Shortening hydraulic retention time through effluent recycling: impacts on wastewater treatment and biomass production in microalgal treatment systems

Sutherland, DL; Ralph, PJ

Shortening hydraulic retention time through effluent recycling: impacts on wastewater treatment and biomass production in microalgal treatment systems

Sutherland, DL Ralph, PJ

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Publisher:: SPRINGER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Applied Phycology, 2021, 33, (6), pp. 3873-3884
Issue Date:: 2021-12-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Sutherland, DL
dc.contributor.author	Ralph, PJ
dc.date.accessioned	2022-03-28T00:10:15Z
dc.date.available	2022-03-28T00:10:15Z
dc.date.issued	2021-12-01
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Applied Phycology, 2021, 33, (6), pp. 3873-3884
dc.identifier.issn	0921-8971
dc.identifier.issn	1573-5176
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/155624
dc.description.abstract	Hydraulic retention time (HRT) in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds is an important operational parameter that determines both nutrient loading and effluent water quality. Shorter HRT increases the influent nutrient loading, and ultimately, areal microalgal productivity, but decreases effluent quality. Recycling a proportion of the effluent water can decrease the HRT whilst maintaining the same nutrient loading. This study investigated how partially and fully harvested recycled effluent affected microalgal performance, with respect to nutrient removal and biomass production in high rate algal mesocosms operated on shortened (summertime) 4-day HRT compared to longer (wintertime) 8-day HRT. Recycling partially harvested effluent water, still containing some microalgal/bacterial biomass, negatively affected the net biomass production, relatively to all other treatments. This was due to the diminished light climate and photosynthetic potential within the mesocosm, as a result of biomass loading. On the other hand, recycling fully harvested effluent to decrease the HRT by half did allow for higher daily biomass productivity compared to high rate algal mesocosms run on an 8-day HRT. However, it did not result in any increase in wastewater treatment over that in the 8-day full-load HRT treatment but had higher effluent quality than that of the 4-day full-load HRT treatment. Recycling effluent has the potential to increase microalgal biomass production, without degrading effluent quality, to further improve the economics of coupled wastewater treatment and resource recovery, but complete or near-complete harvesting of biomass is required.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	SPRINGER
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Applied Phycology
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s10811-021-02573-2
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	0607 Plant Biology, 0704 Fisheries Sciences, 1002 Environmental Biotechnology
dc.subject.classification	Marine Biology & Hydrobiology
dc.title	Shortening hydraulic retention time through effluent recycling: impacts on wastewater treatment and biomass production in microalgal treatment systems
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	33
utslib.for	0607 Plant Biology
utslib.for	0704 Fisheries Sciences
utslib.for	1002 Environmental Biotechnology
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	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-03-28T00:10:11Z
pubs.issue	6
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	33
utslib.citation.issue	6

Abstract:

Hydraulic retention time (HRT) in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds is an important operational parameter that determines both nutrient loading and effluent water quality. Shorter HRT increases the influent nutrient loading, and ultimately, areal microalgal productivity, but decreases effluent quality. Recycling a proportion of the effluent water can decrease the HRT whilst maintaining the same nutrient loading. This study investigated how partially and fully harvested recycled effluent affected microalgal performance, with respect to nutrient removal and biomass production in high rate algal mesocosms operated on shortened (summertime) 4-day HRT compared to longer (wintertime) 8-day HRT. Recycling partially harvested effluent water, still containing some microalgal/bacterial biomass, negatively affected the net biomass production, relatively to all other treatments. This was due to the diminished light climate and photosynthetic potential within the mesocosm, as a result of biomass loading. On the other hand, recycling fully harvested effluent to decrease the HRT by half did allow for higher daily biomass productivity compared to high rate algal mesocosms run on an 8-day HRT. However, it did not result in any increase in wastewater treatment over that in the 8-day full-load HRT treatment but had higher effluent quality than that of the 4-day full-load HRT treatment. Recycling effluent has the potential to increase microalgal biomass production, without degrading effluent quality, to further improve the economics of coupled wastewater treatment and resource recovery, but complete or near-complete harvesting of biomass is required.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/155624