Euglena sp as a suitable source of lipids for potential use as biofuel and sustainable wastewater treatment

Mahapatra, Durga Madhab and Chanakya, HN and Ramachandra, TV (2013) Euglena sp as a suitable source of lipids for potential use as biofuel and sustainable wastewater treatment. In: Journal of Applied Phycology, 25 (3). pp. 855-865.

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Abstract

Prolific algal growth in sewage ponds with high organic loads in the tropical regions can provide cost-effective and efficient wastewater treatment and biofuel production. This work examines the ability of Euglena sp. growing in wastewater ponds for biofuel production and treatment of wastewater. The algae were isolated from the sewage treatment plants and were tested for their nutrient removal capability. Compared to other algae, Euglena sp. showed faster growth rates with high biomass density at elevated concentrations of ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) and organic carbon (C). Profuse growth of these species was observed in untreated wastewaters with a mean specific growth rate (mu) of 0.28 day(-1) and biomass productivities of 132 mg L-1 day(-1). The algae cultured within a short period of 8 days resulted in the 98 % removal of NH4-N, 93 % of total nitrogen 85 % of ortho-phosphate, 66 % of total phosphate and 92 % total organic carbon. Euglenoids achieved a maximum lipid content of 24.6 % (w/w) with a biomass density of 1.24 g L-1 (dry wt.). Fourier transform infrared spectra showed clear transitions in biochemical compositions with increased lipid/protein ratio at the end of the culture. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry indicated the presence of high contents of palmitic, linolenic and linoleic acids (46, 23 and 22 %, respectively), adding to the biodiesel quality. Good lipid content (comprised quality fatty acids), efficient nutrient uptake and profuse biomass productivity make the Euglena sp. as a viable source for biofuel production in wastewaters.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Journal of Applied Phycology
Publisher:	Springer
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Springer.
Keywords:	Algal Nutrient Uptake; Biomass Productivity; Euglena; FAME; Lipid; Wastewater
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences Division of Mechanical Sciences > Centre for Sustainable Technologies (formerly ASTRA)
Date Deposited:	26 Jun 2013 12:30
Last Modified:	26 Jun 2013 12:30
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/46747

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