Insight into the roles of hematite iron oxide nanoparticles on microalgae growth, urban wastewater treatment and bioproducts generation: Gompertz simulation, nutrient mass balance and gene expression

Abstract

In this study, the effect of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles spiking in urban wastewater (UWW) on growth rate, wastewater treatment ability and bioproducts generation of C. vulgaris and Spirulina was investigated and compared with pure cultivation system. The biomass concentration of C. vulgaris and Spirulina improved by 20 % and 39 % at 10 and 15 mg/L α-Fe2O3, respectively while the both microalgae growth pattern fitted better with Gompertz simulation after treatment with α-Fe2O3. The nutrients mass balance revealed that 1 g of treated C. vulgaris and Spirulina could uptake more COD, TN and TP in comparison to the untreated cells. The lipid generation increased remarkably (C. vulgaris: 45 % and Spirulina: 72 %) after α-Fe2O3 treatment. While, the addition of α-Fe2O3 showed no significant impact on the protein and carbohydrate productivity. Overall, this study evangelize the role of nanoparticles on promoting microalgae applications as a sustainable approach for UWW treatment and promising feedstock for biofuel production.