Cultivation of microalgae (Oscillatoria okeni and Chlorella vulgaris) using tilapia-pond effluent and a comparison of their biomass removal efficiency.

The uptake of dissolved nutrients by microalgae is the primary way to remove nitrogen in aquaculture systems. Many authors have studied the use of microalgae to treat wastewater from aquaculture. However, excessive microalgae accumulation may cause high levels of organic matter and suspended solids in the final effluent. Thus, an efficient way to remove excess algae is needed in wastewater treatment. In this study, the potential of the filamentous cyanobacterium, Oscillatoria okeni, and the green alga, Chlorella vulgaris, to remove nitrate-nitrogen from tilapia-pond effluent was assessed. The results indicated that C. vulgaris exhibited higher specific rate of growth and rate of nitrate utilization than O. okeni. However, O. okeni has the advantage over C. vulgaris in solid-liquid separation by filtration and sedimentation after treatment.