Search

Waste glycerol can be subjected to various processing operations, including purification and refining, to obtain glycerol of an appropriate purity. Alternative methods for utilising waste glycerol are also being sought, e.g., by converting it into other valuable chemical products or biofuels. Therefore, various technologies are being developed to ensure effective and sustainable utilisation of this type of waste. The production of value-added products from waste glycerol strongly determines the improvement of the economic viability of biofuel production and corresponds to the model of a waste-free and emission-free circular economy. This paper characterises the mechanisms and evaluates the efficiency of existing methods for microbiological utilisation of waste glycerol into liquid biofuels, including biodiesel, bioethanol and biobutanol, and identifies further production avenues of value-added products. In addition, it presents the results of a bibliographical analysis of publications related to the production of liquid fuels and economically valuable products from glycerol, assesses the progress of research and application work and, finally, identifies areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic wastewater treatment is, in many cases, a justified alternative to typical activated sludge processes, from a technological, economic, and ecological point of view. The optimisation of fermentation reactors is primarily concerned with increasing the biodegradation of organic compounds and biogas production, as well as improving efficiency in the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. The aim of the research was to determine the impact of using low-cost recycled filling on the efficiency of treating real confectionery wastewater in a vertical anaerobic labyrinth flow bioreactor. The experiments focused on selecting the organic loading rate that would allow for the effective biodegradation and removal of pollutants, as well as the efficient production of biomethane. It was found that the tested reactor can operate efficiently at a maximum organic loading rate (OLR) of 7.0–8.0 g of chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L·d. In this OLR range, high efficiency was guaranteed for both wastewater treatment and biogas production. However, increasing the OLR value to 8.0 g COD/L·d had a significant negative effect on the methane (CH4) content in the biogas. The most efficient variants achieved a biodegradation efficiency of around 90% of the organic compounds, a CH4 content of over 70% in the biogas, and a biogas yield of over 400 L/kg of COD removed. A significant influence of the applied OLR on the ratio of free organic acids (FOS) to total alkaline capacity (TAC) and pH was observed, as well as a strong correlation of these indicators with the specific biogas yield and CH4 content. The application of a solution based on the use of a hybrid system of anaerobic granulated sludge and an anaerobic filter resulted in an efficient treatment process and an almost complete elimination of suspensions from the wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need to find methods to intensify the anaerobic digestion process. One possibility is the use of pretreatment techniques. Many laboratory tests confirm their effectiveness, but in most cases, there is no verification work carried out on industrial plants. A reliable and complete evaluation of new solutions can only be carried out in plants that reflect operating conditions at a higher readiness technological level. This has a direct impact on the scientific value and, above all, on the high application value of innovative technologies. The aim of our research carried out under laboratory conditions and on a large scale was to determine the technological and energy efficiency of the use of hydrodynamic cavitation in the pretreatment of a waste mixture from dairy farms. It has been shown that hydrodynamic cavitation significantly increases the concentration of organic compounds in the dissolved phase. In the most effective variants, the increase in the content of these indicators was over 90% for both COD and TOC. The degree of solubilisation achieved was 49 ± 2.6% for COD and almost 52 ± 4.4% for TOC. Under laboratory conditions, the highest effects of anaerobic digestion were achieved after 10 min of pretreatment. The amount of biogas was, on average, 367 ± 18 mL/gCOD, and the amount of methane was 233 ± 13 mL/gCOD. Further large-scale optimisation trials showed that after 8 min of hydrodynamic cavitation, the biogas yield was 327 ± 8 L/kgCOD with a CH4 content of 62.9 ± 1.9%. With this variant, the net energy yield was 66.4 ± 2.6 kWh/day, a value that was 13.9% higher than the original variant with 10 min of disintegration and 3.1% higher than the variant without pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supply of waste glycerol is rising steadily, partially due to the increased global production of biodiesel. Global biodiesel production totals about 47.1 billion liters and is a process that involves the co-production of waste glycerol, which accounts for over 12% of total esters produced. Waste glycerol is also generated during bioethanol production and is