A novel of transforming wastewater pollution into resources for desertification control by sand-consolidating cyanobacteria, Scytonema javanicum

Cultivation of desert cyanobacteria in wastewater can lead to the optimal redistribution of regional resources and is likely to solve two global problems, i.e., wastewater pollution and desertification. However, the potential of using wastewater instead of traditional artificial culture media to cultivate sand-consolidating cyanobacteria for desert management is not well understood. This study compares undistilled and distilled wastewater with an artificial culture medium (BG11(0)) to explore the potential of wastewater as a replacement culture medium for Scytonema javanicum. The results show that the photosynthetic activity (F-v/F-m) of S. javanicum was inhibited in the undistilled wastewater and was lower than that in distilled water and the culture medium. The lowest Chl-a concentration and the highest concentration in BG11(0) were found in distilled wastewater. However, there was no difference in the biomass (dry weight) between the undistilled wastewater and BG11(0) at the end of the experiment. After long-term dry storage of the biomass collected after cultivation, there was no difference in the photosynthetic recovery between S. javanicum cultivated in undistilled wastewater and that cultivated in BG11(0). Accordingly, although wastewater depressed the Chl-a content, it did not affect the biomass accumulation and subsequent photosynthetic recovery after long-term storage. The results reveal the significant potential of cultivating sand-consolidating cyanobacterium in wastewater and using this technology as a new nutrient redistribution method in human settlements and desert areas.

Automated summary

Cultivating desert cyanobacteria in wastewater has the potential to redistribute resources efficiently and address global issues of wastewater pollution and desertification. Although wastewater may depress the Chl-a content of the cyanobacteria, it does not affect biomass accumulation or subsequent photosynthetic recovery after long-term storage, highlighting its significant potential as a new nutrient redistribution method in human settlements and desert areas.