Purple phototrophic bacteria - biofilm technology for microbial protein production

International audiencePurple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) can be enriched as concentrated biofilm on submerged, infrared illuminatedsurfaces, to mediate organics and nutrient removal and recovery as protein-rich biomass. Laboratory andfield reactors were designed using either artificial or natural illuminate. The reactors were used to assessbiomass production and consistency during separate treatment of piggery effluent, poultry effluent andred meat processing wastewater. In all cases, PPB growth was successful; however, COD conversion andbiomass yields were variable. Growth consistency and product quality ultimately determines the applicabilityof PPB biomass as microbial protein and its value for the manufacturer. This is crucially important for theadvancement of PPB mediated technology as photobioreactors are both, capital and operationally expensiveand the costs need to be balanced with a high-quality, consistent product to generate a revenue strea