Treatment and nutrient recovery from acetophenone based wastewater by an integrated catalytic intense pulsed light and Tribonema sp. cultivation

Abstract Acetophenone effluent is found in a variety of waste streams from manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and dyes. Acetophenone presents hazards to the health of human and aquatic animals. A process integrating catalytic intense pulsed light (cIPL) with microalgae Tribonema sp. cultivation was proposed and investigated for decontamination of acetophenone rich wastewater. The results showed that the acetophenone level was degraded from 100 to 20 mg/L after 40 min-cIPL treatment. A 20 to 40 min treatment lower the toxic acetophenone to levels permitting the growth of Tribonema sp. The highest biomass productivity (up to 0.094 g/L/d) was achieved after the 40 min-cIPL treatment. In addition, higher lipid content and premium fatty acid (C16:1) were found with the 40-min cIPL treatment. Overall, this combined process is efficient for toxic pollutant removal and nutrient recovery in wastewater.