Treated Wastewater by Selected Microalgae for Irrigation

Abstract

Water is a major natural resource that supplies our demands in a precise manner. We must conserve and utilise every drop of water. Irrigation is considered the primary user of freshwater. Irrigation of land accounts for about 80% of overall freshwater usage. Reusing treated waste water could be an alternative method for increasing water resources. Many countries are using wastewater as an irrigation resource to meet urban demand and manage water scarcity. Microalgae-based water treatment is a viable bio refinery approach that promotes environmental and economic sustainability. Phycoremediation is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, secure, and substitute method for wastewater treatment. In a polite lab experiment lasting 30 days, two microalgal strains Chlorella vulgaris and Trichormus variabilis were used as bioremediation agents for sewage water collected from Bahr El-Baqar, El- El-Sharkya Governorate, Egypt. The goal of the current study was to assess how inoculated microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris and Trichormus variabilis) contributed to the phycoremediation of sewage effluent, and then a pot experiment was conducted to test the water's potential for use in ornamental plant irrigation, due to decrease water consumption of fresh water. The study's findings revealed that sewage wastewater had a decrease in pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, phosphorous, potassium, ammonium, nitrate, biological oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand after 30 days of experimentation, some heavy metals were absorbed by both algal strains, while others were practically completely removed. Moreover, the treated waste water could be used for irrigation of ornamental plant.