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This study achieves a better operational simplicity for the phycoremediation of reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate using Scenedesmus quadricauda microalgae. Under continuous illumination with CO 2 supplementation, algal growth in the RO concentrate resulted in a conversion of polymeric organic matter (a mixture of humic substances and polysaccharides) to biodegradable fractions and their prompt removal along with inorganic nutrients (NO 3 - and PO 4 3- ). The algal-induced degradation of humic-like substances which are typically refractory to microbial decomposition was demonstrated in an indirect manner. In this study, we also investigated the effects of algal treatment on the growth of Escherichia coli and removal of trace organic compounds (TOrCs) from the RO concentrate. Our results indicate that algal treatment of the RO concentrate using aeration with 10% (v/v) CO 2 under continuous illumination is highly feasible as a safe and inexpensive technology to remove non- or slowly-biodegradable organic matter, reduce enteric bacteria, and attenuate TOrCs in wastewater. However, the results should not be generalized, but critically discussed, due to limitations of using the synthetic RO concentrate in evaluating the performance of wastewater remediation with microalgae., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microalgae cultivation is a promising technology for integrated effluent polishing and biofuel production, but poor separability of microalgal cells hinders its industrial application. This study intended to selectively enrich settleable microalgal consortia in mixed culture by applying "wash-out" pressure, which was realized by controlling settling time (S T ) and volume exchange ratio (VER) in photo-SBRs. The results demonstrated that highly settleable microalgal consortia (settling efficiency>97%; SVI = 17-50 mL/g) could be enriched from indigenous algal cultures developed in WWTP's effluent. High VER was the key factor for the fast development of settleable microalgae. VER was also a controlling factor of the algal community structure. High VERs (0.5 and 0.7) resulted in the dominance of diatom, while low VER (0.2) facilitated the dominance of cyanobacteria. The settleable microalgal consortia were very efficient in phosphorus removal (effluent PO 4 3- -P<0.1 mg/L; removal efficiency>99%), which was largely attributed to intensive chemical precipitation of phosphate induced by high pH (8.5-10). However, the high pH decreased the bioavailable inorganic carbon, resulting in incomplete nitrate removal (effluent NO 3 - -N = 2.2-4 mg/L; removal efficiency = 61-79%) under high VERs and low lipid content (up to 10%) in the settleable microalgae. This problem could be resolved by sparging CO 2 or controlling pH. Overall, this study demonstrated a simple and effective method to overcome the separation challenge in scale-up of microalgae biotechnology for advanced wastewater purification and biofuel production., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

While reverse osmosis (RO) is a promising technology for wastewater reclamation, RO concentrate (ROC) treatment and disposal are important issues to consider. Conventional chemical and physical treatment methods for ROC present certain limitations, such as relatively low nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies as well as the requirement of an extra process for hardness removal. This study proposes a novel biological approach for simultaneous removal of nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium (Ca(2+)) and magnesium (Mg(2+)) ions from the ROC of municipal wastewater treatment plants by microalgal cultivation and algal biomass production. Two microalgae strains, Chlorella sp. ZTY4 and Scenedesmus sp. LX1, were used for batch cultivation of 14-16 days. Both strains grew well in ROC with average biomass production of 318.7 mg/L and lipid contents up to 30.6%, and nitrogen and phosphorus could be effectively removed with efficiencies of up to 89.8% and 92.7%, respectively. Approximately 55.9%-83.7% Ca(2+) could be removed from the system using the cultured strains. Mg(2+) removal began when Ca(2+) precipitation ceased, and the removal efficiency of the ion could reach up to 56.0%. The most decisive factor influencing Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) removal was chemical precipitation with increases in pH caused by algal growth. The results of this study provide a new biological approach for removing nitrogen, phosphorous, and hardness from ROC. The results suggest that microalgal cultivation presents new opportunities for applying an algal process to ROC treatment. The proposed approach serves dual purposes of nutrient and hardness reduction and production of lipid rich micro-algal biomass., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we integrated physicochemical and biological strategies for the robust treatment of piggery effluent in which high levels of organic constituents, inorganic nutrients, color, and