Spirulina sp. LEB 18 cultivation in outdoor pilot scale using aquaculture wastewater: High biomass, carotenoid, lipid and carbohydrate production

Abstract

The objective of this study was to integrate the treatment of aquaculture effluent with the biomass and macronutrients production by Spirulina sp. LEB 18. The first experiment was carried out in a photobioreactor (1 L) and the best biomass production condition was reproduced on a pilot scale in a raceway type bioreactor (5 L). The best treatment was T25 (100% of wastewater supplemented with 25% of Zarrouk nutrients). The biomass production in the raceway system (T25) was higher (3.33 g L−1) than the control (2.32 g L−1) and the carbohydrate (69.77%) and lipid (12.77%) were also higher. The content of carotenoids in T25 was significant (9.68 μg mL−1). Spirulina sp. LEB 18 removed phosphate (99.97%); COD (89.34%) and nitrate (81.10%) from aquaculture effluent. The effluent showed absence of heavy metals and concentration of Al; Fe; Ca and Mg higher than the control culture with Zarrouk nutrients. The Spirulina sp. LEB 18 can be applied as a bioremediation agent of aquaculture wastewater with high production of biomass, carbohydrate, lipid and carotenoid.