Influence of light emitting diodes on indigenous microalgae cultivation in municipal wastewater

Abstract In this study, the effect of light emitting diodes (LEDs) on microalgae cultivation in municipal wastewater was examined in comparison to the fluorescent light. Two kinds of wastewater were evaluated: first one with low concentration of total phosphorous (TP) and second one with high TP concentration. The nutrient removal and biomass production using LEDs is efficient at photo-synthetically active radiation (PAR) intensity of 107-112 μmol m -2 s -1 which is slightly higher than fluorescent light. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the applicability and distribution of light in wastewater where the environment is not defined. More importantly, winter and rainy periods contribute to dark condition and dilution of wastewater, intense LED light offers a feasible option for the functioning of closed micro algae based activated sludge (MAAS) process for recovery and reuse of nutrients.