title: Economic feasibility of microalgal bacterial floc production for wastewater treatment and biomass valorization: A detailed up-to-date analysis of up-scaled pilot results.
abstract: The economic potential of outdoor microalgal bacterial floc (MaB-floc) raceway ponds as wastewater treatment technology and bioresource of biomass for fertilizer, shrimp feed, phycobiliproteins and biogas in Northwest Europe is assessed. This assessment is based on cost data provided by industry experts, on experimental data obtained from pilot-scale outdoor MaB-floc ponds treating aquaculture and food-industry effluents, and from different biomass valorization tests. MaB-floc ponds exhibit a cost-performance of EUR 0.25-0.50m-3wastewater which is similar to conventional wastewater treatment technologies. The production cost of MaB-flocs in aquaculture and food industry effluent is EUR 5.29 and 8.07kg-1TSS, respectively. Capital costs and pond mixing costs are the major expenses. Commercializing MaB-flocs as aquaculture feed generates substantial revenues, but the largest profit potential lies in production of high-purity phycobiliproteins from MaB-flocs. These results highlight the large economic potential of MaB-floc technology, and justify its further development.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental Economics and Management (CEEM), Department of General Economics, Ghent University, Tweekerkenstraat 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: http://www.ceem.ugent.be.
authors.forename: Elien
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vulsteke
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Water and Ecotechnology (LIWET), Department of Industrial Biological Sciences, Ghent University, Graaf Karel de Goedelaan 5, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; Centro Nacional de Acuicultura e Investigaciones Marinas, CENAIM, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Electronic address: http://www.ibw.ugent.be.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Den Hende
authors.affiliation: Bebouwen en Bewaren - Water Sanitation and Ponds, Beukendreef 22, B-8020 Hertsberge, Belgium. Electronic address: info@bebouwenenbewaren.be.
authors.forename: Lode
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bourez
authors.affiliation: Catael - Automation, Doornikserijksweg 149, B-8510 Bellegem, Kortrijk, Belgium. Electronic address: http://www.catael.be.
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Capoen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Industrial Water and Ecotechnology (LIWET), Department of Industrial Biological Sciences, Ghent University, Graaf Karel de Goedelaan 5, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium. Electronic address: Diederik.Rousseau@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Diederik P L
authors.initials: DPL
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental Economics and Management (CEEM), Department of General Economics, Ghent University, Tweekerkenstraat 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Johan.Albrecht@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albrecht
mesh_terms: D017756:Aquaculture; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D005060:Europe; D058086:Microalgae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D010865:Pilot Projects; D062065:Wastewater; D018508:Water Purification / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Algae; Economic analysis; MaB-floc; Scale-up; Valorization