Effect of Nutrition on Microalgal Growth and Pollutant Decrease in Contaminated River

Abstract

Microalgae have the ability to remove nutrients, heavy metals, and pollutants in the form of organic substances. Thus, it is expected that the use of microalgae can reduce pollutant levels in contaminated rivers. This study aims to reduce the concentration of pollutants in the Martapura river contaminated with industrial waste by utilizing microalgae. The maximum microalgal growth was obtained on day 4 with a nutritional variation of 5.25 mL as the concentration was 0.0115 g/L. The decrease in the level of pollutants occurred during the treatment with a decrease in sulfate levels from 18.9 mg/L to 11 mg/L. The amount of cadmium decreased from 0.0014 mg/L to an undetectable point. On the other hand, the iron content dropped quite drastically from 1.8 mg /L to 0.8 mg/L.