Size matters – Microalgae production and nutrient removal in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds of three different sizes

Sutherland, DL; Park, J; Heubeck, S; Ralph, PJ; Craggs, RJ

Size matters – Microalgae production and nutrient removal in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds of three different sizes

Sutherland, DL

Park, J Heubeck, S Ralph, PJ

Craggs, RJ

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Algal Research, 2020, 45
Issue Date:: 2020-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Sutherland, DL https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2119-1120	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Park, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Heubeck, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ralph, PJ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3103-7346	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Craggs, RJ	en_US
dc.date.issued	2020-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Algal Research, 2020, 45	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	2211-9264	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/137180
dc.description.abstract	© 2019 Elsevier B.V. High rate algal ponds for coupled wastewater treatment and resource recovery have been the focus of much international research over the last 15 years. Microalgal biomass productivity reported in full-scale studies (1-ha or greater) have often been substantially lower than that reported from smaller scale ponds in similar climates, regardless of the season or the dominant microalgal species used. The disconnect between smaller-scale and full-scale productivity is unclear and uncertainty remains regarding the applicability of smaller scale studies to full-scale systems. In order to better understand the differences in reported productivity, the performance of three different size wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds (5 m2, 330 m2 and 1-ha) were assessed with respect to nutrient removal and microalgal productivity over three seasons. Both daily areal nutrient removal and biomass production were affected by the size of the pond. NH4-N removal via nitrification/denitrification decreased with increasing pond size, with the highest removal rate in the 5 m2 pond and the lowest in the 1-ha. Microalgal areal productivity was maximal in the 330 m2 pond, suggesting that a combination of mixing frequency and higher photosynthetic potential under low light conditions were the main drivers of enhanced productivity in this pond compared to the 5 m2 (mesocosm) and 1-ha (full-scale) ponds. The lowest daily nutrient removal and biomass production occurred in the 1-ha (full-scale) pond. Our results suggest that, based on the current design and operation of high rate algal ponds, the optimum size for maximum productivity is considerably smaller than the current full-scale systems. This has implications for commercial scale systems, with respect to capital and operational costs.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Algal Research	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.algal.2019.101734	en_US
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.title	Size matters – Microalgae production and nutrient removal in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds of three different sizes	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	45	en_US
utslib.for	0607 Plant Biology	en_US
utslib.for	0904 Chemical Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	1003 Industrial Biotechnology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
utslib.copyright.embargo	2022-01-31T00:00:00+1100
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	45	en_US

Abstract:

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. High rate algal ponds for coupled wastewater treatment and resource recovery have been the focus of much international research over the last 15 years. Microalgal biomass productivity reported in full-scale studies (1-ha or greater) have often been substantially lower than that reported from smaller scale ponds in similar climates, regardless of the season or the dominant microalgal species used. The disconnect between smaller-scale and full-scale productivity is unclear and uncertainty remains regarding the applicability of smaller scale studies to full-scale systems. In order to better understand the differences in reported productivity, the performance of three different size wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds (5 m2, 330 m2 and 1-ha) were assessed with respect to nutrient removal and microalgal productivity over three seasons. Both daily areal nutrient removal and biomass production were affected by the size of the pond. NH4-N removal via nitrification/denitrification decreased with increasing pond size, with the highest removal rate in the 5 m2 pond and the lowest in the 1-ha. Microalgal areal productivity was maximal in the 330 m2 pond, suggesting that a combination of mixing frequency and higher photosynthetic potential under low light conditions were the main drivers of enhanced productivity in this pond compared to the 5 m2 (mesocosm) and 1-ha (full-scale) ponds. The lowest daily nutrient removal and biomass production occurred in the 1-ha (full-scale) pond. Our results suggest that, based on the current design and operation of high rate algal ponds, the optimum size for maximum productivity is considerably smaller than the current full-scale systems. This has implications for commercial scale systems, with respect to capital and operational costs.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/137180