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Ammonia Removal from Oily Water by Microalgae Cultivated in an Airlift Photobioreactor
S. Jalinousi, E. Joudaki, A. Moghadassi, M. Mahdieh,
Volume 27, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
This research presents the application of phytoremediation to remove ammonia from effluent possessing high ammonium content and alkalinity in one of the most complex refineries in Iran. The objective of this research was to find new methods to protect and preserve water resources. At first, the algae distribution was investigated. After purifying the samples, Chlorella Vulgaris was selected as resistant algae in the areas that experienced ammonia shocks. A 10-liter container and an airlift photobioreactor with similar laboratory conditions were developed to control biomass production. Experiments were conducted over 20 days and maximum biomass production occurred in the first 16-17 days. Cell density was expressed as dry cell weight in ammonia concentration from 10 mg/L to 500 mg/L. It was also observed that when the Nitrogen content of the culture medium was less than 50 mg/L, ammonia was completely removed in both methods. At a concentration of 10 mg/L, total ammonia in both methods was removed in the first week. At 50 mg/L to 100 mg/L concentrations, about 94% of ammonia was removed in the glass container and about 95% in the bioreactor. In these concentrations, with high ammonia content, the final cell density, and absorption power were significantly low and this was evident at 500 mg/L. Prevention of water evaporation and biomass settling, better control of some vital parameters including pH, temperature, light, and energy intensity, effective mass and heat transfer, and carbon dioxide concentration led to better efficiency of the airlift photobioreactor. A noteworthy point in this result was the extraordinary performance of Chlorella Vulgaris in removing toxic pollutants such as ammonia and possibly using it in the biological systems of sanitary, refineries, and petrochemicals.

The Effect of Nutrient Elements in the Culture Medium on the Biological Desalination of Deep Aquifer Well Water in Sistan by Live Algae Chlorella vulgaris
N. Sanchooli, H. Khandan Barani,
Volume 29, Issue 4 (12-2025)
Abstract
The biological desalination system has lower energy consumption and environmental impacts, as well as simpler engineering technology and complexity compared to conventional desalination methods. This study aimed to investigate the effect of nutrients in the Chlorella vulgaris algae culture medium on the rate of algae growth, salinity reduction, TDS, and EC. For this purpose, an amount of algae was inoculated into culture media-containing treatments to achieve a density of 5 × 106 cells/ml. The results showed that the highest amount of dry biomass of algae was in the deep aquifer well water + BG-11 culture medium treatment, with a value of 0.76 ± 0.02 g. The highest amount of chlorophyll a and b was observed on days 4, 17, and 30 in the control treatment, which was significantly different from the other treatments (p < 0.05). The lowest value of light absorption of algae was observed in the control treatment on all days. At the end of the 30-day experimental period, the highest reduction in salinity, TDS, and EC was observed with 27.60, 26.83, and 41.60 percent reduction in the deep aquifer well water + culture medium treatment, respectively, which showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) with the deep aquifer well water treatment. The results showed that deep aquifer well water, due to its nutrient content, has a high potential for algae growth and, as a result, biological desalination and the absence of the use of commercial culture medium, which can reduce desalination costs.

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