Changwei Hu

Performance of three microalgal strains in biogas slurry purification and biogas upgrade in response to various mixed light-emitting diode light wavelengths

The three microalgal strains were cultivated, namely, Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Neochloris oleoabundans, by applying mixed light-emitting diode wavelength treatments to biogas slurry in a photobioreactor bag. This study aims to compare the growth and nutrient removal efficiency of the algae and determine their roles for biogas upgrading. At red:blue=5:5, S. obliquus and C. vulgaris efficiently removed COD and TP, respectively. S. obliquus demonstrated high N removal efficiency at red:blue=7:3. The same strain significantly improved removal capacity for all nutrients compared with C. vulgaris and N. oleoabundans, particularly at red:blue=5:5, 7:3, and 3:7. For biogas upgrade, CH4 contents were higher than 75% (v/v) for all strains. The algae exhibited particularly good CH4 enrichment at red:blue=7:3, 5:5. Results show that microalgal biomass production offers real opportunities for addressing issues, such as nutrient reduction, CO2 removal, and biogas enrichment.

Effects of influent C/N ratios on wastewater nutrient removal and simultaneous greenhouse gas emission from the combinations of vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands and earthworm eco-filters for treating synthetic wastewater

This research focused on the nutrient removal and the simultaneous CO2, CH4, and N2O emission rates of various combinations of vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands (VSFCWs) and earthworm eco-filters (EEs) under different influent C/N ratios in synthetic wastewater. The optimal parameters for nutrient removal were influent C/N ratios of 5 : 1 and 10 : 1 as well as the combination VSFCW-EE. Relatively low values of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rates measured in situ were obtained at a C/N ratio of 5 : 1. The emission rates of CH4 and N2O were considerably lower than that of CO2. The VSFCW-EE and EE-VSFCW combinations showed similar GHG emission results. The C/N ratio of 5 : 1 and the VSFCW-EE combination exhibited the highest nutrient removal efficiency with the lowest GHG emission rate. Wastewater nutrient removal and GHG emission were both high during summer (June to August) and low during winter (December to February).

Graphene oxide alleviates the ecotoxicity of copper on the freshwater microalga Scenedesmus obliquus

The extensive industrial application of graphene oxide (GO), has increased its exposure risk to various aquatic organisms and its potential to affect the toxicity of other environmental pollutants. In this study, we investigated the combined toxicity of GO and copper on the freshwater microalga Scenedesmus obliquus, using the MIXTOX model. The effects of low concentration (1mg/L) exposure to GO were investigated with environmentally relevant concentrations of copper by using a 12-d subacute toxicity test, with pre- and post-GO treatment. Results showed that there were significant antagonistic effects between GO and copper on S. obliquus, and GO was found to reduce ecotoxicity of copper even at low and environmentally relevant concentrations (1mg/L).

Simultaneously upgrading biogas and purifying biogas slurry using cocultivation of Chlorella vulgaris and three different fungi under various mixed light wavelength and photoperiods

In order to purify biogas slurry and biogas simultaneously, three different fungi, Pleurotus geesteranus (P. geesteranus), Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum), and Pleurotus ostreatus (P. ostreatus) were pelletized with Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris). The results showed that the optimal light wavelength ratio for red:blue was 5:5 for these three different fungi-assisted C. vulgaris, resulting in higher specific growth rate as well as nutrient and CO2 removal efficiency compared with other ratios. G. lucidum/C. vulgaris was screened as the best fungi-mialgae for biogas slurry purification and biogas upgrading with light/dark ratio of 14h:10h, which was also confirmed by the economic efficiency analysis of the energy consumptions. These results will provide a theoretical foundation for large-scale biogas slurry purifying and biogas upgrading using microalgae.

Effect of graphene oxide on copper stress in Lemna minor L.: evaluating growth, biochemical responses, and nutrient uptake

The wide application and unique properties of graphene oxide (GO) make it to interact with other pollutants and subsequently alter their behavior and toxicity. We evaluated the influences of GO at different concentrations (1 and 5mg/L) on copper (Cu) stress in duckweed (Lemna minor L.) GO below a concentration of 5mg/L showed no adverse effects on L. minor. The addition of Cu above 10μM represented a stress condition, which was evidenced by various parameters such as frond number, percent inhibition of growth rate (Ir), total chlorophyll content, dry weight, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD). When L. minor was simultaneously exposed to GO and Cu, especially at a GO concentration of 5mg/L and a Cu level above 10μM, the increase of Ir and decrease of chlorophyll content were inhibited, suggesting that the Cu stress was diminished in the presence of GO. The addition of Cu alone, ranging between 5 and 20μM, increased Cu, B, Mn, Fe, Co, and Zn uptake, but decreased P uptake. Our results suggest that GO can lessen Cu stress in L. minor via Cu adsorption, thereby protecting the plants from the damaging effects of high Cu concentrations.

Effects of influent C/N ratios and treatment technologies on integral biogas upgrading and pollutants removal from synthetic domestic sewage

Three different treatment technologies, namely mono-algae culture, algal-bacterial culture, and algal-fungal culture, were applied to remove pollutants form synthetic domestic sewage and to remove CO2 from biogas in a photobioreactor. The effects of different initial influent C/N ratios on microalgal growth rates and pollutants removal efficiencies by the three microalgal cultures were investigated. The best biogas upgrading and synthetic domestic sewage pollutants removal effect was achieved in the algal-fungal system at the influent C/N ratio of 5:1. At the influent C/N ratio of 5:1, the algal-fungal system achieved the highest mean chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 81.92% and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency of 81.52%, respectively, while the algal-bacterial system demonstrated the highest mean total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of 82.28%. The average CH4 concentration in upgraded biogas and the removal efficiencies of COD, TN, and TP were 93.25 ± 3.84% (v/v), 80.23 ± 3.92%, 75.85 ± 6.61%, and 78.41 ± 3.98%, respectively. These results will provide a reference for wastewater purification ad biogas upgrading with microalgae based technology.