Microalgae biomass production in a citrate rich wastewater for aquafeed application

Jungbunzlauer is an important bioingredient producer for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical markets. To reduce effluent cost management, Jungbunzlauer would like to convert it into valuable products. As their effluent is free of toxic contaminants, microalgae biomass production for the aquafeed market is targeted. Microalgae cells contain essential nutrients for fish and crustacean growth such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, astaxanthin, amino acids and vitamins. Moreover, microalgae are known for their ability to treat wastewater through nutrients assimilation for their growth. UQTR have worked over the last 6 years on microalgae biomass production in industrial wastewaters. Preliminary experiments on the potential of Jungbunzlauer effluent as culture medium have been previously done, in collaboration with Innofibre. For the present project, it is proposed to select the most appropriate strain for the target application. The nutritional quality, growth performance and nutrient load reduction of JBL effluent capacity of 4 algae strains will be evaluated.

Faculty Supervisor:

Simon Barnabé

Student:

Partner:

Jungbunzlauer Canada Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Program: