Production of seed oxygenic photogranules via mixed state (hydrodynamic) cultivation
•Wastewater Treatment Systems: Scalable, energy-efficient systems for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.
•Decentralized Treatment Units: Compact systems for rural, remote, or small-scale applications.
•Bioenergy Feedstock Production: Biomass generation for renewable energy or bioproducts.
•Environmental Remediation Kits: Deployable units for nutrient removal in agriculture or aquaculture runoff.
•Research & Education Tools: Lab-scale kits for studying microbial granulation and phototrophic processes.
•Energy Efficiency: Reduces or eliminates the need for mechanical aeration by leveraging photosynthetic oxygen production.
•Rapid Granule Formation: Cultivates oxygenic photogranules (OPGs) in as little as 6–8 days, compared to weeks in prior methods.
•Scalability: Proven effectiveness from lab-scale (1 L) to larger systems (190 L), with potential for industrial scale-up.
•Improved Biomass Settleability: Produces dense, stable granules that settle quickly, simplifying separation and reuse.
•Versatility: Adaptable to various wastewater types and operational conditions, including different light intensities and mixing speeds.
This technology enables the rapid cultivation of oxygenic photogranules (OPGs)—dense microbial granules formed from filamentous cyanobacteria, microalgae, and bacteria/protozoa—using controlled light and agitation in a water-based medium. These granules naturally produce oxygen and consume organic waste, making them ideal for energy-efficient wastewater treatment. The system balances light intensity, shear stress, and sludge concentration to optimize granule formation in as little as 6–8 days, with proven scalability from lab to industrial settings.
Prof. Chul Park is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Mager lab focuses on microbial physiology and the role of extracellular polymeric substances in bioaggregation, photogranulation phenomenon in diverse environment, production and fate of microbial dissolved organic nitrogen and its impact on algal blooms in estuarine and coastal water, and minimizing sludge production during waste water treatment.
Available for Licensing and/or Sponsored Research
UMA 19-058
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