salts remained. Piggery effluent that was stabilized in an anaerobic digester was sequentially coagulated, micro-filtered, and air-stripped prior to biological treatment with mixotrophic algal species that showed tolerance to high salinity (up to 4.8% as Cl(-)). The algae treatment was conducted with continuous O2 supplementation instead of using the combination of high lighting and CO2 injection. The microalga Scenedesmus quadricauda employed as a bio-agent was capable of assimilating both nitrogen (222 mg N g cell(-1) d(-1)) and phosphorus (9.3 mg P g cell(-1) d(-1)) and utilizing dissolved organics (2053 mg COD g cell(-1) d(-1)) as a carbon source in a single treatment process under the heterotrophic growth conditions. The heterotrophic growth of S. quadricauda proceeded rapidly by directly incorporating organic substrate in the oxidative assimilation process, which coincided with the high productivity of algal biomass, accounting for 2.4 g cell L(-1) d(-1). The algae-treated wastewater was subsequently ozonated to comply with discharge permits that limit color in the effluent, which also resulted in improved biodegradability of residual organics. The integrated treatment scheme proposed in this study also achieved 89% removal of COD, 88% removal of TN, and 60% removal of TP. The advantage of using the hybrid configuration suggests that this would be a promising strategy in full-scale treatment facilities for piggery effluent., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Moringa oleifera seed extract was tested for algae (Chlorella, Microcystis, Oocystis and Scenedesmus) removal by Jar-test technique. This coagulant can be used in drinking water treatment. Jar-test has been carried out in order to evaluate the efficiency of this natural coagulant agent inside real surface water matrix. The influence of variables has been studied in this process, including operating parameters such as coagulant dosage, initial algae concentration, pH, agitation time and water matrix. Removal capacity is verified for water with high contamination of algae while the process is not affected by the pH and water matrix. Coagulation process may be modelling through Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption hypothesis, so acceptable r2 coefficients are obtained., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Algal-bacterial symbiotic system, with biological synergism of physiological functions of both algae and bacteria, has been proposed for cultivation of microalgae in municipal wastewater for biomass production and wastewater treatment. The algal-bacterial symbiotic system can enhance dissolved oxygen production which enhances bacterial growth and catabolism of pollutants in wastewater. Therefore, the oxygen production efficiency of microalgae in algal-bacterial systems is considered as the key factor influencing the wastewater treatment efficiency. In the present study, we have proposed a novel approach which uses static magnetic field to enhance algal growth and oxygen production rate with low operational cost and non-toxic secondary pollution. The performance of oxygen production with the magnetic field was evaluated using Scenedesmus obliquus grown in municipal wastewater and was calculated based on the change in dissolved oxygen concentration. Results indicated that magnetic treatment stimulates both algal growth and oxygen production. Application of 1000 GS of magnetic field once at logarithmic growth phase for 0.5 h increased the chlorophyll-a content by 11.5% over the control after 6 days of growth. In addition, magnetization enhanced the oxygen production rate by 24.6% over the control. Results of the study confirmed that application of a proper magnetic field could reduce the energy consumption required for aeration during the degradation of organic matter in municipal wastewater in algal-bacterial symbiotic systems., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

During anaerobic digestion, nutrients are mineralized and may require post-treatment for optimum valorization. The cultivation of autotrophic microalgae using the digestate supernatant is a promising solution; however the dark color of the influent poses a serious problem. First, the color of the digestates was studied and the results obtained using three different digestates demonstrated a strong heterogeneity although their color remained rather constant over time. The digestates absorbed light over the whole visible spectrum and remained colored even after a ten-fold dilution. Secondly, the impact of light and of substrate color on the growth of Scenedesmus sp. and on nitrogen removal were assessed. These experiments led to the construction of a model for predicting the impact of influent color and light intensity on N removal. Maximum N removal (8.5 mgN- [Formula: see text]  L(-1) d(-1)) was observed with an initial optical density of 0.221 and 244 μmolE m(-)² s(-1) light and the model allows to determine N removal between 15.9 and 22.7 mgN- [Formula: see text]  L(-1) d(-1) in real conditions according to the dilution level