Spirulina (Spirulina platensis (Gomont) Geitler 1925) is a cyanobacteria used as an ecologically sound, nutrient-rich dietary supplement. These microalgae have the capability to produce the least-cost protein per unit area compared to livestock and are therefore being investigated to address malnutrition and food security. Apart from the variety of components, such as animal feed, fertilizer, and cosmetics, produced from Spirulina, phytoremediation of wastewater using Spirulina is an economically viable and environmentally sound tactic. A study was carried out with the objectives of the quick removal of waste from selected wastewaters produced by agro-based industries and the identification of suitable organic wastes as costless media for growing S. platensis for its powder production. Wastewater from fishponds and poultry units, grain-soaked water, and parboiled rice liquid waste were selected as treatments and inoculated with stock cultures of S. platensis. Treatments were replicated three times along with Zarrouk’s medium as standard control and arranged in a randomized complete block design. The chemical parameters of wastes, such as OD value, pH, and EC (mS/cm), and the growth of Spirulina were measured using a UH5300-Spectrophotometer with a wavelength of 560 nm at two-day intervals. The derived data were analyzed using SAS 9.4, and the significance of results among treatments was determined according to Duncan’s multiple range test, with p < 0.05. The results showed that poultry wastewater was a suitable medium for S. platensis growth, with a harvestable density of 0.8 at a very low concentration (25%) in 7 days compared to standard Zarrouk’s medium. The maximum and significant OD value of 1.313 was observed on day 15 in poultry wastewater and was non-significant among other treatments at p < 0.05. For fishpond wastewater, the maximum OD value of 0.567 was obtained on day 15. The pH value of poultry wastewater declined from 9.28 to 7.5 after 15 days. The EC values among the treatments were not significant. Among the selected liquid media, poultry wastewater promotes growth of S. platensis better than other locally available wastewaters tested. This experiment concludes that agro-based industries’ wastewater can be bio-remediated by Spirulina and that nutrient-enriched wastewater can be used for the mass culture of Spirulina without nutrient supplements.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.