recovery and high stress resistance.•TN and TP could get a 90% removal with load rate higher than 150 mg·L−1·d−1.•Above 70% TN and TP ...were transferred from wastewater to microalgae biomass.•The dynamic growth of non-suspended microalgae determined the pollutant removal rate.•The mechanism of pollutant transfer and microalgae growth require investigation.
Non-suspended microalgae cultivation technology coupled with wastewater purification has received more scientific attention in recent decades. Since the non-suspended microalgae cultivation is quite different from the suspended ones, the following issues are compared in this study such as advantages and disadvantages, pollutant removal mechanisms and regulations, influential factors, and microalgae biomass accumulation. The analysis aims to support the further application of this technology. The median removal rates of COD, TN, TP, NH4+-N and NO3−-N were 91.6%, 78.2%, 87.5%, 93.2% and 81.7%, respectively, by non-suspended microalgae under the TN & TP load rates up to 150 mg·L−1·d−1. The main pathway for TN & TP removal is microalgae cell absorbance. Light intensity, pollutant composition and microalgae metabolic types are the major factors that influence pollutant removal and the lipid content of microalgae. Meanwhile the mechanism concerning how macro-outer conditions influence the micro-environment and further growth of non-suspended microalgae requires more investigation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Microalgae is considered an alternative source for biodiesel production producing renewable, sustainable and carbon-neutral energy. Microalgae property changes among species, which determines the ...efficiency of biodiesel production. Besides the lipid content evaluation, multi-principles (including high lipid productivity, high biomass yield, pollution resistance and desired fatty acid, etc.) for superior oil-producing species screening was proposed in this review and three microalgae species (Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquus and Mychonastes afer) with high bio-lipid producing prospect were screened out based on big data digging and analysis. The multilateral strategies for algal-lipid stimulating were also compared, among which, nutrient restriction, temperature control, heterotrophy and chemicals addition showed high potential in enhancing lipid accumulation; while electromagnetic field showed little effect. Interestingly, it was found that the lipid accumulation was more sensitive to nitrogen (N)-limitation other than phosphorus (P). Nutrient restriction, salinity stress etc. enhanced lipid accumulation by creating a stressed environment. Hence, optimum conditions (e.g. N:15–35 mg/L and P:4–16 mg/L) should be set to balance the lipid accumulation and biomass growth, and further guarantee the algal-lipid productivity. Otherwise, two-step cultivation could be applied during all the stressed stimulation. Different from lab study, effectiveness, operability and economy should be all considered for stimulation strategy selection. Nutrient restriction, temperature control and heterotrophy were highly feasible after the multidimensional evaluation.
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•A multi-factor evaluation is proposed to screen algal species for lipid production.•Mychonastes with excellent bio-lipid property is promising but often neglected.•The characters of lipid stimulating strategies are systematically compared.•Nutrient starvation, temperature control and heterotrophy were relatively feasible.•Lipid accumulation is more sensitive to nitrogen stimulating rather than phosphorus.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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•Fe addition in partially unsaturated CW could achieve high TN/TP removal (＞75%).•Extra biochar addition decreased Fe dosage but achieved the equivalent TN/TP removal.•Electron ...generation and transport by Fe-C enhanced denitrification to above 95%.•Fe-metabolic bacteria and electroactive bacteria were enriched by Fe-C addition.•Metallic bonded P and organic P dominated TP removal in Fe-C added CW.
Insufficient dissolved oxygen (DO) for ammonia oxidation and limited electron donor for denitrification inhibit the nitrogen removal performance of constructed wetlands (CWs). To solve the problems, partially unsaturated CWs filled with biochar (C) and/or iron shavings (Fe) as functional substrate were proposed in this study and its mechanism on pollutant removal was thoroughly analyzed from the aspects of micro-environment property surrounding substrate, microbial function, plant toxicity, among others. Results showed that partially unsaturated section significantly improved the removal of NH4+-N from 25.1 ± 0.3 mg/L to <10 mg/L. The addition of Fe and Fe-C combination resulted in a better total nitrogen removal of 76.1 ± 0.6% and 86.5 ± 1.7% respectively compared with traditional CWs. For Fe-C combination, Fe, rather than C, was supposed to be the electron donor for nitrate (NO3–-N) removal. Moreover, the lower oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) in the micro-environment surrounding Fe-C combination than that surronding Fe proved that biochar accelerated the transfer process once Fe released electron, which guaranteed the nitrogen removal with less Fe dosage (only 60% v/v). Massive Fe2+ and Fe3+ were produced by Fe, and biochar provided large surface for the bacterial adhesion and co-precipitation of Fe cations and phosphate (P). The enhanced formation of Fe,Ca,Al-P and Porg after Fe-C addition led to a high total phosphorus (TP) removal of 98%. The import of biochar reduced the dosage of Fe and its toxicity to Iris wilsoni. Therefore, compared with Fe, Fe-C combination is a high-efficiency and environmental-friendly functional substrate in CWs.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Compared with suspended microalgae cultivation, attached microalgae cultivation for wastewater treatment has advantages of low biomass recovery costs and high robustness. As a heterogeneous system, ...the variation of photosynthetic capacity along biofilm depth lacks quantitative conclusions. The distribution curve of oxygen concentration along the depth of attached microalgae biofilm (f(x)) was detected by dissolved oxygen (DO) microelectrode, and a quantified model was built based on mass conservation and Fick's law. It revealed that the net photosynthetic rate at a certain depth (x) in the biofilm showed a linear relationship with the second derivatives of the distribution curve of oxygen concentration (f″(x)). In addition, the declining trend of photosynthetic rate along attached microalgae biofilm was relatively slow compared with the suspended system. The photosynthetic rate at 150–200 μm depth of algae biofilm was only 3.60 %–17.86 % of that at the surface layer. Moreover, the light saturation points of the attached microalgae got lower along the depth of biofilm. Compared to 400 lx light intensity, the net photosynthetic rate of microalgae biofilm at the depths of 100–150 μm and 150–200 μm increased by 389 % and 956 % under 5000 lx, respectively, showing the high photosynthesis potential with increasing light.