of the influent and related color. Changes in the microalgae community were monitored and revealed the advantage of Chlorella over Scenedesmus under light-limitation. Additionally microalgae outcompeted nitrifying bacteria and experiments showed how microalgae become better competitors for nutrients when phosphorus is limiting. Furthermore, nitrification was limited by microalgae growth, even when P was not limiting., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) is a well-known coagulation-flotation system applied at large scale for microalgae harvesting. Compared to conventional harvesting technologies DAF allows high cell recovery at lower energy demand. By replacing microbubbles with microspheres, the innovative Ballasted Dissolved Air Flotation (BDAF) technique has been reported to achieve the same algae cell removal efficiency, while saving up to 80% of the energy required for the conventional DAF unit. Using three different algae cultures (Scenedesmus obliquus, Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira maxima), the present work investigated the practical, economic and environmental advantages of the BDAF system compared to the DAF system. 99% cells separation was achieved with both systems, nevertheless, the BDAF technology allowed up to 95% coagulant reduction depending on the algae species and the pH conditions adopted. In terms of floc structure and strength, the inclusion of microspheres in the algae floc generated a looser aggregate, showing a more compact structure within single cell alga, than large and filamentous cells. Overall, BDAF appeared to be a more reliable and sustainable harvesting system than DAF, as it allowed equal cells recovery reducing energy inputs, coagulant demand and carbon emissions., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Scenedesmus obliquus, Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella kessleri and a natural Bloom were cultivated in batch experiments, under controlled conditions, in urban wastewater (WW) and synthetic wastewater (SW) under 5% CO2 in air, with the object of estimating their capacity for nutrient removal, carbon dioxide biofixation, and generation of valuable biomass. In both culture media, the Bloom (Bl) and Scenedesmus (Sc) showed higher final biomass concentration (dried weight, dw) than the other species; the maximum yield obtained was 1950 ± 243 mg L(-1) for Bl and the minimum 821 ± 88 mg L(-1) for Cv, both in synthetic wastewater. Maximum specific growth rate values do not show significant differences between any of the 4 strains tested (p ≤ 0.05), nor between the 2 culture media. A new homogeneous method of calculating productivities has been proposed. Nitrogen removal in all the reactors was higher than 90%, except for BlSW (79%), and for phosphorus, the removal was higher than 98% in all trials. Maximum CO2 consumption rates reached were 424.4 and 436.7 mg L(-1) d(-1) for ScSW and ScWW respectively., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

It has previously been shown that recycling gravity harvested algae promotes Pediastrum boryanum dominance and improves harvestability and biomass production in pilot-scale High Rate Algal Ponds (HRAPs) treating domestic wastewater. In order to confirm the reproducibility of these findings and investigate the mechanisms responsible, this study utilized twelve 20 L outdoor HRAP mesocosms operated with and without algal recycling. It then compared the recycling of separated solid and liquid components of the harvested biomass against un-separated biomass. The work confirmed that algal recycling promoted P. boryanum dominance, improved 1 h-settleability by >20% and increased biomass productivity by >25% compared with controls that had no recycling. With regard to the improved harvestability, of particular interest was that recycling the liquid fraction alone caused a similar improvement in settleability as recycling the solid fraction. This may be due to the presence of extracellular polymeric substances in the liquid fraction. While there are many possible mechanisms that could account for the increased productivity with algal recycling, all but two were systematically eliminated: (i) the mean cell residence time was extended thereby increasing the algal concentration and more fully utilizing the incident sunlight and, (ii) the relative proportions of algal growth stages (which have different specific growth rates) was changed, resulting in a net increase in the overall growth rate of the culture., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Olive milling produces huge amounts of wastewater (OMWW) characterized by an extremely high organic load. Its polyphenols content is a hindrance to conventional biological treatment and to using it as growing medium for common microbial biomasses. The practice to dump it on soil is in conflict with the latest EU directives about waste management. OMWW can be effectively and efficiently treated by means of membrane technology to a fraction of the initial volume, but membrane processing concentrates still require