Indian researchers lead team developing algae bioremediation technology

December 28, 2021 |

In India, a team of scientists from India (Algae Research and Bioenergy Lab, Uttaranchal University; Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University; and Department of Biotechnology, Dolphin (P.G.) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences), Korea (Department of Environmental Engineering, The University of Seoul), and Russia (Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Department of Environmental Monitoring and Forecasting, RUDN University), have developed wastewater treatment technology based on algal bioremediation. Their study is published in Science of the Total Environment.

For their experiments, the researchers collected the Pseudochlorella pringsheimii microalgae strain from a natural pond and cultivated it in artificial tanks of raw urban wastewater which contained various heavy metal pollutants and antibiotic resistant bacteria. After 14 days of cultivation, they measured three parameters in these tanks: the water quality, and growth and biochemical composition of P. pringsheimii. They also assessed the possibility of using the microalgae-treated water for fish farming.

The findings of this pilot-scale study were extremely encouraging. P. pringsheimii cultivation significantly improved the water quality by removing heavy metals and harmful microorganisms.

In addition, while no sucker fish survived in raw wastewater, in treated wastewater, 84% of them not only survived but over ten days, their bodyweight also increased by 47%.

This new technology is, thus, a remarkable success in eco-friendly wastewater treatment research and highlights the suitability of using treated water for low-cost fish cultivation.

Category: Research

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