estimated to account for 10% of the total sugar consumed on average. Therefore, there is a real need to seek new technologies for reusing and neutralizing glycerol waste, as well as refining the existing ones. Biotechnological means of valorizing waste glycerol include converting it into gas biofuels via anaerobic fermentation processes. Glycerol-to-bioenergy conversion can be improved through the implementation of new technologies, the use of carefully selected or genetically modified microbial strains, the improvement of their metabolic efficiency, and the synthesis of new enzymes. The present study aimed to describe the mechanisms of microbial and anaerobic glycerol-to-biogas valorization processes (including methane, hydrogen, and biohythane) and assess their efficiency, as well as examine the progress of research and implementation work on the subject and present future avenues of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though deemed a prospective method, the bioconversion of organic waste to biohydrogen via dark fermentation (DF) has multiple drawbacks and limitations. Technological difficulties of hydrogen fermentation may, in part, be eliminated by making DF a viable method for biohythane production. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is a little-known organic waste spurring a growing interest in the municipal sector; its characteristics indicate the feasibility of its use as a substrate for biohydrogen production. The major goal of the present study was to determine the effect of AGS pretreatment with solidified carbon dioxide (SCO2) on the yield of H2 (biohythane) production during anaerobic digestion (AD). It was found that an increasing dose of SCO2 caused an increase in concentrations of COD, N-NH4+, and P-PO43− in the supernatant at the SCO2/AGS volume ratios from 0 to 0.3. The AGS pretreatment at SCO2/AGS ratios within the range of 0.1–0.3 was shown to enable the production of biogas with over 8% H2 (biohythane) content. The highest yield of biohythane production, reaching 481 ± 23 cm3/gVS, was obtained at the SCO2/AGS ratio of 0.3. This variant produced 79.0 ± 6% CH4 and 8.9 ± 2% H2. The higher SCO2 doses applied caused a significant decrease in the pH value of AGS, modifying the anaerobic bacterial community to the extent that diminished anaerobic digestion performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate management is necessary to mitigate the environmental impacts of wastewater sludge. One lesser-known technology concerns the use of solidified CO2 for dewatering, sanitization, and digestion improvement. Solidified CO2 is a normal byproduct of natural gas treatment processes and can also be produced by dedicated biogas upgrading technologies. The way solidified CO2 is sourced is fully in line with the principles of the circular economy and carbon dioxide mitigation. The aim of this review is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the production and application of solid CO2 in the pretreatment and management of sewage sludge. Using solidified CO2 for sludge conditioning causes effective lysis of microbial cells, which destroys activated sludge flocs, promotes biomass fragmentation, facilitates efficient dispersion of molecular associations, modifies cell morphology, and denatures macromolecules. Solidified CO2 can be used as an attractive tool to sanitize and dewater sludge and as a pretreatment technology to improve methane digestion and fermentative hydrogen production. Furthermore, it can also be incorporated into a closed CO2 cycle of biogas production–biogas upgrading–solidified CO2 production–sludge disintegration–digestion–biogas production. This feature not only bolsters the technology's capacity to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of digestion processes, but can also help reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions, a crucial advantage in terms of environment protection. This new approach to solidified CO2 generation and application largely counteracts previous limitations, which are mainly related to the low cost-effectiveness of the production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic wastewater treatment is still a dynamically developing technology ensuring the effective degradation of organic compounds and biogas production. As evidenced in the large scale-up, this technological solution surpasses aerobic methods in many aspects. Its advantages stem from the feasibility of operation at a high organic load rate, the smaller production of difficult-to-manage sewage sludge, the smaller space and cubature required, and the high-methane biogas ultimately produced. The exploitation of anaerobic reactors is in line with the assumption of a circular economy, material recycling by reduced CO2 emissions and energy consumption, and the production of renewable energy. Despite their unquestionable advantages, there is still a need to seek novel approaches and improve the currently exploited installations. The key avenues of research entail improvements in the stability of bioreactor operations and the enhancement of bioreactor adaptability to changing and unfavorable process parameters. The versatility of such systems would also be greatly improved