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Cyanobacteria are microorganisms that grow rapidly in an aquatic medium, showing the capacity of accumulations of biocompounds subsequently converted into value-added biocompounds. The cyanobacterium Spirulina maxima can produce pigments besides accumulating significant amounts of carbohydrates and proteins. An alternative to reducing biomass production costs at an industrial scale is the use of landfill leachate in the growing medium, as well as the mitigation of this pollutant. The objective of this work was to cultivate Spirulina maxima in a medium supplemented with leachate, using the design of experiments to evaluate the effects of leachate concentration (% v/v), light source, and light intensity in an airlift photobioreactor, analyzing them as a response to the productivity of biomass, phycocyanin, carbohydrates, and biochar. The highest values of productivity (mg L−1d−1) were 97.44 ± 3.20, 12.82 ± 0.38, 6.19 ± 1.54, and 34.79 ± 3.62 for biomass, carbohydrates, phycocyanin, and biochar, respectively, adjusted for experiment 2 with the factors of leachate concentration (5.0% v/v), light source (tubular LED), and luminosity (54 µmol m−2 s−1), respectively. The use of leachate as a substitute for macronutrients in Zarrouk's medium for the cultivation of Spirulina maxima is a viable alternative in the production of biocompounds as long as it is used at an appropriate level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of microalgae cultures to process effluents from industries, leachates, and tanneries, among others, quantified by the reduction of metallic materials in the medium and the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD), helps reduce the environmental impact caused by human development. In addition, with the growth of the culture, it is possible to produce a significant amount of chlorophyll, a carotenoid of high value in the cosmetics and food industries that are used as a natural pigment. In this context, this work presents a study conducted to verify the bioremediation and chlorophyll production potential of the cultivation of the microalgae Chlorella minutíssima, using the Taguchi method. The microalgae Chlorella minutissima has given good results in the bioremediation of leachate, as a mean reduction of 33% in COD was obtained, as well as a 92% reduction in the toxic components. In addition, statistical analysis revealed that the four process factors were significant factors for chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid productivity (p < 0.05). Finally, it was observed that the maximum chlorophyll a (111.9 ± 0.8 mg·L-1·d-1), chlorophyll b (66.1 ± 1.7 mg·L-1·d-1), and carotenoid (31.9 ± 0.03 mg·L-1·d-1) values obtained occurred in Experiment 8, which is closer to the ideal conditions identified by statistical analysis, revealing the effectiveness of the use of the Taguchi method for the design of experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]