Session: General Posters:

In recent years, there has been a boom in wastewater treatment technologies based on algal- bacterial cultures. The algae produce the oxygen necessary for aerobic bacteria, and in turn uses the CO₂ produced by the bacteria, and remove pollutants. One of the advantages of choosing these systems is that they offers lower costs; eliminate organic matter and nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorous) with improved sedimentation rates. The goal of this work was to develop a consortium between biogranules and microalgae for nutrients removal (N and P) using the aerobic sequential batch reactor (SBR) under periods of famine-feast. Four Erlenmeyer of 0.50 L were inoculated with 40 mL of sludge containing biogranules (previously adapted), 260 mL of sweet whey (1000 and 1500 mg/L of COD) and 3.6 mL of algae Chlorella sp corresponding to 0.02 mg/mL of chlorophyll. The bioreactor was set under two shaking velocities (120 y 100 rpm) at room temperature and pH 8. The bioreactors were incubated for 9 days in steady state mode (2 cycles of 24 h feast then 72 h of famine). The best conditions were observed in the reactors with a stirring speed of 120 rpm with 94% removal in a starting concentration of 1000 mg/L of COD and 96% in one with 1500 mg/L of COD. For the same reactors, 86.44% and 47.98% of TP removal and sedimentation rates of 1.80 m/h and 1.74 m/h were observed, respectively. The biogranules and microalgae were present until the end of the experiment, demonstrating the adaptation between bacteria and microalgae. This method can be adapted to different wastewater types to improve the organic matter and nutrients removal with enhanced sedimentation rate.

Deborah Xanat Flores-Cervantes

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