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Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Comparison of Scale in a Photosynthetic Reactor System for Algal Remediation of Wastewater
Published on: March 6, 2017
Natural pigments from microalgae grown in industrial wastewater
Larissa T Arashiro1, María Boto-Ordóñez2, Stijn W H Van Hulle3
1GEMMA - Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech, c/ Jordi Girona 1-3, Building D1, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; LIWET - Laboratory of Industrial Water and Ecotechnology, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Graaf Karel de Goedelaan 5, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the cultivation of Nostoc sp., Arthrospira platensis and Porphyridium purpureum in industrial wastewater to produce phycobiliproteins. Initially, light intensity and growth medium composition were optimized, indicating that light conditions influenced the phycobiliproteins production more than the medium composition. Conditions were then selected, according to biomass growth, nutrients removal and phycobiliproteins production, to cultivate these microalgae in food-industry wastewater. The three species could efficiently remove up to 98%, 94% and 100% of COD, inorganic nitrogen and PO43--P, respectively. Phycocyanin, allophycocyanin and phycoerythrin were successfully extracted from the biomass reaching concentrations up to 103, 57 and 30 mg/g dry weight, respectively. Results highlight the potential use of microalgae for industrial wastewater treatment and related high-value phycobiliproteins recovery.
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