LAUSR

Abstract The present study demonstrated the growth of microalgae in wastewaters to underline a process coupled with biofuel production. Green alga, Scenedesmus sp., was cultivated in various domestic wastewaters (S1, S2, S3). Biomass 0.84, 0.68, 0.73 (g/L) and lipid productivity 8.6, 5.6, 6.2 (mg/L/d) were obtained from wastewaters S1, S2, S3 respectively in 20 days. Removal of 66% inorganic phosphorous, 99% nitrite, 86% nitrate, 80% ammoniacal nitrogen, 84% calcium and 76% sulphate from the initial high level of wastewater nutrients were achieved by algal cultivation. The total fatty acid (FA) produced by the alga in these conditions consisted of 43.3% saturated FA, 44.4% monounsaturated FA, and 12.3% polyunsaturated FA. The pilot scale study could be implemented for the simultaneous nutrient removal and algal oil production by utilizing domestic wastewaters.