Integrated production of biodiesel and industrial wastewater treatment by culturing oleaginous microorganisms

VIÑARTA, SILVANA C.; AYBAR, MANUEL J.; MAZA, D. DANIELA; FIGUEROA, LUCIA I.C.; PABLO MARCELO FERNANDEZ

Integrated Environmental Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Sustainable Development

Elsevier

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2022; p. 81 - 100

Oleaginous microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and algae) are those that accumulate morethan 20% (w/w) of lipids of their dry weight biomass. Depending on the fatty acids profile ofmicrobial oils, they can be used as feedstock for the synthesis of biodiesel. However, the maindrawback of commercialization is the high cost of the culture media components to obtain it. An integratedbiodiesel production, combining the cultivation of oleaginous microorganisms with lowcostsubstrate (instead of glucose), such as industrial wastewater, may be a promising approachfor improving the commercial and environmental viability of the process. In this chapter, severalintegrated strategies for the biological treatment of the different types of industrial wastewaterby culture of diverse oleaginous microorganisms are analyzed. Simple approaches using a singleoleaginous microorganism are described, as well as a variety of integrated strategies using aconsortium of different microorganisms. In turn, the types of oleaginous microorganisms used andtheir performance for the production of lipids are presented. Some critical aspects are discussedmainly considering co-cultivation methods, combination with other treatments, and advantagesand disadvantages of these technologies. The potential of microbial oils as raw material for thesynthesis of biodiesel and the possibility of industrial application of these technologies are alsoevaluated.