Use of microalgae in the bioremediation of water eutrophicated by domestic effluent in an urban pond in the Amazon

Abstract

The disposal of domestic effluents without an adequate treatment may increase nitrogen and phosphorus levels in natural water bodies. Bioremediation using microalgae is one of the solutions for treating effluents before disposal. We tested the effect of Scenedesmus acuminatus, Chlorella vulgaris and Planktothrix isothrix, as well as the effect of water dilution, on the nutrient concentration in water eutrophicated by domestic effluent in an urban lake in the Brazilian Amazon. We inoculated the three species in monoculture in undiluted water (PW0), and 50% (PW50) and 90% (PW90) diluted water. The experiment lasted 10 days and every 24 hours we removed a bottle of each treatment for nutrient analysis. The three species were equally efficient in removing ammonia in PW0. Nitrate removal rate was highest for Chlorella vulgaris in PW0, and higher for C. vulgaris and P. isothrix in PW50 and PW90. Orthophosphate removal efficiency was higher for S. acuminatus and C. vulgaris in PW0, equally efficient for the three species in PW50, and higher for C. vulgaris and P. isothrix in PW90. We concluded that the three species of microalgae tested are efficient in removing ammonia. Scenedesmus acuminatus was not an ideal species for nitrate removal. Planktothrix isothrix was efficient in removing nutrients when domestic wastewater is diluted. Chlorella vulgaris was efficient in removing nutrients from domestic wastewater whether diluted or not.