Sustainable approach for the treatment of poultry manure and starchy wastewater by integrating dark fermentation and microalgal cultivation

Dwindling fossil fuels, and the rise in energy demand have urged us to explore alternative renewable energy forms. An integrated process of dark fermentation and microalgal cultivation to deliver biofuels are gaining momentum in recent times. In this study, in the first stage, the starchy wastewater (SWW) with poultry manure (PM) was treated to produce a maximum hydrogen yield of 4.11 mol H 2 /Kg COD reduced to 5.03 mol H 2 /Kg COD reduced . The reutilization of soluble spent wash for the cultivation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii yielded a biomass concentration of 1.45–1.02 g/L. The potentiality of algae to produce biodiesel was checked effectively, and it was reported that a biodiesel of 90.34 g/Kg Algal Biomass to 119.61 g/Kg Algal was yielded. The integration of the process enhanced the overall energy with an efficient removal of organic content. In conclusion, the valorisation of PM with SWW through dark fermentation and microalgal cultivation will open avenues to generate sustainable bioenergy forms. Graphic abstract