Simultaneous microalgal biomass production and CO2 fixation by cultivating Chlorella sp GD with aquaculture wastewater and boiler flue gas

Abstract

A microalgal strain, Chlorella sp. GD, cultivated in aquaculture wastewater (AW) aerated with boiler flue gas, was investigated. When AW from a grouper fish farm was supplemented with additional nutrients, the microalgal biomass productivity after 7 days of culture was 0.794 g L-1 d(-1). CO2 fixation efficiencies of the microalgal strains aerated with 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 vvm of boiler flue gas (containing approximately 8% CO2) were 53, 51, 38, and 30%, respectively. When the microalgal strain was cultured with boiler flue gas in nutrient-added AW, biomass productivity increased to 0.892 g L-1 d(-1). In semi-continuous cultures, average biomass productivities of the microalgal strain in 2-day, 3-day, and 4-day replacement cultures were 1.296, 0.985, and 0.944 g L-1 d(-1), respectively. These results demonstrate the potential of using Chlorella sp. GD cultivations in AW aerated with boiler flue gas for reusing water resources, reducing CO2 emission, and producing microalgal biomass. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.