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•Quantified photosynthetic rate changes along algae biofilm depth were first reported.•Light attenuation in microalgal biofilm was different from suspended cultivation.•Photosynthetic rate at 150–200 μm depth was 3.60 %–17.86 % as much as surface biofilm.•Deep layer algae could regain high photosynthesis under enhanced illuminance.•Deep layer microalgae had relatively low light saturation point.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Microalgae cultivation with wastewater could realize the advanced water treatment and pollutant conversion to biomass. Attached microalgae cultivation mode, that can avoid the high-cost and ...energy-extensive consumption process of biomass recovery from water in suspended cultivation mode, is getting increasing attention. During the attached cultivation, light and nutrient concentration in the internal biofilm, play a direct and crucial role in regulating the growth of microalgae. Hence, the distribution of light and nutrients at different depths of biofilm were first explored in this study together with the change rules of its internal distribution under different external nutrient levels. It demonstrated that the gross growth rate was enhanced by increasing the external nutrient level. Seen from the internal sight of biofilm, the internal nutrient level had a positive response to the external nutrient change. Nutrients (especially nitrogen) distributed homogeneously through the biofilm, and no serious nutrient starvation occurred at the surface layer of biofilm. Photosynthesis rate linearly decreased along the depth of microalgae biofilm (10–120 μm). In conclusion, light, rather than nutrient, would be the key influencing factor on attached microalgae growth. How to optimize the internal light distribution would determine the wastewater purification efficiency based on attached microalgae cultivation.
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•Factors on attached algal growth were first studied from the internal sight of biofilm.•Photosynthesis rate linearly decreased along the depth of microalgal biofilm.•The nutrients (especially nitrogen) distributed homogeneously through the biofilm.•Internal nutrient level had a positive response to the external nutrient change.•Light, rather than nutrient, is the critical factor for attached microalgal growth.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Attached microalgae cultivation coupled with wastewater treatment could convert pollutants into bioresource with high efficiency and low cost. Nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N/P ratio) is considered ...as an important factor on microalgae growth. Due to spatially heterogeneous distribution of nutrient, how N/P ratio affected attached microalgae growth in both macro- and micro-scopes was explored in this study. The findings revealed that an optimal N/P ratio of 10:1 promoted attached microalgae growth, while unsuitable ratios hampered algal growth by inhibiting photosynthesis, lowering oxidative resistance and decreasing metabolism activity. Long-term cultivation with improper N/P ratios resulted in a gradual decrease in actual photosynthetic rates, implying 50 days as the upper culture time limit for high-efficiency growth. Moreover, the study highlighted the uneven distribution of light and nutrients in algal biofilms, causing cells in different biofilm layers with variability of metabolism and composition. However, the 15N isotopic distribution demonstrated that even bottom cells were equally capable of nitrogen assimilation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The limitation of oxygen and carbon source restricted the TN removal in constructed wetland (CW). Algal pond (AP) could produce oxygen and fix CO2 to improve C/N ratio in water. Therefore, an AP-CW ...system was established under laboratory conditions to deeply explore the effect of nutrient load distribution and microalgae addition in CWs on pollutant removal. This study showed that AP-CW could remove 49.7% TN and 90.0% TP with no carbon addition in CWs. The significant removal of NH4-N by AP advanced the location of denitrification in CWs. To enhance TN removal, different dosage of microalgae were intermittently added at 20 and 10 cm respectively below the inlet of the vertical flow CW1 and CW2, where the rest NH4-N has been almost oxidized into nitrate. The addition of microalgae influenced the microflora and effluent quality. Microalgae dosage in denitrification area significantly increased the absolute abundance of Σnir. The best TN removal of AP-CW could reach 91.3% when 8 g (dry weight) microalgae was added. However, unlike previous knowledge, microalgae as an organic carbon source would also release N and P during decomposition, leading to increased nutrients in the effluent. The optimal dosage of microalgae was 1 g/5 d in this study. The position and amount of microalgae addition in CWs should be adjusted based on water property and element flow to achieve the best pollutant removal and biomass harvest.
