Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green Microalga
Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms and are considered excellent candidates for a wide range of biotechnological applications, including the removal of nutrients from urban wastewaters, which they can recover and convert into biomass. Microalgae-based systems can be integrated into conventi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/12/1802 |
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| author | Costanza Baldisserotto Sara Demaria Ornella Accoto Roberta Marchesini Marcello Zanella Linda Benetti Francesco Avolio Michele Maglie Lorenzo Ferroni Simonetta Pancaldi |
| author_facet | Costanza Baldisserotto Sara Demaria Ornella Accoto Roberta Marchesini Marcello Zanella Linda Benetti Francesco Avolio Michele Maglie Lorenzo Ferroni Simonetta Pancaldi |
| author_sort | Costanza Baldisserotto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms and are considered excellent candidates for a wide range of biotechnological applications, including the removal of nutrients from urban wastewaters, which they can recover and convert into biomass. Microalgae-based systems can be integrated into conventional urban wastewater treatment plants (WW-TP) to improve the water depuration process. However, microalgal strain selection represents a crucial step for effective phytoremediation. In this work, a microalga isolated from the effluent derived from the thickening stage of waste sludge of an urban WW-TP was selected and tested to highlight its potential for nutrient removal. Ammonium and phosphate abatements by microalgae were evaluated using both the effluent and a synthetic medium in a comparative approach. Parallelly, the isolate was characterized in terms of growth capability, morphology, photosynthetic pigment content and photosystem II maximum quantum yield. The isolated microalga showed surprisingly high biomass yield and removal efficiency of both ammonium and phosphate ions from the effluent but not from the synthetic medium. This suggests its clear preference to grow in the effluent, linked to the overall characteristics of this matrix. Moreover, biomass from microalgae cultivated in wastewater was enriched in photosynthetic pigments, polyphosphates, proteins and starch, but not lipids, suggesting its possible use as a biofertilizer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:56:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-526df01dc7cc44deb02331e9e77bc8f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:56:05Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-526df01dc7cc44deb02331e9e77bc8f42023-11-21T01:34:55ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472020-12-01912180210.3390/plants9121802Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green MicroalgaCostanza Baldisserotto0Sara Demaria1Ornella Accoto2Roberta Marchesini3Marcello Zanella4Linda Benetti5Francesco Avolio6Michele Maglie7Lorenzo Ferroni8Simonetta Pancaldi9Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I d’Este, 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I d’Este, 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I d’Este, 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I d’Este, 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyHERA SpA—Direzione Acqua, Via C. Diana, 40, Cassana, 44044 Ferrara, ItalyHERA SpA—Direzione Acqua, Via C. Diana, 40, Cassana, 44044 Ferrara, ItalyHERA SpA—Direzione Acqua, Via C. Diana, 40, Cassana, 44044 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I d’Este, 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I d’Este, 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, C.so Ercole I d’Este, 32, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyMicroalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms and are considered excellent candidates for a wide range of biotechnological applications, including the removal of nutrients from urban wastewaters, which they can recover and convert into biomass. Microalgae-based systems can be integrated into conventional urban wastewater treatment plants (WW-TP) to improve the water depuration process. However, microalgal strain selection represents a crucial step for effective phytoremediation. In this work, a microalga isolated from the effluent derived from the thickening stage of waste sludge of an urban WW-TP was selected and tested to highlight its potential for nutrient removal. Ammonium and phosphate abatements by microalgae were evaluated using both the effluent and a synthetic medium in a comparative approach. Parallelly, the isolate was characterized in terms of growth capability, morphology, photosynthetic pigment content and photosystem II maximum quantum yield. The isolated microalga showed surprisingly high biomass yield and removal efficiency of both ammonium and phosphate ions from the effluent but not from the synthetic medium. This suggests its clear preference to grow in the effluent, linked to the overall characteristics of this matrix. Moreover, biomass from microalgae cultivated in wastewater was enriched in photosynthetic pigments, polyphosphates, proteins and starch, but not lipids, suggesting its possible use as a biofertilizer.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/12/1802nutrient removalnitrogenphosphorusurban wastewatersautochthonous microalgae |
| spellingShingle | Costanza Baldisserotto Sara Demaria Ornella Accoto Roberta Marchesini Marcello Zanella Linda Benetti Francesco Avolio Michele Maglie Lorenzo Ferroni Simonetta Pancaldi Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green Microalga Plants nutrient removal nitrogen phosphorus urban wastewaters autochthonous microalgae |
| title | Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green Microalga |
| title_full | Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green Microalga |
| title_fullStr | Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green Microalga |
| title_full_unstemmed | Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green Microalga |
| title_short | Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Thickening Effluent of an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant by an Isolated Green Microalga |
| title_sort | removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from thickening effluent of an urban wastewater treatment plant by an isolated green microalga |
| topic | nutrient removal nitrogen phosphorus urban wastewaters autochthonous microalgae |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/12/1802 |
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