by increasing nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates. Attempts have been made to achieve these goals by setting up separate zones within bioreactors for the individual steps of methane fermentation, incorporating active fillings to promote nutrient removal, and introducing chemical and physical treatments. An interesting solution is also the use of microwave radiation to stimulate temperature conditions and induce non-thermal phenomena, such as enhancing the enzymatic activity of methanogenic microflora. Another prospective approach is to integrate digesters into microalgal biomass production systems. The aim of this review paper is to present the thus-far technological knowledge about anaerobic wastewater treatment, including standard solutions and innovative ones, the effectiveness of which has been corroborated in pilot-scale installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have brought significant evolution and changes in wastewater treatment systems. New solutions are sought to improve treatment efficiency, reduce investment/operational costs, and comply with the principles of circular economy and zero waste. Microbial granules can serve as an alternative to conventional technologies. Indeed, there has been fast-growing interest in methods harnessing aerobic (AGS) and anaerobic (AnGS) granular sludge as well as microbial-bacterial granules (MBGS), as evidenced by the number of studies on the subject and commercial installations developed. The present paper identifies the strengths and weaknesses of wastewater treatment systems based on granular sludge (GS) and their potential for energy production, with a particular focus on establishing the R&D activities required for further advance of these technologies. In particular, the impact of granules on bioenergy conversion, including bio-oil recovery efficiency and biomethane/biohydrogen yields, and bioelectrochemical systems must be assessed and optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal facilities can generate odors caused by substances such as fatty acids, organosulfur compounds, aldehydes, and inorganic gases, especially H2S. Identifying an effective and cost-efficient solution to the problem is a priority for communities in areas at risk of exposure to odors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) involving Fenton's reagents (Fe2+/H2O2, Fe3+/H2O2) on wastewater profiles and their capacity to reduce putrescibility, H2S emissions, and odor concentration in the air. The Fe2+/H2O2 system proved to be the most efficient in terms of inhibiting the process of redox conditions development, removing organic matter in the wastewater, inhibiting H2S formation, and reducing odor emissions. H2S generation in raw wastewater was triggered as early as on day 2 of anaerobic retention, with levels of 5.6 ppm to 64 ppm. After introduction of 0.1 g Fe2+/dm3 and 2.0 g H2O2/dm3, no H2S was detected in the gas for 8 days. The odor concentration (OC) of raw wastewater (2980 ± 110 oue/m3) was reduced by 96.3 ± 1.9% to a level of 100 ± 15 oue/m3. The Fe2+/H2O2 system maintained its oxidizing capacity up until day 7, with OC reduction by 96.0 ± 0.8% to a level of 120 ± 10 oue/m3. On day 10, the OC showed a marked increase to a level 1310 ± 140 oue/m3. The conducted research has proven that Fenton-based AOP systems are a technologically and commercially viable method of deodorization of sewage facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of excess aerobic granular sludge, related to its structure and chemical composition, limit the efficiency of anaerobic digestion. For this reason, pre-treatment methods and compositions with other organic substrates are used. In earlier work, no attempt was made to intensify the methane fermentation of the excess aerobic granular sludge by adding fatty waste materials. The aim of the research was to determine the effects of co-digestion of pre-hydrodynamically cavitated aerobic granular sludge with waste fats on the efficiency of methane fermentation under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The addition of waste fats improved the C/N ratio and increased its value to 19. Under mesophilic conditions, the highest effects were observed when the proportion of volatile solids from waste fats was 25%. The amount of biogas produced increased by 17.85% and CH4 by 19.85% compared to the control. The greatest effects were observed in thermophilic anaerobic digestion at 55 °C, where a 15% waste fat content in volatile solids was ensured. This resulted in the production of 1278.2 ± 40.2 mL/gVS biogas and 889.4 ± 29.7 mL/gVS CH4. The CH4 content of the biogas was 69.6 ± 1.3%. The increase in biogas and CH4 yield compared to pure aerobic granular sludge anaerobic digestion was 34.4% and 40.1%, respectively. An increase in the proportion of waste fats in the substrate had no significant effect on the efficiency of methane fermentation. Strong positive correlations (R2 > 0.9) were observed between biogas and CH4 production and the C/N ratio and VS concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of aerobic granular sludge is a promising and future-proof solution for wastewater treatment. The implementation of this technology