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Chitin: a potential new alternative nitrogen source for the tertiary, algal-based treatment of pulp and paper mill wastewater

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Abstract

Every day, pulp and paper mills in the USA discharge millions of liters of wastewater. Primary and secondary treatment of this wastewater often enriches it with phosphorus, resulting in uncontrolled eutrophication of receiving water bodies. A new method of tertiary wastewater treatment uses controlled growth of algae in a photobioreactor to sequester phosphorus into algal biomass, which is then harvested. This typically requires addition of a nitrogen fertilizer (nitrate, ammonium, or urea) to the water. We show on the laboratory scale that chitin can be used as an alternative source of nitrogen for the tertiary treatment of pulp mill wastewater using algae. We demonstrate that phosphorus can be efficiently removed from pulp wastewater using algae and chitin. Furthermore, phosphorus removal with chitin did not result in an increase in dissolved nitrogen in the wastewater because it is insoluble, unlike conventional nitrogen fertilizers. Despite its insolubility, it has recently been found that many diverse algae and cyanobacteria can use it as a source of nitrogen. Chitin has many advantages over conventional nitrogen fertilizers for use in wastewater treatment technologies. It is the second-most abundant natural polymer and is a waste product of the shellfish industry. Chitin is sustainable, inexpensive, and carbon neutral. Thus, chitin improves the sustainability and carbon footprints associated with water treatment, while the production of commercially attractive algal biomass helps to offset costs associated with the water treatment system itself.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Kevin McGraw, Terry Cromwell, and Rick Johnson of ClearAs Water Recovery (Missoula, MT) and James Stephens and Adrienne Bull of Blue Marble Biomaterials (Missoula, MT) for assistance and support. We would also like to thank Alan Shiller, Center for Trace Analysis, University of Southern Mississippi.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA

    Carrine E. Blank, Ryan W. Parks & Nancy W. Hinman

  2. Max-Planck-Straße 2, 18059, Rostock, Germany

    Ryan W. Parks

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  1. Carrine E. Blank
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  2. Ryan W. Parks
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Correspondence to Carrine E. Blank.

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Funding sources

R.W. Parks was supported by a Watkins Scholarship from the University of Montana Davidson Honors College. Additional funding was acquired through RocketHub.com (funded by Teresa and Randy Parks, Laura Memhard Fleming, Aaron Seltzer, David Heinrich Huning, Danielle Benjamin, Judy Glasgow, and Erika Hargadine) and through a grant (contract no. RRG-14-1554) from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Conflict of interest

CEB and NWH declare they are listed as inventors under U.S. Patent Nos. 8,673,619 and 9,102,552 “Production of cyanobacterial or algal biomass using chitin as a nitrogen source” and U.S. Patent Application No. 14/818,011 “Process of treating Buchu Mercaptan production wastewater using microalgae and chitin as a nitrogen source.” RWP declares that he was an Environmental Technician at Inland Empire Paper Company from Jul 2014 until Jun 2015.

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Blank, C.E., Parks, R.W. & Hinman, N.W. Chitin: a potential new alternative nitrogen source for the tertiary, algal-based treatment of pulp and paper mill wastewater. J Appl Phycol 28, 2753–2766 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-016-0808-5

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