Development and Applications of Attached Growth System for Microalgae Biomass Production
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Development and Applications of Attached Growth System for Microalgae Biomass Production Gulab Singh 1
&
S. K. Patidar 1
Received: 30 June 2020 / Accepted: 16 September 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract With realizing the potential of algal biomass as a good natural resource for the harnessing of valuable bioproducts, algal biomass production has gained a lot of interest in recent years. However, due to some limitations such as low harvesting efficiency, higher nutrient supply, and high water requirement, the production of algal biomass is uneconomical. Over the past several years, researchers are continuously working on growing algae as a biofilm for easy microalgae harvesting, concentration of algal biomass to a great extent, and requiring less quantity of water as compared to other microalgae cultivation methods. Most of the documented studies have been carried out on either use of algal biomass for tertiary treatment of wastewater or cultivation and harvesting of algal biomass for biofuel production. Limited research studies have documented other applications of the algal biofilm system. The present review paper summarizes the current knowledge on various factors affecting microalgae growth, development of algal biofilm, and operation of algal biofilm systems to help properly understand and optimize these factors for better economics, more positive environmental impacts, and successful potential applications of the attached growth systems. The important factors include the structure of algal biofilms, EPS matrix, supporting materials, nutrient availability, environmental conditions, and biofilm thickness and harvesting frequency. The potential applications such as wastewater treatment, CO2 sequestration, microalgae–microbial fuel cell, large-scale biomass production, and water quality improvement are also discussed. Keywords Algal biofilm . Microalgae harvesting . Microalgae cultivation . Biofuel . CO2 sequestration . Large-scale biomass production
Introduction Algae are the photosynthetic microorganisms that require nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous and the presence of light energy source for growth and reproduction. The water bodies rich in nitrogen and phosphorous stimulate the growth of algae that may cause taste, odor, turbidity, and clogging of filters in drinking water treatment plant. Some algae species produce toxins during their growth, and even after their death, dead cell decompositions release toxins and nutrients in water [1]. Thus, the presence of the algal and the nutrients in the water body adversely affect water quality and beneficial uses
* Gulab Singh [email protected] S. K. Patidar [email protected] 1
Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India
of surface water sources. Researchers are continuously working on developing techniques for removing nutrients and the microalgae from the surface water bodies. Traditional methods like ion exchange and adsorptions are neithe
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