Microbiological Parameters of Different Waste Waters to Evaluate Their Potential to be Use as a Media for Chlorella sp. and Spirogyra sp. Cultivation

Abstract

Globally there is severe water scarcity, and methods to reuse wastewater need to be adapted. The objective of this research was to determine the microbiological parameters of different wastewaters in order to study the potential of wastewater as a media to cultivate algae. Food, agriculture, drainage and municipal wastewater sample were collected in sterile bottles separately. Aerobic, anaerobic plate counts, yeast and mold counts were evaluated. Enumeration of coliform, fecal coliform, coliphages and microalgae was performed with all wastewater samples. Chlorella sp. and Spirogyra sp. were isolated from three different paddy field water samples, and growth studies were carried out in different wastewater media with standard sterile Chu’s medium and in sterile tap water medium as control. Heterotrophic, anaerobic bacteria, microalgae, yeast and molds were found in all types of wastewater. Agriculture wastewater had the highest value for aerobic, anaerobic, yeast and mold count in the highest dilution. Coliforms and fecal coliforms were absent in food and agriculture wastewaters on Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) medium. Coliform and Fecal coliforms were only observed in drainage and municipal wastewater on Endo agar (EA) medium. Coliphages were absent only in agricultural wastewater and found in the highest numbers in municipal wastewater. Except for agricultural wastewater, other three types of wastewaters contain microbial contaminations. Agriculture wastewater medium significantly enhanced the growth of Chlorella sp. than the standard Chu’s medium. The growth of Spirogyra sp. was stimulated by the food wastewater medium than the other media.