Scale-Up and Enzymatic Characterization of Trichoderma koningiopsis Fermented on a Microalgal Consortium from Domestic Sewage Treatment

Abstract

The increasing demographic growth and urbanization pose significant challenges for sanitation and pollution control. This study evaluated the feasibility of scaling up a fermentation process using microalgae cultivated in domestic sewage as a substrate and Trichoderma koningiopsis as the fermentative agent to produce enzymes of environmental relevance. Microalgae were grown in wastewater from the Candeia Sewage Treatment Plant (Bauru, SP, Brazil), and fermentations were carried out at both small and bench-scale, the latter conducted in an airlift bioreactor under previously optimized conditions. The methodology involved characterizing the microalgal biomass and quantifying a broad enzymatic profile. The results showed that Trichoderma koningiopsis effectively utilized biomass as a substrate, thereby promoting enzyme production. The transition to large-scale production was positive, maintaining significant enzyme production and validating the robustness of the process under expanded conditions. Among the enzymes evaluated (amylase, cellulase, lipase, protease, peroxidase, laccase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide reductase), catalase exhibited the highest activity, reaching 7,344.83 U/mL in condition C1. These findings confirm that microalgal biomass derived from domestic wastewater is a viable resource for biotechnological applications, supporting the development of sustainable, scalable processes for producing industrial enzymes.