Exploitation Of Wine Processing Waste By Means Of Integrated Biological Processes Of Anaerobic Digestion And Microalgae Culture

Abstract

The present invention discloses a process mode of microalgal cultivation in semi-continuous on wine wastewater with no need to recirculate the microalgal biomass in the reactor, without dilution and sterilisation of the effluent applied as a growth medium. The process was experimentally carried out by semi-continuously applying, without recirculation of the biomass, the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris on the digestate from the anaerobic co-digestion of winemaking lees and waste activated sludge. The integrated anaerobic digestion-microalgae treatment process is advantageous from a circular economy perspective as it leads to the exploitation of grape processing chain waste, eliminating the economic burden on producers and involving: i) the phyto-depuration of the effluent, ii) the production of bio-methane and iii) the production of biomass containing high value-added by-products (lipids, proteins and starch) that can be used to produce biodiesel, animal feed, nutraceuticals/pharmaceuticals and for producing bioplastics.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.