Polymeric materials used for immobilization of microalgae for the bioremediation of palm oil mill effluent

Abstract

The immobilization of microalgae on polymeric materials such as polyurethane foam (PUF) has shown distinct advantages over non-immobilized technique with significant pollutants degradation efficiency. However, the effect of volume and pore size of PUF on the microalgae performance to remove organics and ammonium has not been extensively investigated. In this study, a down flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor packed with PUF carrier for the immobilization of microalgae was utilized in treating palm oil mill effluent. The result of chemical oxygen demand (COD) degradation indicates that smaller pore size (0.56 mm) and higher PUF volume (38.0 %) increased the total performance of DHS reactor. In addition, this study also found that the growth of microalgae was greatly influenced by different pore sizes and volumes of PUF.