Utilizing novel Aspergillus species for bio-flocculation: A cost-effective approach to harvest Scenedesmus microalgae for biofuel production

Gyanendra Tripathi; Vinay Kumar Pandey; Suhail Ahmad; Irum; Nortoji A Khujamshukurov; Alvina Farooqui; Vishal Mishra

doi:10.1016/j.crmicr.2024.100272

Utilizing novel Aspergillus species for bio-flocculation: A cost-effective approach to harvest Scenedesmus microalgae for biofuel production

Curr Res Microb Sci. 2024 Sep 1:7:100272. doi: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2024.100272. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Gyanendra Tripathi¹, Vinay Kumar Pandey², Suhail Ahmad¹, Irum³, Nortoji A Khujamshukurov⁴, Alvina Farooqui¹, Vishal Mishra⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Bioengineering, Integral University, Lucknow 226026, Uttar Pradesh, India.
² Research & Development Cell, Biotechnology Department, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (Deemed to Be University), Faridabad 121004, Haryana, India.
³ Department of Biosciences, Integral University, Lucknow 226026, Uttar Pradesh, India.
⁴ Tashkent Institute of Chemical Technology, Republic of Uzbekistan.
⁵ School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Abstract

The present study aimed to isolate a bioflocculating fungal strain from wastewater collected from a local bike garage. The isolate showed maximum similarity to Aspergillus species. The fungus was identified as Aspergillus flavus species F_GTAF1 IU (accession no OP703382). The isolated fungus was evaluated in terms of biomass recovery efficiency in Scenedesmus Sp. GTAF01. The extent of algal fungal co-pelletization was evaluated as a function of the algae-to-fungi ratio, volume of fungal culture in broth, agitation rate, and pH. results showed that at fungal culture volume of 60 $░$ %v/v, fungal culture volume of 1:3 $░$ %w/w, 100 rpm, and pH 3, 93.6 $░$ % biomass was obtained during the initial 5 h. At wavenumbers 1384 and 1024 cm^-1 a significant alteration in the transmission percentage was observed in co-pellet compared to algae and fungal cells. This shows the significant role of C-H-H and C-N stretches in co-pellet formation. This study provides deep insight into effective microalgal harvesting along with the simultaneous extraction of lipids that can be used for the sustainable production of biodiesel.

Keywords: Aspergillus flavus; Bio-flocculation; Harvesting; Microalgae; Scenedesmus sp..

Publication types

Review