Comparative Assessment of Microalgae Strain and Municipal Wastewater for Microalgae Cultivation for Biofuels Application

Microalgae are recognized as a prospective feedstock for biofuels production with minimal environmental impacts. Nonetheless, the cost of microalgae cultivation and adequate biomass availability conveys a significant dilemma. Microalgae cultivation in wastewater is noted to reduce biomass production cost to some extent. However, exploring wastewater having an appropriate set of nutrients and compatibility with the microalgae strain is indispensable to obtain adequate biomass. In the present work, considering the real-life applicability for biofuel production, studies were conducted to assess the potential of the selected microalgae strains to grow in primary, secondary, and tertiary treated municipal wastewater. The result showed higher growth for Chlorella pyrenoidosa in all three primary, secondary, and tertiary treated wastewater compared to that for Chlorella sorokiniana IITRF. Moreover, primary treated wastewater was noted to achieve the highest biomass concentration of up to 1.25 ± 0.13 g L⁻¹ for C. pyrenoidosa within 9 d of the growth period. Overall, C. pyrenoidosa cultivation in primary treated wastewater is recommended to obtain adequate biomass for biofuel production.