Cyanobacteria-Based Bioremediation and Biomass Recovery from Agro-Industrial Wastewater

Read the full article See related articles

Discuss this preprint

Start a discussion What are Sciety discussions?

Listed in

This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.
Log in to save this article

Abstract

Cyanobacteria offer a sustainable and cost-effective approach to wastewater bioremediation due to their adaptability and nutrient removal efficiency. This study assessed the performance of Synechocystis sp., Synechococcus sp., and Oscillatoria sp. in treating agro-industrial wastewater, while evaluating the potential of such wastewater as a growth medium for large-scale cyanobacterial biomass production. Two wastewater sources, agricultural runoff water (AROW) and poultry meat processing effluent, were tested at 25% and 50% dilutions under controlled laboratory conditions for 14 days. Growth (OD₆₈₀) and changes in physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, TDS, DO, BOD, COD, NO₃⁻, PO₄³⁻) were monitored. All strains achieved biomass yields comparable to the synthetic BG-11 medium, with Synechocystis sp. showing the highest growth in 25% AROW. Significant pollutant reductions (70–90%, p  < 0.05) were recorded across treatments; notably, Synechocystis sp. and Oscillatoria sp. removed up to 95% and 98% of NO₃⁻ and PO₄³⁻, respectively, in 25% wastewater. This is the first report demonstrating that diluted AROW can outperform synthetic media for certain cyanobacterial strains, combining effective nutrient removal with low-cost biomass production potential. These findings highlight the dual utility of agro-industrial wastewater as both a treatment target and a cultivation resource, with implications for scalable, resource-efficient bioprocesses.

Article activity feed