Journal
DESALINATION
Volume 465, Issue -, Pages 104-113Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2019.05.002
Keywords
Bio-desalination; Halophytic algae; Brackish water; Photobioreactor
Categories
Funding
- EPA internal competition Pathfinder Innovation Projects challenge in pursuit of high risk, high-reward research ideas
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Global demand for water is rising. A sustainable and energy efficient approach is needed to desalinate brackish sources for agricultural and municipal water use. Genetic variation among two algae species, Scenedesmus species (S. sp.) and Chiorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris), in their tolerance and uptake of salt (NaCl) was examined for potential bio-desalination of brackish water. Salt-tolerant hyper-accumulators were evaluated in a batch photobioreactors over salinity concentration ranging from 2 g/L to 20 g/L and different nutrient composition for their growth rate and salt-uptake. During algae growth phase, the doubling time varied between 0.63 and 1.81 days for S. sp. and 3.1 to 5.9 for C. vulgaris. The initial salt-uptake followed pseudo first order kinetics where the rate constant ranged between -3.58 and -7.68 day(-1) reaching up to 30% in a single cycle. The halophyte algae S. sp. and C. vulgaris that were selected for pilot-scale studies here represent a promising new method for desalination of brackish waters. Halophytic technologies combined with the potential use of algae for biofuel, which offsets energy demand, can provide a sustainable solution for clean, affordable water and energy.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available