Leachate for Producing 3rd Generation Microalgal Oils

Abstract: The ability of microalgae to grow well under certain wastewater conditions has indicated the potential of these resources as environmentally sustainable growth medium for producing 3rd generation biodiesel feedstock. Ultra-membrane treated landfill leachate was used as a nutrient medium for growing native microalgal cultures to produce oil for future biodiesel energy conversion. A total of three lab scale experimental sets with different dilutions of leachate were tested with altering pH and phosphate addition. At the end of batch experiment, priliminary results showed highest microalgal dry biomass (2.5 g L-1) in 50% leachate with minimum total cell lipid content. Microalgae grown in 10% leachate (~ 50 mg L-1 N-NH4 +) produced maximum total cell lipid content (114.64 mg g-1 dry biomass). Phosphate addition in leachate enhanced the microalgal dry biomass production in higher leachate dilutions (10-50% TL) but total lipid content did not show any significant increase. Leachate stress can be screened further for inducing microalgal lipid production.