The purpose of the study was comparison of two configurations of photobioreactors an open-type photobioreactor open to atmosphere and a tubular type photobioreactor closed to the atmosphere. Organic matter was fairly removed under both configurations at 50-60% and biomass carbon content on dry weight basis accounted for 45%. Both configurations were able to completely exhaust ammonium, however different mechanism removals were responsible for the different influent loads applied. In terms of nitrogen recovery by biomass assimilation, the open configuration ranged 38-47% whereas the closed type presented 31%. It is worth to mention that nitrification-denitrification was taking place under both photobioreactor configurations. Approximately 80% phosphate removal was achieved regardless the configuration and biomass P content was slightly higher in the closed-type reactor. For nutrient recycling, biomass harvesting is described as the key issue of this technology. Nevertheless, the closed configuration highlighted the great potential of the biofilm formation by retaining 96% of the total biomass produced. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.