RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Treatment of food waste digestate using microalgae-based systems with low-intensity light-emitting diodes
A1 Torres Franco, Andrés Felipe
A1 Araújo, Scarlet da Encarnação
A1 Passos, Fabiana
A1 de Lemos Chernicharo, Carlos Augusto
A1 Mota Filho, Cesar Rossas
A1 Cunha Figueredo, Cleber
AB Anaerobic digestion of food wastes coupled with digestate post-treatment using microalgae-based systems could recover large amounts of energy and nutrients worldwide. However microalgae inhibition by high ammonia concentrations and low light transmittances affecting photosynthesis should be overcome to develop full scale implementations. This study evaluated the potential of microalgae-based reactors supplied with red LEDs at low intensity (660 nm and 15 μmol·m-2·s-1) to treat food waste digestate. LED reactors were compared with control reactors exposed to natural solar radiation. From a range of species in the inoculum, Chlorella vulgaris showed high adaptation to both lighting regimes and digestate environmental conditions, characterized by a C:N:P ratio of 74:74:1. Removal efficiencies for control and LED reactors were 84.0% and 95.8 % for soluble COD and 89.4% and 53.0 % for ammonia, respectively. Approximately 50% of ammonia in control reactor and 15% in LED reactor was lost mainly through volatilization, whereas 17% and 36% of ammonia was transformed in organic nitrogen in control and LED reactors, respectively. Low-intensity LEDs maintained microalgae growth in levels similar to solar radiation and supported efficient digestate treatment, showing a potential for further application in optimization of full scale reactors at a relatively low energy cost.
PB IWA Publishing
SN 0273-1223
YR 2018
FD 2018
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83210
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83210
LA spa
NO Water Science and Technology, Agosto 2018, 78(1), 225-234
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 27-feb-2026