Application of microalgae and wastewater as plant nutrients and stimulants in hydroponic technology

Palanisami, Swaminathan

Application of microalgae and wastewater as plant nutrients and stimulants in hydroponic technology

Palanisami, Swaminathan

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2022

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Palanisami, Swaminathan
dc.date.accessioned	2023-03-17T01:52:23Z
dc.date.available	2023-03-17T01:52:23Z
dc.date.issued	2022
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/167412
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Nitrous oxide is 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide in causing climate change, and 80% of global nitrous oxide is from nitrogen fertilisers used in soil-based agriculture. Finding ways to minimise the carbon footprint related to the production of nitrogen-based agricultural fertiliser, and reusing waste nutrients from wastewater, will benefit parallelly in saving the energy expenses of wastewater treatment and in producing fertilisers. This research proposes utilising high concentration wastewater, such as desalination brine, blended with low concentration wastewater (for example, secondary treated domestic wastewater) in the optimal proportion to produce microalgae growth media. Growing nitrogen-fixing microalgae in blended wastewater yields a dual solution for wastewater nutrient recovery and obtaining biologically fixed nitrogen. The nitrogen produced by the algae is a usable form of plant nutrient. Microalgae are known to produce plant hormones; the acid-digested algal biomass can be used as a source of nutrients and plant stimulants to grow plants in hydroponics. Growing plants in hydroponics minimise nitrogen nutrient loss (as in soil-based agriculture) and nitrous oxide evolution. This study used non-hazardous wastewaters for producing microalgae biomass using blends of high and low-concentration wastewaters and assessed its nutrient recovery rates. Applied microalgal biomass extract as a source of nitrogen and whole nutrients to grow plants in hydroponics and added effort to profile the plant hormones in the algal biomass. The aims of this research focused on (i) using different wastewater nutrient concentrations as a source to attain an optimal microalgal growth media for biomass production and nutrient recovery from wastewater; (ii) comparing the efficacy of microalgal biomass extract based hydroponic nutrients with other commercial hydroponic nutrients. Consequently, the objective are (1) to develop a wastewater blending method for microalgal cultivation and nutrient recovery, (2) to examine the feasibility of producing hydroponic nutrients and stimulants from microalgal biomass, (3) to compare the growth efficiency of food crops in microalgal extracts nutrients and other available hydroponic-nutrients. The comparative study of microalgal biomass extract-based hydroponic nutrients with other commercial product showed clear evidence that the microalgal biomass-based hydroponic nutrients have commercialisation potentials Further product improvement by using different microalgal species can yield high and robust nutrients and stimulants.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/167412/2/02whole.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2022 Swaminathan Palanisami
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/ppc
dc.title	Application of microalgae and wastewater as plant nutrients and stimulants in hydroponic technology	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Nitrous oxide is 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide in causing climate change, and 80% of global nitrous oxide is from nitrogen fertilisers used in soil-based agriculture. Finding ways to minimise the carbon footprint related to the production of nitrogen-based agricultural fertiliser, and reusing waste nutrients from wastewater, will benefit parallelly in saving the energy expenses of wastewater treatment and in producing fertilisers. This research proposes utilising high concentration wastewater, such as desalination brine, blended with low concentration wastewater (for example, secondary treated domestic wastewater) in the optimal proportion to produce microalgae growth media. Growing nitrogen-fixing microalgae in blended wastewater yields a dual solution for wastewater nutrient recovery and obtaining biologically fixed nitrogen. The nitrogen produced by the algae is a usable form of plant nutrient. Microalgae are known to produce plant hormones; the acid-digested algal biomass can be used as a source of nutrients and plant stimulants to grow plants in hydroponics. Growing plants in hydroponics minimise nitrogen nutrient loss (as in soil-based agriculture) and nitrous oxide evolution. This study used non-hazardous wastewaters for producing microalgae biomass using blends of high and low-concentration wastewaters and assessed its nutrient recovery rates. Applied microalgal biomass extract as a source of nitrogen and whole nutrients to grow plants in hydroponics and added effort to profile the plant hormones in the algal biomass. The aims of this research focused on (i) using different wastewater nutrient concentrations as a source to attain an optimal microalgal growth media for biomass production and nutrient recovery from wastewater; (ii) comparing the efficacy of microalgal biomass extract based hydroponic nutrients with other commercial hydroponic nutrients. Consequently, the objective are (1) to develop a wastewater blending method for microalgal cultivation and nutrient recovery, (2) to examine the feasibility of producing hydroponic nutrients and stimulants from microalgal biomass, (3) to compare the growth efficiency of food crops in microalgal extracts nutrients and other available hydroponic-nutrients. The comparative study of microalgal biomass extract-based hydroponic nutrients with other commercial product showed clear evidence that the microalgal biomass-based hydroponic nutrients have commercialisation potentials Further product improvement by using different microalgal species can yield high and robust nutrients and stimulants.

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