Research Publications Authored by SLIIT Staff

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This collection includes all SLIIT staff publications presented at external conferences and published in external journals. The materials are organized by faculty to facilitate easy retrieval.

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Author: search.filters.author.Rajapakshe, DSubject: search.filters.subject.circular bioeconomy

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Valorization of Canteen Wastewater Through Optimized Spirulina Platensis Cultivation for Enhanced Carotenoid Production and Nutrient Removal
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2026-01-14) Dodangodage, C. A; Gamage, G.N; Wijesekara, I.A; Kasturiarachchi, J.C; Perera, T.A; Rajapakshe, D; Halwatura, R.U
    The valorization of nutrient-rich institutional effluents represents a promising route for sustainable algal biotechnology. This study investigates the potential of canteen wastewater (CW) as an alternative culture medium for Spirulina platensis, integrating wastewater treatment with high-value carotenoid and lipid production. Growth performance, biochemical composition, and nutrient removal efficiencies were systematically evaluated in 2 L photobioreactors under optimized conditions. Spirulina cultured in 75% CW under 180 μmol photons m−2 s−1 achieved a biomass productivity of 0.071 g L−1 day−1, nearly three-fold higher than the synthetic BG-11 control (0.023 g L−1 day−1). Nutrient remediation was highly efficient, with 92.12% nitrate and 90.05% phosphate removal, effectively reducing effluent concentrations below discharge limits. Biochemical profiling revealed that wastewater-grown biomass contained 54.3% protein and 7.85% lipids, with a remarkable carotenoid yield of 21.81 mg g−1 DW—significantly higher than the control (6.85 mg g−1 DW). Mechanistic analysis suggests that the balanced nutrient stoichiometry (C:N:P ≈ 30:4:1) and mixotrophic conditions enhanced biomass quality while mitigating ammonia toxicity. This study demonstrates the first integrated application of canteen wastewater for dual-purpose bioremediation and pigment-rich biomass production, establishing a scalable circular bioeconomy framework for institutional waste management.