SEQUENTIAL FLOW BAFFLED PHOTOBIOREACTOR DESIGNED FOR SYNERGISTIC MICROALGAL-BACTERIAL INTERACTIONS TO PRODUCE BIODIESEL FROM NITROGEN-RICH WASTEWATER

Microalgae are regarded as potential feedstock for biofuel production while being able to sequester carbon dioxide into valuable bio-products. However, the challenges associated with microalgal cultivation are the high input costs coupled with infeasible integration into wastewater treatment. As such, a novel sequential flow baffled microalgal-bacterial (SFB-AlgalBac) photobioreactor was developed to exploit the synergistic microalgal-bacterial associations for enhancing microalgal biomass production while bioremediating nutrient-rich wastewater. The initial performance of photobioreactor was found to be optimum at the 5.0 L/d influent flow rate with records of the highest microalgal nitrogen assimilation rate (0.0271 /d) and biomass productivity (1350 mg/d). Further increase of flow rate had resulted in poor culture vitality evidenced by the 10% reduction in biomass productivity due to excessive cell washout and hydraulic stress from the continuous flow operation.