This study evaluated the toxicity of herbicide atrazine, along with its bioaccumulation and biodegradation in the green microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana. At low concentration (10 μg L(-1)), atrazine had no profound effect on the microalga, while higher concentrations (25, 50, and 100 μg L(-1)) imposed toxicity, leading to inhibition of cell growth and chlorophyll a accumulation by 22 %, 33 %, and 36 %, and 13 %, 24 %, and 27 %, respectively. Atrazine 96-h EC50 for C. mexicana was estimated to be 33 μg L(-1). Microalga showed a capability to accumulate atrazine in the cell and to biodegrade the cell-accumulated atrazine resulting in 14-36 % atrazine degradation at 10-100 μg L(-1). Increasing atrazine concentration decreased the total fatty acids (from 102 to 75 mg g(-1)) and increased the unsaturated fatty acid content in the microalga. Carbohydrate content increased gradually with the increase in atrazine concentration up to 15 %. This study shows that C. mexicana has the capability to degrade atrazine and can be employed for the remediation of atrazine-contaminated streams.
Exhaust gases from thermal power plants have the highest amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), presenting an environmental problem related to a severe impact on ecosystems. Extensively, the reduction of CO2 from thermal power plants has been considered with the aid of microalgae as a cost-effective, sustainable solution, and efficient biological means for recycling of CO2. Microalgae can efficiently uptake CO2 and nutrients resulting in high generation of biomass and which can be processed into different valuable products. In this study, we have taken Nephroselmis sp. KGE8, Acutodesmus obliquus KGE 17 and Acutodesmus obliquus KGE32 microalgae, which are isolated from acid mine drainage and cultivated in a photobiological incubator on a batch scale, and also confirmed that continuous culture was possible on pilot scale for biofuel production. We also evaluated the continuous culture productivity of each cultivate-harvest cycle in the pilot scale. The biomass of the cultivated microalgae was also evaluated for its availability.
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