Use of mining effluents for the production of algal-based colorants

Abstract

In this research, a mining effluent was used to produce microalgal and cyanobacterial biomass to obtain red (carotenoids) and blue pigments (phycocyanin). Two strains were isolated from a hydrothermal source in Norte de Santander and grown in mining wastewater mixed with 50% BG-11 medium for the Osci_UFPS01 cyanobacterium and 50% with Bold Basal medium for the Chlo_UFPS01 microalgae. A carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus experiment design was developed, and subsequent response surface analysis (RSM) was used to determine the optimal operating conditions for the formation of the products of interest. A notable decrease in pigment production was observed compared to that in the controls without mining wastewater. Overall, 45% of phycocyanin (C PC) per unit dry weight (DW) and 1,129% (w/w) of carotenoids were obtained in the cultures with a mining wastewater mixture in the final optimization processes.