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The treatment of different types of wastewater by physicochemical or biological (non-microalgal) methods could often be either inefficient or energy-intensive. Microalgae are ubiquitous microscopic organisms, which thrive in water bodies that contain the necessary nutrients. Wastewaters are typically contaminated with nitrogen, phosphorus, and other trace elements, which microalgae require for their cell growth. In addition, most of the microalgae are photosynthetic in nature, and these organisms do not require an organic source for their proliferation, although some strains could utilize organics both in the presence and absence of light. Therefore, microalgal bioremediation could be integrated with existing treatment methods or adopted as the single biological method for efficiently treating wastewater. This review paper summarized the mechanisms of pollutants removal by microalgae, microalgal bioremediation potential of different types of wastewaters, the potential application of wastewater-grown microalgal biomass, existing challenges, and the future direction of microalgal application in wastewater treatment.
Hareb Al-Jabri; Probir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Mahmoud Thaher; Mohammed Abdulquadir. Treatment of Wastewaters by Microalgae and the Potential Applications of the Produced Biomass—A Review. Water 2020, 13, 27 .
AMA StyleHareb Al-Jabri, Probir Das, Shoyeb Khan, Mahmoud Thaher, Mohammed Abdulquadir. Treatment of Wastewaters by Microalgae and the Potential Applications of the Produced Biomass—A Review. Water. 2020; 13 (1):27.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHareb Al-Jabri; Probir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Mahmoud Thaher; Mohammed Abdulquadir. 2020. "Treatment of Wastewaters by Microalgae and the Potential Applications of the Produced Biomass—A Review." Water 13, no. 1: 27.
In this study, a hybrid ultrafiltration–forward osmosis system was compared with a dual stage ultrafiltration process for the harvesting of marine microalgae. To the best of the authors knowledge none of the previous studies compared the performance of a dual stage ultrafiltration process with a hybrid UF-FO process for the harvesting of marine microalgae. The application of the hybrid process is expected to reduce the energy consumption for harvesting the microalgae without affecting the concentration factor and final product quality. In forward osmosis, the impact of the feed and draw solutions flowrate and the membrane orientation was investigated. The feed solutions were unfiltered microalgae solution and ultrafiltered concentrated microalgae while the draw solution was brine collected from a thermal desalination plant. A maximum total algal harvesting concentration factor of 37.3 was obtained using the hybrid ultrafiltration-forward osmosis system and the dual stage ultrafiltration process. The flowrate used in the forward osmosis process was 2.5 LPM for the feed solution and 0.8 LPM for the draw solution and the active layer was facing the feed solution (i.e. FO mode). The energy consumption in the hybrid ultrafiltration-forward osmosis system was 24% less than the dual-stage ultrafiltration system.
Mhd Ammar Hafiz; Alaa H. Hawari; Probir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Ali Altaee. Comparison of dual stage ultrafiltration and hybrid ultrafiltration-forward osmosis process for harvesting microalgae (Tetraselmis sp.) biomass. Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification 2020, 157, 108112 .
AMA StyleMhd Ammar Hafiz, Alaa H. Hawari, Probir Das, Shoyeb Khan, Ali Altaee. Comparison of dual stage ultrafiltration and hybrid ultrafiltration-forward osmosis process for harvesting microalgae (Tetraselmis sp.) biomass. Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification. 2020; 157 ():108112.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMhd Ammar Hafiz; Alaa H. Hawari; Probir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Ali Altaee. 2020. "Comparison of dual stage ultrafiltration and hybrid ultrafiltration-forward osmosis process for harvesting microalgae (Tetraselmis sp.) biomass." Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification 157, no. : 108112.
Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) could be a promising and better alternative to other techniques for energy recovery from municipal sewage sludge (MSS). However, the nutrients (i.e., N, and P) recovery potential from the byproducts, generated in the HTL of MSS, needs to be studied so that a comprehensive sludge management practice could be adopted. In this study, HTL process temperature (275–400 °C), and reaction time (30–120 min) were first investigated for biocrude yield and release of the nutrients to the aqueous phase liquid (APL) and biochar. The maximum energy recovery (i.e., 59%) and maximum energy return on investment (i.e., 3.5) were obtained at 350 °C and 60 min of holding time. With the increase in HTL reaction time, the concentration of nitrogen in the APL increased (5.1 to 6.8 mg/L) while the concentration of phosphorus decreased (0.89 to 0.22 mg/L); the opposite was observed for the biochar. The nutrient recycling efficiency from the APL using microalgae was found to be strain-specific; nitrogen recycling efficiency by Picochlorum sp. and Chlorella sp. were 95.4 and 58.6%, respectively. The APL, derived from 1 kg MSS, could potentially produce 0.49 kg microalgal biomass. Since the concentrations of various metals in the biochar samples were substantially lower compared to their concentrations in raw MSS, the application of biochar as a soil conditioner could be very promising. Overall, net positive energy could be recovered from MSS using the HTL process, while the nutrients in the APL could be used to cultivate specific microalgae, and biochar could be applied to enhance the soil quality.
Probir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Mohammed AbdulQuadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Muhammad Waqas; Ahmed Easa; Essam Shabaan Mohamed Attia; Hareb Al-Jabri. Energy recovery and nutrients recycling from municipal sewage sludge. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 715, 136775 .
AMA StyleProbir Das, Shoyeb Khan, Mohammed AbdulQuadir, Mahmoud Thaher, Muhammad Waqas, Ahmed Easa, Essam Shabaan Mohamed Attia, Hareb Al-Jabri. Energy recovery and nutrients recycling from municipal sewage sludge. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 715 ():136775.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Mohammed AbdulQuadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Muhammad Waqas; Ahmed Easa; Essam Shabaan Mohamed Attia; Hareb Al-Jabri. 2020. "Energy recovery and nutrients recycling from municipal sewage sludge." Science of The Total Environment 715, no. : 136775.
The feasibility of substituting 50% nutrients by aqueous phase liquid (APL), derived from hydrothermal liquefaction of Tetraselmis sp. biomass, in a semi-continuous cultivation of Tetraselmis sp. was studied. Growth experiments were conducted in indoor photobioreactor and outdoor raceway tank for three consecutive cycles. At the end of exponential growth pahse, 75% of the culture was harvested, and the supernatant was returned to the cultivation system. For control cultures, fresh nutrients were added; however, for the experimental cultures, an appropriate volume of APL was added to replace half of the nutrients. Either indoor or outdoor, the growth rate and biomass yield in APL-added cultures were either equal or slightly better compared to control culture; although APL had little to no effect on the metabolite content of Tetraselmis sp., metabolites profile of Tetraselmis sp. varied between APL-added and control cultures. Nevertheless, 50% nutrients requirements for microalgae cultivation could be replaced by APL.
Probir Das; Mohammad AbdulQuadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Hareb Al-Jabri. A feasibility study of utilizing hydrothermal liquefaction derived aqueous phase as nutrients for semi-continuous cultivation of Tetraselmis sp. Bioresource Technology 2019, 295, 122310 .
AMA StyleProbir Das, Mohammad AbdulQuadir, Mahmoud Thaher, Shoyeb Khan, Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary, Hareb Al-Jabri. A feasibility study of utilizing hydrothermal liquefaction derived aqueous phase as nutrients for semi-continuous cultivation of Tetraselmis sp. Bioresource Technology. 2019; 295 ():122310.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Mohammad AbdulQuadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Hareb Al-Jabri. 2019. "A feasibility study of utilizing hydrothermal liquefaction derived aqueous phase as nutrients for semi-continuous cultivation of Tetraselmis sp." Bioresource Technology 295, no. : 122310.
In this study, the effect of culture salinity (4–6% NaCl) on the harvesting of two microalgal strains (i.e., Picochlorum sp., and Tetraselmis sp.) was investigated using pilot-scale TFF membranes. The cultures of these two strains were collected from their respective continuous cultivation in 2, 25,000 L raceway ponds. For both strains, an increase in culture salinity aggravated the membrane fouling and hence negatively influenced the permeate flux rate, biomass concentrating factor, and energy requirement in biomass harvesting. For the TFF membranes, an increase in 1% NaCl salinity, the volume of processed permeate reduced by 30–44 %, the energy consumption per unit volume of permeate increased by 3–63%, and the biomass concentrating factor reduced by 47–61%.