treatment. Reversing the overall cost balance of membrane processing and subsequent treatment requires valorizing the concentrates through their reuse, as well as ensuring long-term service of the membrane system through effective wastewater pretreatment and sustainable, fouling-controlling, membrane operation conduite. Aim of this work is to reuse and valorize the ultra- and nanofiltration membrane concentrates as media for biomass production of microalgae and cyanobacteria. Scenedesmus dimorphus and Arthrospira platensis, usable as a food, feed, nutraceutical component or feedstock for biofuels, were selected for this investigation. Microalgal growth was experimentally determined and related to the composition of the concentrate-based media and to the irradiance distribution within the photobioreactor volume to decouple light limitation and medium chemical composition effects., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the present study, the toxicity and bioaccumulation kinetics of arsenate in two green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Scenedesmus obliquus under phosphate-enriched (+P) and limited (-P) conditions were investigated. P-limitation was found to aggravate arsenate toxicity and S. obliquus was more tolerant than C. reinhardtii. Such phosphate-condition-dependent or algal-species-specific toxicity difference was narrowed when the relative inhibition of cell growth was plotted against intracellular arsenate content instead of its extracellular concentration. The discrepance was further reduced when the intracellular ratio of arsenic to phosphorus was applied. It suggests that both arsenate bioaccumulation and intracellular phosphorus played an important role in arsenate toxicity. On the other hand, arsenate uptake was induced by P-limitation and its variation with ambient arsenate concentration could be well fitted to the Michaelis-Menten model. Arsenate transporters of S. obliquus were found to have a higher affinity but lower capacity than those of C. reinhardtii, which explains its better regulation of arsenate accumulation than the latter species in the toxicity experiment. Further, arsenate depuration was facilitated and more was transformed to arsenite in C. reinhardtii or under -P condition. Intracellular proportion of arsenite was also increased after the algae were transferred from the long-term uptake media to a relatively clean solution in the efflux experiment. Both phenomena imply that algae especially the sensitive species could make physiological adjustments to alleviate the adverse effects of arsenate. Overall, our findings will facilitate the application of algae in arsenate remediation., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The current paper investigates the role of barley straw conditioning on inhibiting the alga Scenedesmus. Fresh, pre-rotted and white rot fungi (WRF) augmented straw was tested in a series of chemostat experiments over 15 weeks. All three systems were effective at inhibiting the alga with differences observed in the lag time before inhibition occurred and the rate of alga decline. Lag times of 8, 4 and 1 week(s) were recorded for the fresh, rotted and fungi-treated straws, respectively, with a maximum inhibition rate of >7x10(4) cellsweek(-1) observed for the fungi pre-treated system. Overall, the results indicate that pre-treatment is a viable method to enable barley straw to be used in a more reactive manner. Explanation is postulated that during pre-treatment no alternative sources of nitrogen are available, thereby leading to greater bacterial decomposition of straw lignin to release inhibitory substances. The principle of utilising an engineered pre-treatment by inoculating barley straw with WRF to enhance the impact of the straw on algal inhibition has been clearly demonstrated. Further work is required to understand how the straw pre-treatment stage can be reduced to minimise its duration while maximising the inhibitory effect of adding barley straw., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper aims at the characterization of algogenic organic matter (AOM) produced by the cyanobacteria Anabaena flos-aqua and Microcystis aeruginosa and the green algae Scenedesmus quadricauda. Further, it is focused on the description of differences in the composition of extracellular organic matter (EOM) and intracellular organic matter (IOM), and on the demonstration of AOM affinity to aluminum and iron coagulants. The results from the conducted analyses imply a significant difference in the amount and properties of the proteins contained in EOM in comparison to IOM. The differences in the production of proteins also depend on the species of microorganism observed and its growth phase; ageing of the culture is accompanied by a gradual increase of the portion of proteins forming AOM. Using affinity chromatography (AC), the proteins with relative molecular weight around 60 kDa were isolated as a component of AOM of cyanobacteria A. flos-aqua and M. aeruginosa. These proteins are able to form complex compounds with iron and aluminum.