Nutrient removal from secondary effluent using filamentous algae in raceway ponds

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the cultivation possibility using Hydrodictyon reticulatum in a continuous raceway pond as a tertiary sewage treatment plant. The cultivation possibility was evaluated by varying the light quantity, wavelength, and hydraulic retention time (HRT). Experimental results showed that the growth rates of algae and the removal efficiencies of nutrients increased as the light quantity increased, and the maximum photosynthetic rate was maintained at 100 umol/m2.s or higher. When wavelength was varied, nutrient removal efficiency and growth rate increased in the following order: green light, red light, white light, and blue light. The nutrient removal efficiencies and algae productivity in HRT 4 d were better than in HRT 8 d. We conclude that if Hydrodictyon reticulatum is cultivated in a raceway pond and used as a tertiary treatment facility in a sewage treatment plant, nutrients can be effectively removed, and production costs can be reduced.