Bioremediation of Animal Wastewater Using Oil-Rich Microalgae

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Project aims at developing an advanced biotechnology for bioremediation of animal wastewater by using oil-rich microalgae. Rapid growing animal farming industries (hog, poultry, cattle, and dairy) have generated tremendous amount of animal wastes that have become important sources for environmental pollution. Current method of disposing untreated animal manure to cropland has caused severe problems in water & air quality in many parts of the United States. We propose to solve this problem by using oil-rich microalgae that can effectively remove excessive nutrients from animal wastewater, thus reducing the pollution to the water sources. As a by-product of this bioremediation process, the resulting oil-rich microalgae biomass can be used for biodiesel production, providing further environmental benefits to the society. It is anticipated that suitable microalgal species will be characterized for rapid removal of nitrogen & phosphorus from hog wastewater and for microalgal oil accumulation. Moreover, flat-plate photobioreactors will be tested to demonstrate the feasibility of mass cultivation of the selected species. With the successful completion of this Phase I project, the feasibility of using oil-rich microalgae for concurrent bioremediation of animal wastewater and production of biodiesel will be demonstrated. Such microalgae-based biotechnology is environment-friendly, and can improve recovery of waste materials, and reduce negative environmental impacts of the animal wastes. It can also improve the environment in rural communities because it addresses the water and air pollution problems created by the animal farms in the rural area. In addition, this technology addresses the needs of the U.S. for renewable energy, which is playing an increasing role in energy security, economical development, and environmental protection in this country. Our long-term goal is to establish an environmentally friendly, economically viable, and commercially profitable enterprise that focuses on the bioremediation of animal waste and simultaneous production of biodiesel as a by-product.