Phycoremediation of sewage wastewater using selective algae for manure production

TLDR: In this article, the authors have made an effort to phycoremediate the IARI's sewage wastewater with different microalgae viz. Chlorella minutissima, Scendesmus spp & BGA (Nostoc) and their consortium.

Abstract: Phycoremediation is the process of employing algae for removing excess nutrient load from wastewater and subsequently diminish the pollution load. It is an alternative technology of treating sewage wastewater compare to conventional treatment process in economical and sustainable way. Therefore, in the present investigation we had made an effort to phycoremediate the IARI’s sewage wastewater with different microalgae viz. Chlorella minutissima, Scendesmus spp & BGA (Nostoc) and their consortium. Results showed that these algae were very effective in reduction of BOD5, COD, NO3, NH4, PO43 and TDS in sewage wastewater. Further, it has been observed that Chlorella was having best phycoremediation potential as well as manure production among all three microalgae and even better than consortium. Among the potential uses of algal biomass from such systems is its use as a slow release fertilizer. After 20 days microalgae were harvested using muslin cloth and fresh and dry weigh were determined. The maximum biomass was observed in Scendesmus spp and Chlorella minutissima while percentage of nitrogen and phosphorus was highest in Chlorella minutissima . So we could conclude that Chlorella minutissima has the best manurial potential. The results of this study suggest that growing algae in nutrient-rich sewage wastewater offers a new option of applying algae to manage the nutrient load and after phycoremediation the biomass itself can be utilized for manure application in agriculture, serving the dual roles of nutrient reduction and valuable manure feedstock production.