The Logan City Environmental Department operates a facility that consists of 460 acres of fairly shallow lagoons (~ 5'deep) for biological wastewater treatment that meets targets for primary and secondary treatments (solids, biological oxygen demand (BOD), and pathogen removal). Significant natural algal growth occurs in these lagoons, which improves BOD removal through oxygenation and also facilitates N removal through volatilization as ammonia under high pH conditions created by algal growth. Phosphorus, however, is non-volatile and stays in the water and likely cycles in and out of algal cells as they grow and die in the lagoons. In the near future, the regulatory limits on phosphorus released from the Logan wastewater treatment facility are likely to become significantly lower to counter potential downstream eutrophication. One way to potentially lower phosphorus levels in the wastewater effluent is through management of algal growth in the lagoons. As mentioned above, algae growth naturally occurs in the treatment lagoons and if the algal biomass is harvested when growth yields are highest, the phosphorus contained in the cells could be removed to obtain phosphorus-free water. The algal biomass could then be used for production of biofuels. This research focuses on laboratory and pilot assessments to show the ability of algae indigenous to the Logan lagoons to uptake phosphorus and produce biomass that can be used for biofuel production.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTAHS/oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:etd-1627 |
| Date | 01 December 2009 |
| Creators | Griffiths, Erick W. |
| Publisher | DigitalCommons@USU |
| Source Sets | Utah State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | All Graduate Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact Andrew Wesolek (andrew.wesolek@usu.edu). |
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