Treatment FAQ

what is the role of algae in wastewater treatment

by Pierce Beer Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Algae can be used in wastewater treatment for a range of purposes, including; 1. reduction of BOD, 2. removal of N and/or P, 3. inhibition of coliforms, 4. removal of heavy metals. ∗. The high concentration of N and P in most wastewaters also means these wastewaters may possibly be used as cheap nutrient sources for algal biomass production.

Algae benefit wastewater treatment by producing oxygen that allows aerobic bacteria to breakdown organic contaminants in the water and taking up excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the process. It is also a sustainable and affordable alternative to current wastewater treatment practices.

Full Answer

What is algae-based wastewater treatment?

Algae-based wastewater treatment offers the most sustainable, cost-effective and energy efficient way to treat both municipal and industrial wastewater. Algae is “nature’s way” of addressing nutrients and removing them from water.

What is algae biomass and how is it used?

As the algae grows on the biofilm, nutrients (N and P) are removed from the wastewater. The resulting algal biomass can be used to create a variety of products, and helps generate revenue to offset the operational costs of the system.

What is algae and how does it affect water pollution?

Algae are the main the primary producers in all kinds of water bodies and they are involved in water pollution in a number of significant ways.

What is algae and why is it important?

Algae of many kinds are really good indicators of water quality and many lakes are characterized based on their dominant phytoplankton groups. Many desmids are known to be present in oligotrophic waters whilst a few species frequently occurs in eutrophic bodies of water.

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Which algae used in water purification and sewage treatment?

Chlorella – Chlorella is used for the removal of lead (II) ions from wastewater. It is also used to remove nutrients (N and P) from domestic wastewater. It is used in the treatment of diluted piggery waste and in the detoxification of cyanide from wastewater.

Why is algae being grown in wastewater?

Algae can grow in wastewater because of the nutrients found therein; one person's waste is another algae's food. Nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon—these byproducts of our waste are the nutrients algae need to grow.

How does algae improve water quality?

As a by-product of photosynthesis, algae also release oxygen into the water that can be used by fish and other aquatic animals.

What is the role of algae in pollution control?

Algae have shown to be effective in removing phosphorus compounds from wastewater compared to chemical process treatments 66. According to the literature, the eight most organic pollution tolerant microalgae were Euglena Chlamydomonas, Oscillatoria, Nitzschia, Chlorella, Navicula, Scenedesmus, and Stigeoclonium.

What is algae treatment?

Quick Facts: The quickest way to treat. algae in ponds is with copper based algaecides such as chelated copper complexes or copper sulfate. However, integrated management practices are the most effective way to manage algae in ponds and prevent it from quickly re- turning after an algaecide treatment.

Does algae get rid of waste?

Euglena, or green algae, are unicellular, microscopic protists. They alter their dietary needs based on their environment, and they have unique ways to expel excess fluids and waste.

What is the important of algae?

In addition to making organic molecules, algae produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. Algae produce an estimated 30 to 50 percent of the net global oxygen available to humans and other terrestrial animals for respiration.

Does algae clean the water?

Algae benefit wastewater treatment by producing oxygen that allows aerobic bacteria to breakdown organic contaminants in the water and taking up excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the process. It is also a sustainable and affordable alternative to current wastewater treatment practices.

Does algae decrease water quality?

When algae are living, they produce oxygen and are food for many water-dwelling organisms. But when algae die, decomposing bacteria suck the oxygen out of the water. Low oxygen levels can harm or kill fish and other aquatic life.

What is role of algae in environment?

They play a vital role in aquatic ecosystems by forming the energy base of the food web for all aquatic organisms. As autotrophic organisms, algae convert water and carbon dioxide to sugar through the process of photosynthesis.

Why does algae cause water pollution?

Elevated nutrient levels and algal blooms can also cause problems in drinking water in communities nearby and upstream from dead zones. Harmful algal blooms release toxins that contaminate drinking water, causing illnesses for animals and humans.

Does algae cause water pollution?

Nutrient pollution can create dead zones - areas in water with little or no oxygen - where aquatic life cannot survive. Also known as hypoxia, these areas are caused by algal blooms consuming oxygen as they die and decompose.

Water Treatment

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1. Introduction

Pollution of surface water has become one of the most important environmental problems. Two types of large and long-lasting pollution threats can be recognized at the global level: on the one hand, organic pollution leading to high organic content in aquatic ecosystems and, in the long term, to eutrophication.

2. Algae and water pollution

Algae are the main the primary producers in all kinds of water bodies and they are involved in water pollution in a number of significant ways.

3. Algae as bioindicators

Bioindicator organisms can be used to identify and qualify the effects of pollutants on the environment. Bioindicators can tell us about the cumulative effects of different pollutants in the ecosystem and about how long a problem may persist.

Plate 1

1.Stephanodiscus hantzschii Grunow 2.Cyclotella comta (Ehrenberg) Kützing 3.Thalassiosira weissflogii (Grunow) G.Fryxel & Hasle 4.Aulacoseira distans (Ehrenberg) Simonsen 5.Cyclotella ocellata Pantocsek 6. C. kützingiana Thwaites 7.Cocconeis pediculus Ehrenberg 8.C.placentula Ehrenberg 9. Meridion circulare (Greville) C. Agardh 10.

Plate 2

1. Pinnularia viridis (Nitzsch) Ehrenberg 2. P. biceps W. Gregory 3. Stauroneis phoenicenteron (Nitzsch) Ehrenberg 4. Pinnularia brebissonii (Kützing) Rabenhorst 5. Craticula ambigua (Ehrenberg) D. G. Mann 6. Pinnularia mesolepta (Ehrenberg) W. Smith [ 14 ].

Plate 3

1. Rhopalodia gibba (Ehrenberg) Otto Müller 2-3. Eucocconeis flexella (Kützing) Meister 4. Achnanthidium minutisimum (Kützing) Czarnecki 5. Eucocconeisquadratarea (Østrup) Lange-Bertalot 6. Achnanthes marginulata Grunow 7. Ulnaria delicatissima var. angustissima (Grunow) M. Aboal & P. C. Silva 8. U. acus (Kützing) M. Aboal 9. U.

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