Waste Water Treatment Using Field Deployable Macroalgal Tissue Culture

Macroalgae can remove nitrates, phosphates and heavy metals from contaminated waters as

well as break down recalcitrant compounds, e.g. trinitrotoluene (TNT), while synthesizing

halogenated compounds which have antibiotic, antifungal and antitumoral properties. The

macroalgae also produce high levels of compounds relevant to biofuels, such as terpenes and

cyclic sesquiterpenes. The metabolic pathways that allow the synthesis and breakdown of

cyclic compounds may also enable the capability to remediate phenolics or other wastes from

agricultural and petrochemical industries. Hence, initially, we aim to produce preliminary

data to develop a field-deployable macroalgal tissue culture system for the bioremediation of

surface waters in a “waste to value” process that will simultaneously produce bioactive

compounds or biofuels. Further, we propose a field-deployable, “biogenic packed bed,” high

cell-culture density system and determine nutrient, metal and phenolic removal capacities.

Therefore, this study has investigated a high density cultivation system and quantified the

ability to remove nutrient loads from agricultural wastewater. Additionally, because the

biomass itself can also be used as a fertilizer or animal feed, the objective of the study is

directly related to the water-energy- food nexus.

Keywords: Photobioreactor, Macroalgae, Waste water treatment, Biofuel, Terpenes,

Bioactive compounds, Bioremediation