Probir Das; Mahmoud Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Mohammad AbdulQuadir; Hareb Al-Jabri. The effect of culture salinity on the harvesting of microalgae biomass using pilot-scale tangential-flow-filter membrane. Bioresource Technology 2019, 293, 122057 .
AMA StyleProbir Das, Mahmoud Thaher, Shoyeb Khan, Mohammad AbdulQuadir, Hareb Al-Jabri. The effect of culture salinity on the harvesting of microalgae biomass using pilot-scale tangential-flow-filter membrane. Bioresource Technology. 2019; 293 ():122057.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Mahmoud Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Mohammad AbdulQuadir; Hareb Al-Jabri. 2019. "The effect of culture salinity on the harvesting of microalgae biomass using pilot-scale tangential-flow-filter membrane." Bioresource Technology 293, no. : 122057.
Probir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Mohammad AbdulQuadir; Mehmoud Ibrahim Thaher; Hareb Al-Jabri. Potential Applications of Algae-Based Bio-fertilizer. Soil Biology 2019, 41 -65.
AMA StyleProbir Das, Shoyeb Khan, Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary, Mohammad AbdulQuadir, Mehmoud Ibrahim Thaher, Hareb Al-Jabri. Potential Applications of Algae-Based Bio-fertilizer. Soil Biology. 2019; ():41-65.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Mohammad AbdulQuadir; Mehmoud Ibrahim Thaher; Hareb Al-Jabri. 2019. "Potential Applications of Algae-Based Bio-fertilizer." Soil Biology , no. : 41-65.
The present study investigated the growth, harvesting, biocrude conversion, and recycling of the HTL aqueous phase for one self-settling (i.e., Chlorocystis sp.) and another non-settling (i.e., Picochlorum sp.) marine microalgae. Both the strains were grown simultaneously in 2 identical 25,000-L raceway ponds in the Qatari desert. The cell size of Picochlorum sp. was small (2–3 µm), and its biomass was harvested using a centrifuge. Cells of Chlorocystis sp. (6–9 µm) formed flocs that settled spontaneously in a sedimentation chamber. Harvested biomass of these two strains was then converted to biocrude oil, using a 500-mL Parr reactor. The biocrude yield of Picochlorum sp. and Chlorocystis sp. was 39.6 ± 1.15% and 34.8 ± 1.65%, respectively. The energy content of the biocrude oil was 32.78 and 33.38 MJ/kg for Chlorocystis sp. and Picochlorum sp., respectively. Both the strains were capable of efficiently utilizing more than 95% nitrogen of the HTL aqueous phase. Although lower biocrude yield was obtained from Chlorocystis sp., compared to Picochlorum sp., harvesting of Chlorocystis sp. would require much lower energy compared to Picochlorum sp. Therefore, a self-settling microalgae (e.g., Chlorocystis sp.) could potentially be a better candidate, over non-settling microalgae, for producing biofuel feedstock.
P. Das; M. I. Thaher; S. Khan; M. Abdulquadir; A. K. Chaudhary; G. Alghasal; H. Al-Jabri. Comparison of biocrude oil production from self-settling and non-settling microalgae biomass produced in the Qatari desert environment. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 2019, 16, 7443 -7454.
AMA StyleP. Das, M. I. Thaher, S. Khan, M. Abdulquadir, A. K. Chaudhary, G. Alghasal, H. Al-Jabri. Comparison of biocrude oil production from self-settling and non-settling microalgae biomass produced in the Qatari desert environment. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 2019; 16 (11):7443-7454.
Chicago/Turabian StyleP. Das; M. I. Thaher; S. Khan; M. Abdulquadir; A. K. Chaudhary; G. Alghasal; H. Al-Jabri. 2019. "Comparison of biocrude oil production from self-settling and non-settling microalgae biomass produced in the Qatari desert environment." International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 16, no. 11: 7443-7454.
