Free-suspended marine microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata and Isochrysis galbana for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Remediation. This is to certify that I am responsible for the work submitted in this project, that the original work is my own, except as specified in the references and acknowledgments, and that the original work contained herein is not undertaken by unspecified sources or persons or not done. . POME has the characteristics of high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), mineral content such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which can lead to a serious pollution of the environment.
The COD level determines the amount of organic compounds in the water while the BOD level is the amount of dissolved oxygen that is present in the water. Immobilization is among the techniques that can lead to the continuous use of algae for an extended period. A combination of wastewater treatment and renewable bioenergy production will act as a boon for the palm oil industry and the renewable energy sector.
In this study, palm oil mill effluent (POME) was used as an alternative medium for algal biomass and lipid-filtered and centrifuged POME in seawater was used for microalgae cell growth.
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Currently, 85% of POME treatment is based on an anaerobic and facultative pond system, followed by an open tank digester with extensive aeration in a pond (Vijayaraghavan et al., 2007). Since POME contains a high content of organic matter, the implementation of anaerobic digestion in the first stage of the treatment process is a necessity to convert the majority of the waste into biomethane. These treatment steps have been applied as an open pond or as an open digester system in Malaysian palm oil mills [Subramanian et al, 2008].
There has also been considerable interest in using microalgae as an advanced feedstock for bioethanol production (Rosenberg et al. 2008). Bacteria, on the other hand, are involved in the degradation of organic material in wastewater, the same process used in activated sludge (Kirkwood et al., 2003). Microalgae-based treatment violates socio-ecological principles to a lesser extent than other treatment methods, where the use of microalgae biomass can narrow the cost gap and make the process cost-effective (Kryder et al., 2007). . Compared to physical and chemical treatment processes, algae-based treatment can achieve nutrient removal in an ecologically safer manner with the added benefits of resource recovery and recycling (Graham et al., 2009; Oswald, 2003). .
Sustainable energy management in the palm oil mill has entered a new dynamic era with the opportunity to cultivate microalgae using POME (Ahmad et al., 2014). Therefore, most of the nutrients such as nitrate and ortho-phosphate that are not removed during anaerobic digestion will be further processed in the microalgae pond.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Most palm oil millers favor the cultivation of microalgae as a tertiary treatment before discharging POME due to practically low cost and high efficiency. The US Department of Energy has recognized the potential synergy of wastewater treatment and algal biofuel production, stating that “Inevitably, wastewater treatment and recycling must be included with algal biofuel production (US DOE, 2010).
OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF STUDY
POME
WASTES-WATER TREATMENT METHODS
ALGAL GROWTH
- MATERIALS AND METHODS
- SAMPLE PREPARATION
- DETERMINATION OF CELL DENSITY AND DRY WEIGHT
- GANTT CHART OF ACTIVITIES
- MILESTONE
The POME will be filtered to remove sand and dust particles and then centrifuged (Avanti J-251 centrifuge). COD measurement will be performed using a DR5000 spectrophotometer and 8000-reactor digested method according to the standard method provided by HACH (HACH, 2008). Two mL of each diluted POME will be added to the appropriate vials of High Range COD Digestion Reagent.
Each vial is mixed well and placed in the reactor block for two hours. After two hours, the vials are placed in a cooling rack for 20 minutes before reading. The blank vial is placed in the cell holder with the light shield closed and zeroed.
Then the sample vial will be placed in the cell holder for the test with the reading of COD in mg/L will be displayed on the screen. One ml sample will be diluted at a ratio of 1:100 of POME to distilled water ratio. Four samples will be prepared and 3.8 cm (1.5 inch) magnetic stir bar will be placed in each sample bottle.
A saved Hach program for 5.25 days and 0-700 mg/L will be selected for the BOD test. A reading is then taken after 5 days with the BOD reading in mg/L displayed on the screen for each sample bottle. The growth of microalgae will be measured by counting the number of cells with a hemocytometer.
On fixed days when algae are growing, approximately 10 μl of sample is removed using a capillary dropper. The sample is then transferred to the fill slide chamber and examined under a high powered microscope (10 x 40 MAG). One hundred ml of algae suspension is filtered through a pre-dried and weighed glass fiber microfiber filter (Whatman GF/C 0.47 µ).
- POME CHARACTERISTICS
- ALGAL CELLS GROWTH AND LIPID CONTENT
- BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
- CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
- TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON
Microalgal cells from logarithmic, early stationary and stationary phases were extracted for lipid content. The highest lipid content was recorded at 27.5%, while Isochrysis galbana showed a slightly lower lipid content of 22.1%. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen required by biological organisms in a body of water to break down the organic matter present in a given water sample at a given temperature over a given period of time.
This assay is performed using 300 ml incubation bottles, in which denatured dilution water is dosed with the seed microorganisms and stored for 5 days in a dark room at 20 °C to prevent DO production through photosynthesis Since the Standard Methods Committee of The American Public Health Association adopted the 5-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand Test (BOD5), this method has been widely used as a standard method for determining the concentration of biodegradable organics in wastewater (In Seop Chang, 2003). BOD removal of 88-97% was achieved for 1-15% POME after addition of N.oculata, while BOD removal of 81-96% was achieved after addition of Isochrysis galbana. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is one of the most widely used methods of analysis as an indicator to identify the characteristics of wastewater.
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) measurement will be performed using the spectrophotometer DR2800 and the 5000-Reactor Digested Method. Different strains of algae could use the different organic compounds as carbon sources with different efficiency, depending on the nature or severity of the wastewater conditions. The algal strain could use the amount of dissolved oxygen to break down organic matter.
Organic carbon, which represents the largest single component of organic matter, provides the most direct proxy for productivity (Pedersen and Calvert, 1990, Canfield, 1994, Tyson, 2005 and Zonneveld et al., 2010). Primary producers in the photic zone absorb CO2 from the atmosphere to form organic matter via photosynthesis.
CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATION
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