Utilização da vinhaça como meio de cultivo para a microalga Chlorella sp e para cianobactéria Spirulina platenis

Abstract

Vinhaça is the residue obtained after the fractionated distillation of sugar cane and is characterized for presenting in its composition a high content of organic substances becoming a preoccupying pollutant agent, since it can modify the characteristics of the ground, subterranean and superficial waters. However, vinhaça possess a great value as fertilizing and it is already used in the proper sugar cane farmings and can also be used as culture medium for other organisms. The current work had as objective to evaluate the culture of the micro algae Chlorella sp in different concentrations of vinhaça, as well as to extract the oil of the produced biomass. Vinhaça was gotten of a sugar cane industry of the Ceará State, where it is stored in tanks of accumulation, while the micro algae Chlorella sp was isolated from cultures of the cianobacterium Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis. Culture mediums were prepared with the concentrations of 0.13; 0.16; 0.20; 0.23; 0.27; 0.30; 0.60 and 0.70% of vinhaça diluted in water containing 10 g L-1 sodium bicarbonate. For the determination of the frequency of vinhaça use in the culture medium, it was administered daily, in alternating days and to each two days, using a 0,87% concentration. The micro algae population growth curves were obtained through the cellular counting in Newbauer chamber and the equations were adjusted by the polynomial function of Origin 6.0 software. The results showed that Chlorella sp presented a better development with vinhaça 0,2% administered to the culture medium in alternating days. The reduction of the bicarbonate concentration to 5 g L-1 resulted in death of the culture due the culture medium acidification. The algal biomass attainment by flocculation with NaOH 2N was not so efficient due to the high culture medium pH and it was obtained an income of only 0,08 g L-1. On the other hand, the dry biomass presented a high content of total oils reaching 17%. In such a way, Chlorella sp micro algae presents a great potential to use vinhaça as the main nutrient of the culture medium and due to the great availability of salty and brackish water in the Ceará State, a large scale production of this micro algae could be used for the treatment of this effluent although it is necessary an economical analyses of the other required nutrients costs