Responses of microalgae under different physiological phases to struvite as a buffering nutrient source for biomass and lipid production.

Microalgae cultivation for biodiesel production is promising, but the high demand for nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, remains a limiting factor. This study investigated effects of struvite, a low-cost nutrient source, on microalgae production under different physiological phases. Changes in element concentrations were determined to characterize the controllable nutrient release properties of struvite. Results showed that nutrient elements could be effectively supplemented by struvite. However, responses of microalgae under different growth stages to struvite varied obviously, achieving the highest biomass (0.53 g/L) and the lowest (0.32 g/L). Moreover, the microalgal lipid production was obviously increased by adding struvite during the growth phase, providing the first evidence that struvite could serve as an alternative buffering nutrient source to culture microalgae. The integration of microalgae cultivation with struvite as a buffering nutrient source provides a novel strategy for high ammonia nitrogen wastewater treatment with microalgae for biodiesel production.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)