Análisis de la remoción de amonio y fosfatos por una cepa de microalga filamentosa dispuesta en un biorreactor rotacional de biopelícula fija

Abstract

Wastewater (AR) is an inevitable product of human activities that, within its main constituents, have significant concentrations of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) in different forms and chemical species: organic and inorganic; especially, of ammoniacal N (N-NH4) and orthophosphates (P-PO4). These elements are of sanitary-environmental interest because, in addition to what their release in aquatic ecosystems implies, they are difficult to eliminate in conventional treatment systems. In raw domestic wastewater, the characteristic concentration of P-PO4 ranges between 6 mg / L and 20 mg / L, while the concentration of N-NH4 is between 5 mg / L and 30 mg / L. In this investigation, the metabolization of N-NH4 and P-PO4 by a Strain of Microalgae Filamentosa, possibly Phormidium sp., Arranged in a rotating biofilm of fixed biofilm (BRBF) was evaluated; the tests were maintained at 4,000 lux with 12h / 12h light / dark photoperiods, neutral pH and a temperature of 22 ° C ± 3 ° C. Favorable results were obtained with removal percentages of 99.056% for N-NH4 and 97.448% for P-PO4, in less than 48 hours; with average removal rates of 23,138 mg N-NH4 / l-d and 15,1514 mg P-PO4 / l-d. It was determined that the availability of nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as the amount of biomass, proportionally affect the removal rates and percentages of N-NH4 and P-PO4.