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Industrial Wastewater Research & feasibility stage

For companies treating or recovering industrial wastewater

We are developing technology that purifies industrial wastewater containing nitrogen, phosphorus and organics with microalgae while recovering it as biomass. We start with a suitability evaluation of a sample of your effluent.

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Current stage

Research & feasibility stage

Continuous treatment of real effluent is under development. We are currently accepting joint validation starting from lab evaluation of whether algae can grow in, and take up nitrogen and phosphorus from, each type of effluent.

Challenges in this industry

Nitrogen and phosphorus compliance and cost

Meeting discharge limits and paying for chemicals and treatment steps is a burden.

Energy used in treatment

There is pressure to cut the energy used for aeration and the CO₂ emissions it causes.

Sludge disposal costs

Sludge from treatment brings ongoing disposal costs.

Decarbonisation and circularity expectations

Customers and investors expect effluent to be treated as a resource.

What Novelgen can offer

Effluent sample suitability evaluation

In the lab we check whether algae grow in your effluent and how much nitrogen and phosphorus they take up.

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Small-scale validation

Depending on the results, we plan a small-scale validation with Bloomo (water treatment).

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Turning recovered biomass into resources

We also look at using recovered algae as feed, fertilizer feedstock or biochar.

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Evidence and public information

Removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater by microalgae is widely reported in peer-reviewed literature (including reports of over 90% removal of both nitrogen and phosphorus with photobioreactors combined with membrane separation). Performance varies greatly with effluent composition, so we confirm it with an individual sample evaluation.

Zero-emission water treatment for plants and buildings Resource recovery at sewage treatment plants

References

  1. Mohsenpour S.F., et al. Integrating micro-algae into wastewater treatment: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 2021, 752, 142168. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142168
  2. Stiles W.A.V., et al. Using microalgae in the circular economy to valorise anaerobic digestate: challenges and opportunities. Bioresource Technology, 2018, 267, 732–742. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.100

How a PoC works

  1. STEP 1

    Discovery

    We learn about the type, volume and variability of your effluent, your discharge limits and targets, and your existing treatment flow.

  2. STEP 2

    Lab suitability evaluation

    We confirm algal growth and nitrogen/phosphorus uptake using a sample.

  3. STEP 3

    Small-scale validation

    If results are promising, we plan validation on site or at pilot scale.

  4. STEP 4

    Implementation planning

    We decide on feasibility including scale, cost and use of the recovered algae.

What to prepare

  • An effluent sample (a few litres)
  • Water-quality data (COD/BOD, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, pH, SS, temperature, etc.)
  • Effluent volume and its daily and seasonal variation
  • Discharge limits and treatment targets, and your existing treatment flow

Frequently asked questions

Can we deploy right away?
At this point, engagements are joint validations starting from sample evaluation and small-scale trials. Continuous-treatment equipment is under development.
What kind of effluent is suitable?
Effluents rich in nitrogen and phosphorus (such as food-processing effluent) are generally considered suitable for algal cultivation. Effluents with heavy metals or inhibitory substances need prior evaluation.
Can it be combined with existing treatment?
We envisage integration as a downstream step or partial replacement of existing treatment. The configuration is designed from the evaluation results.
What happens to the recovered algae?
We also look at turning them into feed, fertilizer feedstock or biochar.
Will our effluent data stay confidential?
Evaluations are carried out under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Note: this page is an overview based on public information. Technical details such as strains, cultivation conditions and individual test data are shared after a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is signed.

Related pages

Aquaculture & seedling production

Stable supply of feed microalgae and land-based short-term fattening of oysters and other bivalves.

Agriculture & fertilizer

Co-development of fertilizer feedstock and soil amendments from algal biomass.

Anaerobic digestion (digestate)

Recover nitrogen and phosphorus from biogas-plant digestate with microalgae.

Talk to us about industrial wastewater

Start by telling us the type of effluent and the problem you face. We will explain how a sample evaluation works.

Talk to us about this industry