Improvement of wastewater treatment capacity using the microalga Scenedesmus sp. and membrane bioreactors

Primary urban wastewater was processed using the microalga Scenedesmus sp. in an outdoor pilot-scale raceway reactor connected to ultrafiltration membrane. The goal separate cellular retention time from hydraulic time. This strategy led a 129.3% increase daily volume of treated per square meter, and 48.7% biomass productivity final value 22.2 ± 1.9 g·m−2·day−1. Nutrient removal highly influenced by permeate rate, allowing remove up 0.65 mg·m−2·day−1 phosphates. Over 99% ammonia removed when membrane used, although this partially due nitrate production nitrifying bacteria: higher rates relative abundance bacterial. amplification sequencing microalgae-bacteria samples detection ammonia-oxidizing bacteria nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, such as Bradyrhizobiaceae, Nitrospiraceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, Chromatiaceae. most abundant families detected were Rhodobacteraceae Comamonadaceae.