requires the development of efficient and cost-effective methods for the management of excess sludge. The aim of the research was to evaluate the effects of hydrodynamic cavitation on the efficiency of aerobic granular sludge digestion. Respirometric measurements were performed at a temperature of 38 °C and an initial organic load of 5.0 gVS/L. The changes in the properties of the pretreated biomass, the kinetics of methane fermentation, the amount and composition of the biogas produced, and an energetic evaluation of the process were carried out. A significant influence of hydrodynamic cavitation on the transfer of organic compounds into the dissolved phase was demonstrated. The degree of solubilisation was 37% for COD and 42% and for TOC. The efficiency of CH4 production from the pretreated sludge reached a value of 496 ± 12 mL/gVS, which corresponds to an increase of 19.6% compared to the raw biomass. The influence of cavitation on the CH4 content of the biogas was not observed. Strong correlations were found between the efficiency of anaerobic digestion and the concentration of dissolved organic compounds and the hydrodynamic cavitation time used. The gross energy yield was closely correlated with the amount of CH4. The highest comparable values of 3.12 Wh/gTS to 3.18 Wh/gTS were found in the variants in which the hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) time was between 15 min and 50 min. The highest net energy production of 2890 kWh/MgTS was achieved after 15 min of pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing concentration of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere is causing a global environmental crisis, forcing significant reductions in emissions. Among the existing CO2 capture technologies, microalgae-guided sequestration is seen as one of the more promising and sustainable solutions. The present review article compares CO2 emissions in the EU with other global economies, and outlines EU's climate policy together with current and proposed EU climate regulations. Furthermore, it summarizes the current state of knowledge on controlled microalgal cultures, indicates the importance of CO2 phycoremediation methods, and assesses the importance of microalgae-based systems for long-term storage and utilization of CO2. It also outlines how far microalgae technologies within the EU have developed on the quantitative and technological levels, together with prospects for future development. The literature overview has shown that large-scale take-up of technological solutions for the production and use of microalgal biomass is hampered by economic, technological, and legal barriers. Unsuitable climate conditions are an additional impediment, forcing operators to implement technologies that maintain appropriate temperature and lighting conditions in photobioreactors, considerably driving up the associated investment and operational costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production and consumption of confectionery products have increased worldwide, thus, effective management of wastewater produced is now an important issue. The confectionery high-load sewage was explored for biogas production in an innovative-design anaerobic reactor with labyrinth flow. The experimental studies were focused on determining the best technological parameters of anaerobic digestion for the effective removal of pollutants and obtaining high CH4 production efficiency. It was found that organic loading rate (OLR) of 5.0–6.0 g COD/L·d contributed to the highest CH4 generation of 94.7 ± 6.1 to 97.1 ± 5.1 L CH4/d, which corresponded to a high COD removal of 75.4 ± 1.5 to 75.0 ± 0.6%. Under such conditions the FOS/TAC ratio was below 0.4, indicating reactor stability, and pH was on the level of 7.15 ± 0.04 at OLR 5.0 g COD/L·d and 7.04 ± 0.07 at OLR 6.0 g COD/L·d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgal biomass can be used to derive many different types of biofuels. In order to widely commercialize this technology, its limitations and weaknesses must be eliminated. Many technical and economic issues also need to be clarified and unknowns answered. Microalgae-based technologies have been shown to be versatile, efficient and suitable for practical and commercial use. However, the current technological readiness level (TRL) of most microalgae-based bioenergy production systems precludes their quick and widespread implementation. Their development is limited by a combination of factors that must be precisely identified, after which their negative impact on scale-up prospects can be eliminated or minimized. The present study identifies the main barriers to the development of industrial microalgae-production and microalgae-to-biofuel systems. In addition, it proposes measures and efforts necessary to achieve a higher TRL, which will provide investors with sought-after performance and cost-efficiency data for the given project. The main barriers to the development of microalgae cultivation and processing systems have been identified to include: the complex nature of the cultivation process with multiple variables involved; lack of sufficient data from pilot-scale and near-full-scale plants, which often precludes reliable life