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Effect of algae acclimation to the wastewater medium on the growth kinetics and nutrient removal capacity

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Abstract

Algal treatment methods have been widely used in nutrient removal studies. However, in most cases, the experimental conditions have not been fully complied with actual conditions. For instance, the effect of algae acclimation to wastewater medium on cell growth and removal efficiency has generally been ignored in laboratory scale experiments. This paper investigates the effect of acclimation on cell growth and nutrient uptake rates of Arthrospira platensis and Chlorella vulgaris. For this purpose, batch reactors, which contained the synthetic secondary effluent, had been inoculated by acclimated algae cells and the growth parameters were measured daily, as well as nutrient concentration. A significant decrease (P < 0.05) in chlorophyll-a content of acclimated A. platensis was observed, although there was no significant change in specific growth rate (μ) and doubling time (dt), in comparison with the non-acclimated ones. Moreover, the acclimation process changed the chlorophyll-a content and kinetic parameters of Chlorella vulgaris. Furthermore, t test results showed a significant increase in removal rate of nitrogen compounds through the acclimation. Residence time of A. platensis and C. vulgaris was also reduced through the acclimation by approximately 50% and 25%, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. İlkay Açıkgöz Erkaya and Dr. Tülay Özer at Algae Collection Laboratory of Gazi University for their valuable supports.

Funding

This study is financially supported by the Hacettepe University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (Project number: 014 D11 604 001-764), Ankara, Turkey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering Department, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    Reza Rezaei & Selim Latif Sanin

  2. Faculty of Education, Division of Biology Education, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    Aydın Akbulut

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  1. Reza Rezaei
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  2. Aydın Akbulut
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Correspondence to Reza Rezaei.

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Rezaei, R., Akbulut, A. & Sanin, S.L. Effect of algae acclimation to the wastewater medium on the growth kinetics and nutrient removal capacity. Environ Monit Assess 191, 679 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7856-7

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