A halo-tolerant Tetraselmis sp. was grown in a 100,000 L raceway pond in the Qatari desert environment. As the biomass density reached 0.679 g/L, after 7 days, five different harvesting methods (i.e., cross-flow filtration, electrocoagulation, and coagulation-flocculation by FeCl3, NaOH, and alum) were applied to harvest the biomass. Hydrothermal liquefaction, for all the harvested biomass, was conducted at 350 °C for 30 mins in 10 mL Swagelok unions. The biocrude yield from cross-flow processed biomass (i.e., control) was 50.8%. Biocrude yield from electrocoagulation and alum processed biomass were 62.7% and 60.4% respectively where aluminum could have a catalytic effect. Biocrude yield from FeCl3 and NaOH processed biomass were 42.9% and 19.8% respectively. The total fraction of alkenes and alkanes was higher in the biocrude obtained from alum-harvested biomass, compared to other biocrude samples. However, the transition of metal species from biomass to biocrude was very low in all the biocrudes.
Probir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Mahmoud Thaher; Mohammed AbdulQuadir; S. Kent Hoekman; Hareb Al-Jabri. Effect of harvesting methods on the energy requirement of Tetraselmis sp. biomass production and biocrude yield and quality. Bioresource Technology 2019, 284, 9 -15.
AMA StyleProbir Das, Shoyeb Khan, Mahmoud Thaher, Mohammed AbdulQuadir, S. Kent Hoekman, Hareb Al-Jabri. Effect of harvesting methods on the energy requirement of Tetraselmis sp. biomass production and biocrude yield and quality. Bioresource Technology. 2019; 284 ():9-15.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Shoyeb Khan; Mahmoud Thaher; Mohammed AbdulQuadir; S. Kent Hoekman; Hareb Al-Jabri. 2019. "Effect of harvesting methods on the energy requirement of Tetraselmis sp. biomass production and biocrude yield and quality." Bioresource Technology 284, no. : 9-15.
In this study, a halotolerant Tetraselmis sp. was selected for 11-month outdoor semi-continuous cultivation in one sq. m raceway tank in the Qatari desert. A fraction of the culture was harvested using ferric chloride, and the growth media was returned to the tank. The recycling of culture media continued till the culture salinity reached 8% NaCl; 90% culture was then harvested, and the remaining culture fraction was used as inoculum for a new cultivation cycle. The growth of Tetraselmis sp. was not affected by incremental salinity although the intracellular metabolites varied; the average biomass productivity was 17.8 g/m2/d. Harvesting efficiency was slightly affected by the increase in salinity. Iron content in the harvested biomass was in the range of 1.5-3.3%, and acidic solution (pH=1.48) was able to recover 91.3% iron from the harvested biomass. Nonetheless, Tetraselmis sp. could be grown continuously throughout the year in Qatar’s climate condition.
Probir Das; Mahmoud Thaher; Mohammed AbdulQuadir; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Chaudhary; Hareb Al-Jabri. Long-term semi-continuous cultivation of a halo-tolerant Tetraselmis sp. using recycled growth media. Bioresource Technology 2018, 276, 35 -41.
AMA StyleProbir Das, Mahmoud Thaher, Mohammed AbdulQuadir, Shoyeb Khan, Afeefa Chaudhary, Hareb Al-Jabri. Long-term semi-continuous cultivation of a halo-tolerant Tetraselmis sp. using recycled growth media. Bioresource Technology. 2018; 276 ():35-41.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Mahmoud Thaher; Mohammed AbdulQuadir; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Chaudhary; Hareb Al-Jabri. 2018. "Long-term semi-continuous cultivation of a halo-tolerant Tetraselmis sp. using recycled growth media." Bioresource Technology 276, no. : 35-41.
Due to the presence of toxic organic compounds and heavy metals, it is essential to treat the produced water before reuse or discharge to the environment. In this study, produced water sample was collected from a local petroleum company. The sample had the following characteristics: pH: 4.17, total organic carbon (TOC): 720 ppm, total nitrogen (TN): 52.5 ppm, total phosphorus (TP): 0.21 ppm and salinity of 4.3 ppt. As a pretreatment, NaOH was added to raise the pH to 7.1 which removed 40% TOC, 38.3% TN, and 19% of TP. The growth viability of six microalgae strains (three freshwater and three marine) in the pretreated produced water (PPW) were studied in two conditions: (1) without additional nutrients and (2) with N and P supplementation. Out of these strains, only Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. were able to grow in both experiments. Chlorella sp. had the maximum biomass density on both occasions; it produced 1.2-g L−1 biomass density in the nutrient-supplemented PPW. Next, Chlorella sp. was grown in 1 L PBR to study the contaminant removal efficiencies. After 15 days of growth Chlorella sp. could remove 92% of the TN and 73% of the TOC from the PPW. Fish bio-assay was conducted using raw, pretreated, and biotreated produced water. Results indicate that the bioremediation process greatly reduced the toxicity of the produced water. Furthermore, the bioremediation process simultaneously generated 1.72 g L−1 biomass. Therefore, microalgal bioremediation of produced water provides an opportunity to produce a large quantity of biomass that can be used as feedstock for many products.