cycle assessment (LCA); and insufficient legal assistance, advisory assistance, subsidies and funding for innovative projects. Potential ways of improving performance and competitiveness of microalgae-based systems include: process optimization techniques, genetic engineering, yield improvement through advanced process control and monitoring, use of waste as feedstock and dedicated support programs. The presented summary of the current stage of microalgal biofuel production technology development indicates the directions for further research and implementation work, which are necessary for the final verification of the application potential of these solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth in dairy production leads to increasing outputs of high-load effluent, necessitating new methods of treating such waste. Anaerobic processes have been increasingly popular but are hamstrung by limited nutrient removal efficiency. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether low-cost recycled filling (LCRF) improves the anaerobic treatment of dairy effluent. The addition of LCRF was found to increase both COD removal (86.1 ± 2.6%–92.8 ± 1.6%) and Ptot. removal (22.1 ± 3.5% to 36.9 ± 4.6%) from the wastewater. The LCRF ensured near-neutral pH and stabilized the structure of the anaerobic microbe community (including Archaea) across all pollutant loads tested. This translated to efficient biogas production and high methane content in the LCRF reactors, peaking at 0.35 ± 0.01 m3/kg CODremoved and 68.2 ± 0.6% (respectively) in the best-performing variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae-based technologies have huge potential for application in the environment sector and the bio-energy industry. However, their cost-efficiency has to be improved by drawing on design and operation data for large-scale installations. This paper presents a technical concept of an installation for large-scale microalgae culture on digestate liquor, and the results of a pilot-scale study to test its performance. The quality of non-treated digestate has been shown to be insufficient for direct use as a growth medium due to excess suspended solids, turbidity, and organic matter content, which need to be reduced. To that end, this paper proposes a system based on mechanical separation, flotation, and pre-treatment on a biofilter. The culture medium fed into photobioreactors had the following parameters after the processing: COD—340 mgO2/dm3, BOD5—100 mgO2/dm3, TN—900 mg/dm3, and TP—70 mg/dm3. The installation can produce approx. 720 kgVS/day of microalgal biomass. A membrane unit and a thickening centrifuge (thickener) were incorporated into the design to separate and dehydrate the microalgal biomass, respectively. The total energy consumption approximated 1870 kWh/day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MF module was hydraulically most efficient when treating liquid fraction of digestate. • Biomass yield was the highest when microalgae grew on MF at 0.4 MPa permeate. • High pH of UF permeate reduced microalgae growth by 50% • UF permeate for Chlorella vulgaris cultivation was the most efficient at 0.2 MPa. • Low nutrient content in two-stage filtration permeates inhibited microalgae growth. To make microalgae cultivation economically feasible, different waste streams that may serve as cultivation media are being searched for. The aim of this study was membrane filtration of the liquid fraction of digestate (LFD) to produce permeate that will be an effective medium for the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris. Microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) with ceramic membranes were used in one- and two-stage systems at transmembrane pressures (TMP) of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 MPa. The hydraulic capacities of the membrane modules allowed MF at 0.2 MPa to be selected as the most feasible variant of the one-stage variants. The use of MF permeates for microalgae cultivation resulted in the highest biomass yield, due to optimum pH (about 8.8), low color, and high nutrient concentration (about 290 mg/dm3 of ammonium and about 22 mg/dm3 of orthophosphates). The high pH (about 9.7) of the UF permeates, which increased the concentration of free ammonia, reduced microalgae growth by 50% compared to the growth noted with the MF permeates. Due to the low nutrient concentration, the use of permeates from the two-stage systems resulted in microalgae growth more than two times lower than the use of MF permeates. Mathematical modeling indicated that the component of the cultivation medium that most significantly affected microalgae growth was the initial ammonium concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate the potential of microalgal cultivation on anaerobic liquid digestate as a growth medium. The two methods of liquid digestate treatment including centrifugation and distillation and the two algal strains (Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis) were compared. Additionally, the volume of the liquid digestate used to prepare the culture medium constituted from 10 to 50% of the medium volume. The study demonstrated that the highest C. vulgaris and A. platensis biomass