ABSTRACT Harvesting is a critical step in microalgal biomass production process for many reasons. Among the existing techniques available for harvesting and dewatering microalgal biomass, recovery from aqueous medium by coagulation-flocculation has been the most economically viable process, althoughit is highly dependent on pH. This study aims to assess alternative coagulants compared to the standard coagulant aluminum sulfate for microalgal biomass recovery from anaerobic effluent of domestic sewage treatment. The effluent quality was also analyzed after biomass recovery. Coagulants represented by modified tannin, cationic starch and aluminum sulfate recovered more than 90% of algae biomass, at concentrations greater than 80 mg/L, in the pH range 7-10. Cationic starch promoted higher microalgal biomass recovery with a wider pH range. Powdered seeds of Moringa oleifera and Hibiscus esculentus(okra) gum promoted biomass removal of 50%, only in the acidic range of pH. After sedimentation of the microalgal biomass, the effluents showed a removal of >80% for phosphorus and nitrogen values and >50% for BOD and COD when using aluminum sulfate, cationic starch and modified tannin as coagulants. Natural organic coagulants in a wide pH range can replace aluminum sulfate, a reference coagulant in microalgal biomass recovery, without decreasing microalgal biomass harvesting efficiency and the quality of the final effluent.

RESUMO: O uso de biomassa fúngica como biocatalisadora lipásica representa uma atraente abordagem para o tratamento de águas residuais oleosas e produção de biodiesel, a partir de óleos e graxas residuais, devido à sua maior estabilidade, possibilidade de reuso e baixo custo. Neste trabalho foram obtidos cem isolados de fungos, a partir de escumas de caixa de gordura e esgoto, solo e tecidos necrosados de plantas e insetos, que foram avaliados quanto ao crescimento e à atividade lipásica, no meio de cultura básico, para atividade lipásica extracelular, e meio mineral mínimo + óleo de soja + rodamina, para atividade lipásica intracelular, com resposta positiva e diferenciada de 66 deles, inclusos como pertencentes aos gêneros Aspergillus , Beauveria , Botrytis , Cladosporium , Colletotrichum , Fusarium , Geotrichum , Penicillium , Rhizomucor e Verticillium . Na sequência, o potencial hidrolítico dos isolados Penicillium sp. F002 e Rhizomucor sp. F018 foi avaliado sobre óleo de soja comestível e escuma de caixa de gordura, em fermentação em estado sólido, através da quantificação das variáveis: produção de CO2, remoção do teor de óleos e graxas e crescimento da biomassa. Os resultados confirmaram a elevada atividade lipásica extracelular de Penicillium sp. F002 e a elevada atividade lipásica intracelular de Rhizomucor sp. F018. Portanto, o isolado Rhizomucor sp. F018 mostrou potencial para utilização em pesquisas futuras, na forma de células integrais lipásicas, para o tratamento de águas residuais oleosas e como biocatalisador na produção de biodiesel a partir de resíduos oleosos.

ABSTRACT: The use of fungal biomass as a lipase biocatalyst represents an attractive approach for the treatment of oil wastewater and production of biodiesel from oil and residual grease, due to its greater stability, possibility of reuse, and lower cost. In this work, a hundred filamentous fungi were isolated from grease trap and sewage scums, soil, and necrotized plants and insects tissues. The isolates were assessed for growth and lipase activity in the culture basic medium, for extracellular lipase activity, and mineral medium minimum + soybean oil + rhodamine, for intracellular lipase activity, with positive and differential response of 66 of them, including those belonging to the genera Aspergillus , Beauveria , Botrytis , Cladosporium , Colletotrichum , Fusarium , Geotrichum , Penicillium , Rhizomucor , and Verticillium . Following, previously selected Penicillium sp F002 and Rhizomucor sp. F018 isolates were evaluated in solid-state fermentation, for the hydrolytic potential on edible soybean oil and grease trap scum, quantified by: CO2 production, removal of the content of oils and greases, and biomass growth. Results confirmed the high extracellular lipase-activity of Penicillium sp. F002 and the high intracellular lipase activity of Rhizomucor sp. F018. Therefore, the isolated Rhizomucor sp. ECG18 showed potential for use in future research, in the form of whole-cell lipases, for oily wastewater treatment, and as a biocatalyst in the production of biodiesel from oil residues.

Blooms of cyanobacteria represent a public health risk due to their cyanotoxins such as microcystins. Liquid chromatography techniques to separate and quantify microcystins invariably use acetonitrile as the organic component of the mobile phase. The price and availability of acetonitrile together with its elevated toxicity encourage the validation of acetonitrile-free methods of microcystin analysis. In this work, methanol was employed as the organic solvent of the mobile phase and the validation method was performed with different environmental water samples. The method showed limits of detection between 0.17 and 0.25 µg/L and of quantification between 0.55 and 0.82 µg/L for the microcystin variants: -RR, -YR, -LR, -LA.