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Phycoremediation: A Green Technology for Nutrient Removal from Greywater

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Management of Greywater in Developing Countries

Part of the book series: Water Science and Technology Library ((WSTL,volume 87))

Abstract

Phycoremediation as a green technology relies on microalgae which have high potential to grow in greywater. The presence of high levels of nutrients is necessary for microalgae growth to improve the efficiency of this process. However, the main consideration of the phycoremediation process of greywater lies in the wastewater composition, the selection of microalgae strains with high potential to compete with the indigenous organisms in the greywater and remove nutrients and elements from greywater as well as microalgae, which possess the ability to survive under stressful environmental conditions. Besides, this process can be applied to individual houses. The cost of the phycoremediation process, source of microalgae and energy required are the main points which need to be discussed further. The study indicated that the phycoremediation process is most effective for the treatment of greywater. However, many aspects have to be evaluated in order to achieve the high-quality-treated greywater. In this chapter, the effectiveness of phycoremediation and the mechanism of nutrient removal are discussed. Most microalgae species exhibited greater efficiency in removing nitrogen compared to phosphorous due to the nature of the anabolic pathway of microalgae cells and the ability of nitrogen compounds to diffuse through the cell membrane faster than phosphorous compounds.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for supporting this research under FRGS vot 1574 and also the Research Management Centre (RMC) UTHM for providing grant IGSP U682 for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Micro-Pollutant Research Centre (MPRC), Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia

    A. A. Wurochekke, Radin Maya Saphira Radin Mohamed, Adel Ali Saeed Al-Gheethi & Amir Hashim Mohd Kassim

  2. Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology (FAST), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Pagoh, Johor, Malaysia

    Efaq Ali Noman

  3. Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty Applied Sciences, Taiz University, Taiz, Yemen

    Efaq Ali Noman

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  1. A. A. Wurochekke
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  2. Radin Maya Saphira Radin Mohamed
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  3. Adel Ali Saeed Al-Gheethi
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  4. Efaq Ali Noman
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  5. Amir Hashim Mohd Kassim
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Radin Maya Saphira Radin Mohamed or Adel Ali Saeed Al-Gheethi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Johor, Malaysia

    Radin Maya Saphira Radin Mohamed

  2. Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Johor, Malaysia

    Adel Ali Saeed Al-Gheethi

  3. Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Johor, Malaysia

    Amir Hashim Mohd Kassim

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Wurochekke, A.A., Radin Mohamed, R.M.S., Al-Gheethi, A.A.S., Noman, E.A., Mohd Kassim, A.H. (2019). Phycoremediation: A Green Technology for Nutrient Removal from Greywater. In: Radin Mohamed, R., Al-Gheethi, A., Mohd Kassim, A. (eds) Management of Greywater in Developing Countries. Water Science and Technology Library, vol 87. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90269-2_8

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