Abstract
Inspired by plant transpiration, an attached microalgae−simulated plant system was designed to enhance the transpiration of reverse osmosis concentrated water (i.e., WROC) and realize the conversion of pollutants to microalgae biomass. The results showed that the production rate of clean water could reach as high as 14.84 L·m−2·day−1, which was significantly influenced by the humidity of the air and the growth status of the attached microalgae. Moreover, the enhancement of water evaporation by microalgae was more obvious under relatively low humidity. Pollutants, transported along with the water, could transform into microalgae biofilm or crystallize at the top of the microfiber. TN and TP transformation into biomass resources were maximized in 40% diluted WROC, with efficiencies of 60.91% and 38.49%, respectively. Of note, the accumulation of phosphorus in the micro-environment of attached microalgae may inhibit microalgal growth in the later stages of cultivation, owing to the relatively low movability. Hence, this system could be applied for high-efficiency wastewater purification, especially under high humidity. Wastewater dilution and periodic microalgae harvest could guarantee the attached microalgae growth and increase the pollutant-bioresource conversion rate.
Highlights
RO technology is widely applied for high-quality reclaimed water production [1]; this technology produces about 30–50% of the WROC [2]
The purpose of this study is to investigate the general law of water treatment rates using this attached microalgae-simulated plant system, the pollutant transformation rate into microalgae biomass, and wastewater treatment mechanisms
Some nutrients were absorbed by the matrix of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) released by the microalgae
Summary
RO (reverse osmosis) technology is widely applied for high-quality reclaimed water production [1]; this technology produces about 30–50% of the WROC [2]. The advanced oxidation technology of positive WROC treatment was proposed in the lab by Fenton oxidation [4], ozone-catalyzed oxidation [5], electrocatalytic oxidation [6], and photocatalytic oxidation [7]. (1) The removal efficiency of small molecules (such as oxalic acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid) is low; (2) the processing cost is about 1–10 CNY/m3 , and the photocatalytic oxidation or UV/H2 O2 technology can reach as high as 45–211 CNY/m3 [8]. The total production cost by MF-RO (microfiltration-reverse osmosis) process in a reclaimed water plant was 1.98–5.29 CNY/m3 [9,10]. For brackish water or seawater desalination plants using the RO process, the costs were 0.134 $/m3 and
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