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•AP-CW could achieve 91.3% TN removal by algae-based carbon source addition.•Pollutant loads were allocated based on difference between AP and CWs in N, P removal.•Place and dosage of microalgae addition determined pollutant removal in CWs.•Excessive microalgae dosage would increase nutrients concentration in CWs effluent.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The current luminescent bacteria test for acute toxicity with short contact time was invalid for antibiotics, and the non-uniformed contact times reported in the literature for long-term toxicity ...assessment led to incomparable results. Herein, a representative long-term toxicity assessment method was established which unified the contact time of antibiotics and Vibrio fischeri within the bioluminescence increasing period (i.e. 10–100% maximum luminescence) of control samples. The effects of excitation and detoxification of antibiotics such as β-lactams were discovered. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of toxic antibiotics (0.00069–0.061 mmol/L) obtained by this method was 2–3 orders of magnitude lower than acute test, quantifying the underestimated toxicity. As antibiotics exist in natural water as mixtures, an equivalent concentration addition (ECA) model was built to predict mixture toxicity based on physical mechanism rather than mathematical method, which showed great fitting results (R2 = 0.94). Furthermore, interaction among antibiotics was investigated. Antibiotics acting during bacterial breeding period had strong synergistic inhibition (IC50 relative deviation from 0.1 to 0.6) such as macrolides and quinolones. Some antibiotics produced increasing synergistic inhibition during concentration accumulation, such as macrolides. The discharge of antibiotics with severe long-term toxicity and strong synergistic inhibition effect should be seriously restricted.
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•Toxicity test of antibiotics should cover the whole luminescence increasing period.•The concentration addition models predict mixture toxicity accurately (R2 ≥ 0.94).•Specific antibiotics showing hormesis effect are revealed under low concentrations.•Strong synergistic inhibition appears in antibiotics for bacterial breeding period.•Mixture concentrations affect synergism and antagonism interactions of antibiotics.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The partially unsaturated constructed wetland was demonstrated to be able to enhance the oxygen supplement for the microbial nitrification. However, the fast gravity flow of wastewater on the smooth ...surface of substrate in unsaturated zone led to a short contact time between wastewater and biofilm on the surface of substrate for the microbial pollutant oxidation process. While, the strengthened oxygen supplement also consumed organic carbon, intensifying the shortage of electron donator for the denitrification process. To further enhance the efficiency of both nitrification and denitrification processes, two strategies were conducted as follows: (1) adding microfiber in unsaturated zone to extend the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and improve the oxygenating efficiency; (2) adding slow-release carbon source (Poly butylenes succinate, PBS) as electron donor in saturated zone for denitrification. Results showed that the ammonia oxidation efficiency reached up to 97.0% in the microfiber-enhanced constructed wetland. Additionally, adding microfiber provided more sites for microbes and increased the total number of microbes in unsaturated zone. The addition of PBS in the saturated zone obviously improved the denitrification efficiency with the total nitrogen (TN) removal rate raising from 20.6 ± 4.0% to 90.4 ± 2.7%, which excellently solved the problem of poor denitrification efficiency caused by low ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N). In conclusion, the association of microfiber and PBS in partially unsaturated constructed wetland finally accomplished the thorough nitrogen removal.
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•Fiber addition strongly extended the contact time between air, water and biofilm.•Ammonia oxidation efficiency reached up to 97.0% by microfiber addition.•Microfiber provided more surface and increased the bacterial amount.•Electron donor PBS significantly enhanced denitrification efficiency to above 90%.•The DO distribution in biofilm was firstly detected to prove the SND process in CW.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Using wastewater as resource for microalgal cultivation was seriously considered as a promising approach for sustainable biomass and lipid production. The proper selection of microalgal species is ...the foundation and key point to achieve this objective. This paper reviewed the recent status of microalgal cultivation in wastewater, including the characteristics of microalgal species used in recent studies, the performance of different microalgal species in different types of wastewater, the commonly-used isolation methods of microalgal species adaptable to the growth in wastewater, and the evaluation criteria of microalgal species. It was found that microalgal biomass and lipid production in wastewater were comparable to those in artificial culture medium, although most of the data was obtained in sterilized wastewater. Among all microalgal species involved in this review, Botryococcus braunii, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii showed superior performance in certain studies. However, no microalgal species has been demonstrated to meet all the requirements for large-scale biomass production in wastewater. Thus, the efforts on microalgal species isolation and characterization should still be promoted. On the basis of all the information, this review explored the limitations of recent studies and future research needs on this topic.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
