Webinar Summary
Wastewater has been identified as a sustainable source of water and nutrients for the cultivation of microalgae to produce biofuel and bioproducts. However, wastewater is a relatively "dirty" environment with chemical and biological agents which contaminate crop purity. Further, ubiquitous grazers such as rotifers can decimate crop yields. To address these issues, our team developed a cultivation method termed "Isolated Cultivation of Algal Resource Utilizing Selectivity (ICARUS)."
ICARUS is a membrane photobioreactor platform that can be used to cultivate algae monocultures by floating directly on wastewater (e.g., surface of clarifiers) or other impaired water bodies. A bottom membrane panel mediates the exchange of water, nutrients, and gasses between the wastewater and algae culture, while servicing as a physical barrier between the algal crop and undesirable bioagents in wastewater. Laboratory and field results have shown that ICARUS can achieve a high crop density using wastewater directly as a feedstock, while maintaining crop monoculture purity. Further, as the culture densifies, ICARUS can self-dewater to facilitate crop harvesting.
This presentation will chronicle the development of ICARUS from TRL1 proof-of concept to TRL4 field prototypes. In additional to deployment at municipal wastewater facilities, ICARUS can also be integration with aquaculture operations in a circular economy framework.