Impact of Reusing Wastewater on the Growth of Chlorella vulgaris

High quantities of freshwater and nutrient consumption are two major problems for large scale production of microalgae cultivation. The reuse of secondary effluent wastewater for growing the Chlorella vulgaris biomass offers a solution to both aspects: the recycling of secondary wastewater as an algal growth media saves water supplies while also offering appropriate nutrient concentrations for C. vulgaris cell growth. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of reusing the secondary effluent wastewater for microalgae growth to further increase the process sustainbility. This will involve assessment on the impact of dissolved organic matter recirculation on biomass productivity. Lastly, the practicability of utilizing wastewater in combination with internal water recycling will be scaled-up using a membrane photobioreactor (MPBR).