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Title: Water reuse for sustainable microalgae cultivation: current knowledge and future directions

Journal Article · · Resources, Conservation and Recycling
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6];  [7]
  1. Duke Univ. Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC (United States); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Key Lab. for Algal Biology; Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham, AL (United States)
  2. Duke Univ. Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC (United States)
  3. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Key Lab. for Algal Biology; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)
  4. Duke Univ. Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC (United States); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels
  5. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Key Lab. for Algal Biology
  6. Duke Univ. Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC (United States); Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)
  7. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Center for Microalgal Biotechnology and Biofuels; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan (China). Inst. of Hydrobiology. Key Lab. for Algal Biology; SDIC Biotech Investment Co., LTD., Beijing (China); Beijing Key Lab. of Algae Biomass, Beijing (China)

Microalgae hold great promise as environmentally sustainable sources of food, animal feed, and fuel. However, large amounts of water are used during microalgae cultivation and this negatively impacts economic viability and environmental sustainability. Reusing cultivation water can reduce the direct impacts of water usage and also reduce nutrient requirements and algal wastewater treatment. However, studies have shown that algae growth in reused water can be compromised, unaffected, or sometimes enhanced compared to controls. This review examines recent studies on water reuse to qualitatively understand these varied effects. Growth inhibitors and stimulators in reused water and their underlying mechanisms are discussed, as well as recent pre-treatment technologies and factors affecting the quality of reused water, such as microalgae taxa, culture conditions, and harvesting methods, are considered. A scheme is proposed for water reuse and harvesting methods based on the desired algal end products. Finally, taking these findings together, here we provide recommendations for further research directions as well as new insights into designing and integrating a cultivation strategy with a harvesting platform to reuse water for more efficient microalgae cultivation.

Research Organization:
Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation; Chinese Foreign Experts Bureau; US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007091; 31672625; 21603263; 2016M602391; 32OCPC2017; 164486820174200002
OSTI ID:
1848483
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1633114
Journal Information:
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol. 161, Issue C; ISSN 0921-3449
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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