Knowledge Agora



Scientific Article details

Title Microalgae cultivation for treating agricultural effluent and producing value-added products
ID_Doc 25024
Authors Alavianghavanini, A; Shayesteh, H; Bahri, PA; Vadiveloo, A; Moheimani, NR
Title Microalgae cultivation for treating agricultural effluent and producing value-added products
Year 2024
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169369
Abstract Wastewater generated within agricultural sectors such as dairies, piggeries, poultry farms, and cattle meat processing plants is expected to reach 600 million m(3) yr(-1) globally. Currently, the wastewater produced by these industries are primarily treated by aerobic and anaerobic methods. However, the treated effluent maintains a significant concentration of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. On the other hand, the valorisation of conventional microalgae biomass into bioproducts with high market value still requires expensive processing pathways such as dewatering and extraction. Consequently, cultivating microalgae using agricultural effluents shows the potential as a future technology for producing value-added products and treated water with low nutrient content. This review explores the feasibility of growing microalgae on agricultural effluents and their ability to remove nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. In addition to evaluating the market size and value of products from wastewater-grown microalgae, we also analysed their biochemical characteristics including protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and pigment content. Furthermore, we assessed the costs of both upstream and downstream processing of biomass to gain a comprehensive understanding of the economic potential of the process. The findings from this study are expected to facilitate further techno-economic and feasibility assessments by providing insights into optimized processing pathways and ultimately leading to the reduction of costs.
Author Keywords Anaerobic digestate; Bioremediation; Waste to profit; Biorefinery approach; Circular economy
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
EID WOS:001144490000001
WoS Category Environmental Sciences
Research Area Environmental Sciences & Ecology
PDF https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169369
Similar atricles
Scroll