Project Details
Description
The Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of Costa Rica, concentrates more than 50% of the population.
The increasing population aggravates some problems such as the contamination of water bodies
that nourish the central area of our country. There is a great deficit of ecosystemic and cultural
services, given the scarcity of green areas, the largest of which is the Parque de la Paz. Due to this,
the GAM presents serious impacts on the environment, negatively affecting the public health,
sustainability, and development index scores of our country. The present research proposes to
address the problem of emerging pollutants generated in the GAM, through the use of microalgae
cultivated at the ITCR, for the reduction of pathogens and chemical contaminants, together with the
detection and monitoring of the reduction of emerging pollutants and potential pathogenic
microorganisms, specifically using the Parque de la Paz Lake as a model. Microalgae have been
shown to efficiently eliminate pathogenic contaminants, chemicals and emerging pollutants by up
to 100%, depending on the species. This proposal is the continuation of the Microalgae Laboratory's
research line N°2 "Waste and water treatment using microalgae", initiated 5 years ago, and in
conjunction with the Central Conservation Area of the María Aguilar Interurban Biological Corridor
(CBIMA) and the Municipality of San José, who direct actions to improve access to green areas,
improve biodiversity (flora and fauna) and the quality of life of the 402,468 inhabitants of this area
(8% of the country), having as one of its priorities the treatment of the La Paz Park Lake. For this,
three strains of microalgae will be used and their bioremediation potential and application in scale
bioreactors that model lake conditions will be determined, contemplating the water and its
sediments. This will serve as a first phase for the development of a technological proposal for the
improvement of the water bodies of the GAM. Therefore, this proposal contributes to the sustainable
development goals defined by UNDP: 6-Clean water and Sanitation and 11-Sustainable cities and
communities.
The increasing population aggravates some problems such as the contamination of water bodies
that nourish the central area of our country. There is a great deficit of ecosystemic and cultural
services, given the scarcity of green areas, the largest of which is the Parque de la Paz. Due to this,
the GAM presents serious impacts on the environment, negatively affecting the public health,
sustainability, and development index scores of our country. The present research proposes to
address the problem of emerging pollutants generated in the GAM, through the use of microalgae
cultivated at the ITCR, for the reduction of pathogens and chemical contaminants, together with the
detection and monitoring of the reduction of emerging pollutants and potential pathogenic
microorganisms, specifically using the Parque de la Paz Lake as a model. Microalgae have been
shown to efficiently eliminate pathogenic contaminants, chemicals and emerging pollutants by up
to 100%, depending on the species. This proposal is the continuation of the Microalgae Laboratory's
research line N°2 "Waste and water treatment using microalgae", initiated 5 years ago, and in
conjunction with the Central Conservation Area of the María Aguilar Interurban Biological Corridor
(CBIMA) and the Municipality of San José, who direct actions to improve access to green areas,
improve biodiversity (flora and fauna) and the quality of life of the 402,468 inhabitants of this area
(8% of the country), having as one of its priorities the treatment of the La Paz Park Lake. For this,
three strains of microalgae will be used and their bioremediation potential and application in scale
bioreactors that model lake conditions will be determined, contemplating the water and its
sediments. This will serve as a first phase for the development of a technological proposal for the
improvement of the water bodies of the GAM. Therefore, this proposal contributes to the sustainable
development goals defined by UNDP: 6-Clean water and Sanitation and 11-Sustainable cities and
communities.
General Objective
Evaluar la capacidad de cepas autóctonas de microalgas
para la biorremediación de contaminantes emergentes y saneamiento de
cuerpos de agua de la GAM (modelo: Lago del Parque La Paz)
para la biorremediación de contaminantes emergentes y saneamiento de
cuerpos de agua de la GAM (modelo: Lago del Parque La Paz)
Research Lines
Biotecnología Ambiental
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/07/22 → 30/06/24 |
Keywords
- bioremediation
- microalgae
- conservation
- sanitation
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