Modeling the Behavior of Chlorella Vulgaris Microalgae in Water Treatment: A Kinetic Approach

Abstract

In the modern era, there has been a notable surge in environmental pollution attributable to agricultural activities, urban expansion, industrialization, and various other contributing factors. This alarming trend has also taken a toll on our water resources, exacerbated further by the contamination stemming from human consumption-related wastewater discharges. To address these concerns, biological treatment approaches have gained widespread acceptance for wastewater treatment. The utilization of microalgae as a nutrient source, facilitating the removal of organic matter from wastewater, holds a pivotal role in bolstering the sustainability of wastewater treatment. The aim of this study, to mathematically model the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen from domestic wastewater using Chlorella Vulgaris algal culture. Experimental studies were conducted in a batch reactor, and removal efficiencies of nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and phosphate phosphorus were examined through measurements. The results indicate that microalgae efficiently perform the removal of pollutants process. As well as usage of microalgae in water treatment processes, a good microalgae kinetic model is highly important for nutrient removal, microalgae biomass accumulation, and enhancing operational settings in wastewater treatment. Kinetic modeling is a mathematical approach used to understand how a chemical reaction or process progresses or changes over time. Such models have various applications in all fields of science. Kinetic modeling can help us predict and optimize the behavior of reactions using computer simulations and mathematical analysis. Furthermore, specific growth rates of microalgae according to nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients were compared using the Michaelis-Menten equation for growth kinetics. According to the calculations, the nitrogen-based specific growth rate (NO3--N, NH4+-N) was determined as µmax=0.053 day-1, and the phosphorus-based (PO43-) specific growth rate was determined as µmax=0.061 day-1.