Pilot-scale cultivation of Arthrospira platensis using pretreated anaerobic digestate and geothermal water: A comparative study
Abstract
In this study, Arthrospira platensis (A. platensis) was cultivated for over 130 days in an experimental greenhouse using open raceway ponds and closed column photobioreactors. A culture medium composed of liquid digestate pretreated with natural zeolite and diluted with geothermal water was evaluated as an alternative to conventional synthetic media for cyanobacteria cultivation. Among the different culture strategies tested, the recirculation of A. platensis inoculum proved unsuccessful, as it prevented the repetition of multiple batches and ultimately led to a complete culture collapse. In contrast, the use of a fresh inoculum enabled stable production across three consecutive batches, despite suboptimal environmental conditions, achieving biomass productivities of 10 ± 3 mg.L-1.d-1 in digestate-based cultivation. Throughout most of the cultivation period, ammonium was entirely removed. A nitrogen balance analysis indicated multiple removal mechanisms, with A. platensis assimilation accounting for 7-60 % of nitrogen uptake. The biochemical composition of A. platensis was largely consistent between the control and digestate-based cultures, with proteins (44 ± 6 % DW) as the dominant component, followed by lipids (14 ± 5 % DW) and carbohydrates (9 ± 3 % DW). These findings highlight the potential of digestate-based culture media and emphasize the need for further research to optimize cultivation strategies for sustainable industrial large-scale A. platensis production.
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- Authors
- Leca, M.-A., Regnault, L., Sambusiti, C., Monlau, F., Le Guer, Y., & Beigbeder, J.-B.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Association Pôle Environnement Sud Aquitaine (FR)
- Total (France) (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Beigbeder, Jean-Baptiste
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2025-10
- Volume
- 393
- Pages
- 126984
- ISSN
- 0301-4797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4414035555
- Cited by
- 0
- References
- 59
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Management (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Institut Carnot MICA
- Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Total
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
- ANR (ANR-16-IDEX-0002)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Innovations in Aquaponics and Hydroponics Systems
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Keywords
- Spirulina platensis, cyanobacteria cultivation, digestate, geothermal water, photobioreactors, raceway ponds, nitrogen removal, nitrogen balance, biomass productivity, biochemical composition
- MeSH terms
- Cyanobacteria, Anaerobiosis, Culture Media, Nitrogen, Pilot Projects, Zeolites, Biomass, Spirulina
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