Production of microalgae protein biomass from brewery wastewater for use as feed formulation for aquaculture

Abstract

In the last 10 years the biotechnological application of microalgae has been demonstrated by several studies. The use of these microorganisms' biomass in food and feed is already a commercial reality in many countries. The biomass of some species, such as Scenedesmus genus, contains a balance between proteins, lipids and carbohydrates and makes it very promising for use in feed for shrimp farming. One of the key issues in the commercial feasibility of using microalgae in the animal nutrition market is the production cost, greatly impacted by the cultivation medium. The cultivation of microalgae in municipal and industrial wastewaters has been evaluated as a substrate for growth with success; a project on laboratory scale has already been done by the applicant company using wastewater from breweries, proving the technical feasibility of this solution. This project aims to produce biomass from Scenedesmus sp. grown in brewery effluent using platform reactors (Thin Layer) with 400 liters of total volume. The microalgae cultivation will be monitored by optical density, dry biomass, growth rate, electric conductivity, temperature and pH; biochemical composition (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and fatty acid profile) will be held at the end of the cultivations. A first performance test in L. vannamei shrimp diets including microalgae biomass will also be held. (AU)