Executive Summary : | Objective: Pilot scale demonstration of coal mine water usage for commercial algal production for combating malnutrition; Algae based food – fertilizer production and phytoremediation technology integrated with coal mine water Summary: World Bank estimates, India is one of the highest ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition. Despite India's 50% increase in GDP since 1991, more than one third of the world's malnourished children live in India. Among these, half of the children under three years old are underweight. One of the major causes for malnutrition in India is economic inequality. Due to the low social status of some population groups, their diet often lacks in both quality and quantity. Women who suffer malnutrition are less likely to have healthy babies. Deficiencies in nutrition inflict long term damage to both individuals and society. Compared with their better fed peers, nutrition-deficient individuals are more likely to have infectious diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, which lead to a higher mortality rate. In addition, nutrition deficient individuals are less productive at work. Low productivity not only gives them low pay that traps them in a vicious circle of under nutrition, but also brings inefficiency to the society, especially in India where labour is a major input factor for economic production.
Algae can provide a significant source of a diverse number of essential nutrients to support human health. Currently, many microalgae are acquiring increasing biotechnological interest because they can produce a number of nutraceutical compounds. Microalgae have gained particular popularity as a dietary suplement in industrialized countries, where the intake of calories is high but that of micronutrients tends to be low. Spirulina, chorella and dunaliella belong to the most commonly found species. In addition to their nutritional value, microalgae bear many potential benefits for human health conditions
The proposed project exclusively relates to integrated methods and systems for utilizing coal mine water as a nutrient source along with modified growth media derived from coal mine water for micro algae culture. Furhher a novel 'fibrous matrix photo-bioreactor' will be designed and used for algal culture. The present proposal provides methods for micro algae using mine water as growth media for micro algae and value added products extraction.
To maximize both the economical and energetic efficiency of the process, it will be necessary t use species of algae which have high tolerant for coal contaminant waters and which are able to convert the coal contaminated water into usage water, in addition to have the ability to produce a high amount of valuable biomolecules. The mechanisms of pollutant removal in algal treatment technology include sorption, sedimentation, volatilization and chemical transformations. Algal cells bio-accumulate as much as 99% of the nutrients contained in wastewater and produce a valuable protein rich biomass. The algae act as a nutrient sink absorbing primarily N,P,K,Ca,Na,Cl and C (mainly autotrophic growth with atmospheric CO2 as carbon source). Algal based technology has so far appeared as a promising technology being highly effective, simple and cheap.
Currently, lot of R&D work is underway world wide to develop and commercialize algae based waste water conversion technology. Large companies such as Duke energy, the third largest electric power holding company of USA are actively working on various aspects of algal technology. A number of universities have also started taking a special interest in biological methods of carbon conversion. Goverment policies specially in the US and Europe, are alsosupporting the growth of algae based carbon conversion technologies. If the challengesassociated with algae based technology are addressed successfully, the technology will present a solution not only to the glbal warming problem but also able to reduce the food demand.
The innovative methadology proposed harein aims to culture micro algae in hybrid photo-bioreactors, using coal mine water. To maximize the economic and energy efficiency of the process, it will be necessary to culture such species of algae which can thrive in coal mine water and also exhibit high solar energy conversion efficiency. The proposed large scale cultivation of micro algae will be in outdoor modified hybrid reactor system and rely on natural light for illumination, |
