Algae for wastewater treatment and polishing : development of methodologies for algal growth and population analysis and process optimization of algal membrane bioreactor

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The discharge of secondary wastewater effluent from wastewater treatment plants can lead to eutrophication in receiving water bodies due to the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus in the effluent. The research herein resulted in the development of an algal-based wastewater treatment system, which can provide efficient and cost effective wastewater treatment as well as the ability to recover nutrients in the form of algal biomass. Developing such rapid analytical methods to monitor algal activity and population dynamics and to understand the effects of system design and operation on algal performance is critical to improved wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery. This PhD thesis research presents new methods to monitor algal activity and population dynamics that can be applied for the design and operation of algal system, and to improve the algal productivity and nutrient removal capacity using a novel algal membrane bioreactor (A-MBR) technique and CO2 enrichment for high-density algae cultivation, wastewater polishing and nutrient recovery. This Ph.D. thesis research is: (1) to develop rapid and specific methods to monitor algal activity and population dynamics that can be applied for the design and operation of algal systems, (2) to improve the algal productivity and nutrient removal capacity using a novel algal membrane bioreactor (AMBR) technique, and (3) to evaluate the role of CO2 supply in high-density algae cultivation, wastewater polishing, and nutrient recovery.