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Enhancement of Lipid Production of Chlorella Pyrenoidosa Cultivated in Municipal Wastewater by Magnetic Treatment

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Abstract

Despite the significant breakthroughs in research on microalgae as a feedstock for biodiesel, its production cost is still much higher than that of fossil diesel. One possible solution to overcome this problem is to optimize algal growth and lipid production in wastewater. The present study examines the feasibility of using magnetic treatment for enhancement of algal lipid production and wastewater treatment in outdoor-cultivated Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Results confirmed that magnetic treatment significantly enhances biomass and lipid productivity of C. pyrenoidosa by 12 and 10 %, respectively. Application of magnetic field in a semi-continuous culture resulted in highly treated wastewater with total nitrogen maintained under 15 mg L−1, ammonia nitrogen below 5 mg L−1, total phosphorus less than 0.5 mg L−1, and CODCr less than 50 mg L−1. In addition, magnetic treatment resulted in a decrease of wastewater turbidity, an increase of bacterial numbers, and an increase of active oxygen in wastewater which might be attributed to the enhancement of growth and lipid production of C. pyrenoidosa.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support from Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation projects (project number JCYJ20150529114024234) is highly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School, 518055, Shenzhen, China

    Songfang Han, Wenbiao Jin, Yangguang Chen, Renjie Tu & Abd El-Fatah Abomohra

  2. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, 31527, Tanta, Egypt

    Abd El-Fatah Abomohra

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  1. Songfang Han
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  2. Wenbiao Jin
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Correspondence to Wenbiao Jin.

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Han, S., Jin, W., Chen, Y. et al. Enhancement of Lipid Production of Chlorella Pyrenoidosa Cultivated in Municipal Wastewater by Magnetic Treatment. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 180, 1043–1055 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-016-2151-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-016-2151-3

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