productions of 2490 mg TS/L and 2990 mg/L, respectively, were obtained by adding 50% of distilled digestate to a growth medium. Regarding centrifuged liquid digestate, only 10% dilution was required to obtain the maximum final biomass concentration. A. platensis removed 81.1% and 66.4% of the total nitrogen from medium prepared on distilled and centrifuged digestate, respectively, while C. vulgaris ensured 64.1% and 47.1% of removal, respectively. The phosphorus removal from both culture media was higher than 94.2% with A. platensis, while it was 70.4% from distilled and 87.4% from centrifuged media with C. vulgaris. The study confirmed a great potential of microalgal biomass production on anaerobic liquid digestate with a high treatment efficiency of digestate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is an environmentally friendly biofuel which, if widely used, could reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. The main barrier to the widespread use of hydrogen for power generation is the lack of technologically feasible and—more importantly—cost-effective methods of production and storage. So far, hydrogen has been produced using thermochemical methods (such as gasification, pyrolysis or water electrolysis) and biological methods (most of which involve anaerobic digestion and photofermentation), with conventional fuels, waste or dedicated crop biomass used as a feedstock. Microalgae possess very high photosynthetic efficiency, can rapidly build biomass, and possess other beneficial properties, which is why they are considered to be one of the strongest contenders among biohydrogen production technologies. This review gives an account of present knowledge on microalgal hydrogen production and compares it with the other available biofuel production technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The priority faced by energy systems in road transport is to develop and implement clean technologies. These actions are expected to reduce emissions and slow down climate changes. An alternative in this case may be the use of biodiesel produced from microalgae. However, its production and use need to be justified economically and technologically. The main objective of this study was to determine the emissions from an engine powered by biodiesel produced from the bio-oil of Chlorella protothecoides cultured with different methods, i.e., using a pure chemical medium (BD-ABM) and a medium based on the effluents from an anaerobic reactor (BD-AAR). The results obtained were compared to the emissions from engines powered by conventional biodiesel from rapeseed oil (BD-R) and diesel from crude oil (D-CO). The use of effluents as a medium in Chlorella protothecoides culture had no significant effect on the properties of bio-oil nor the composition of FAME. In both cases, octadecatrienoic acid proved to be the major FAME (50% wt/wt), followed by oleic acid (ca. 22%) and octadecadienoic acid (over 15%). The effluents from UASB were found to significantly reduce the biomass growth rate and lipid content of the biomass. The CO2 emissions were comparable for all fuels tested and increased linearly along with an increasing engine load. The use of microalgae biodiesel resulted in a significantly lower CO emission compared to the rapeseed biofuel and contributed to lower NOx emission. Regardless of engine load tested, the HC emission was the highest in the engine powered by diesel. At low engine loads, it was significantly lower when the engine was powered by microalgae biodiesel than by rapeseed biodiesel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae-mediated CO2 sequestration has been a subject of numerous research works and has become one of the most promising strategies to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. However, feeding flue and exhaust gas into algae-based systems has been shown to destroy chloroplasts, as well as disrupt photosynthesis and other metabolic processes in microalgae, which directly limits CO2 uptake. CO2 biosequestration in existing photobioreactors (PBRs) is also limited by the low biomass concentration in the growth medium. Therefore, there is a real need to seek alternative solutions that would be competitive in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness. The present paper reports the results of experiments aimed to develop an innovative trickle bed reactor that uses immobilized algae to capture CO2 from flue and exhaust gas (IMC-CO2PBR). In the experiment, ambient air enriched with technical-grade CO2 to a CO2 concentration of 25% v/v was used. The microalgae immobilization technology employed in the experiment produced biomass yields approximating 100 g DM/dm3. A relationship was found between CO2 removal rates and gas volume flux: almost 40% of CO2 was removed at a feed of 25 dm3 of gas per hour, whereas in the 200 dm3/h group, the removal efficiency amounted to 5.9%. The work includes a determination of basic process parameters, presentation of a developed functional model and optimized lighting system, proposals for components to be used in the system, and recommendations for an automation and control system for a full-scale implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]