Probir Das; Mohammed Abdulquadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Ghamza Alghasal; Hareb Mohammed S. J. Al-Jabri. Microalgal bioremediation of petroleum-derived low salinity and low pH produced water. Environmental Biology of Fishes 2018, 31, 435 -444.
AMA StyleProbir Das, Mohammed Abdulquadir, Mahmoud Thaher, Shoyeb Khan, Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary, Ghamza Alghasal, Hareb Mohammed S. J. Al-Jabri. Microalgal bioremediation of petroleum-derived low salinity and low pH produced water. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 2018; 31 (1):435-444.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Mohammed Abdulquadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Ghamza Alghasal; Hareb Mohammed S. J. Al-Jabri. 2018. "Microalgal bioremediation of petroleum-derived low salinity and low pH produced water." Environmental Biology of Fishes 31, no. 1: 435-444.
Spontaneous settling of certain aggregating microalgae or cyanobacteria could potentially alleviate the energy requirement in biomass harvesting. A locally isolated floc–forming marine cyanobacteria, Chroococcidiopsis sp., was initially grown indoor to study its self-settling efficiency; 97% of the biomass settled spontaneously in 1 h. Later, the strain was grown in outdoor raceway tanks (1 square meter) for 70 d. Every alternative day, 50% of the culture was harvested by self-settling, and the supernatant was recycled back to the tank. Average biomass productivities for the strain was 16.08 g/m2/d. The biomass had an average 2.26% water extractable phycobiliproteins that comprised of both phycocyanin (11.4 mg/g) and phycoerythrin (10.6 mg/g). Since Chroococcidiopsis sp. biomass can be harvested very efficiently, it would reduce the energy and cost of biomass production which are deemed necessary for microalgal animal feed and biofuel applications. Furthermore, its ability to produce high-value pigments will also make it economically very attractive from biorefinery approach.
Probir Das; Mohammed Abdul Quadir; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Mahmoud Ibrahim Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Ghamza Alghazal; Hareb Al-Jabri. Outdoor Continuous Cultivation of Self-Settling Marine CyanobacteriumChroococcidiopsissp. Industrial Biotechnology 2018, 14, 45 -53.
AMA StyleProbir Das, Mohammed Abdul Quadir, Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary, Mahmoud Ibrahim Thaher, Shoyeb Khan, Ghamza Alghazal, Hareb Al-Jabri. Outdoor Continuous Cultivation of Self-Settling Marine CyanobacteriumChroococcidiopsissp. Industrial Biotechnology. 2018; 14 (1):45-53.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Mohammed Abdul Quadir; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Mahmoud Ibrahim Thaher; Shoyeb Khan; Ghamza Alghazal; Hareb Al-Jabri. 2018. "Outdoor Continuous Cultivation of Self-Settling Marine CyanobacteriumChroococcidiopsissp." Industrial Biotechnology 14, no. 1: 45-53.
Probir Das; Shoyeb Rashid Khan; Mohammed Abdul Quadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Hareb Al Jabri. Production of biolubricant from renewable feedstocks from Qatar. Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference Proceedings Volume 2018 Issue 1 2018, 2018, EEPD976 .
AMA StyleProbir Das, Shoyeb Rashid Khan, Mohammed Abdul Quadir, Mahmoud Thaher, Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary, Hareb Al Jabri. Production of biolubricant from renewable feedstocks from Qatar. Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference Proceedings Volume 2018 Issue 1. 2018; 2018 (1):EEPD976.
Chicago/Turabian StyleProbir Das; Shoyeb Rashid Khan; Mohammed Abdul Quadir; Mahmoud Thaher; Afeefa Kiran Chaudhary; Hareb Al Jabri. 2018. "Production of biolubricant from renewable feedstocks from Qatar." Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference Proceedings Volume 2018 Issue 1 2018, no. 1: EEPD976.