Nutrient Removal of POME Using POME Isolated Microalgae Strain, Characium sp

The study examines the efficiency of nutrients removal by a locally isolatedmicroalgae strain from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) treatment pond, Characium sp. Theexperiment was conducted in laboratory conditions at room temperature for 20 days. Sampleswere taken at a two-day interval for dry weight, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), andnutrient removal analysis as well as carotenoid, protein and lipid content. The study showedthat the COD level of POME was reduced by 45.41%. Characium sp successfully removed90.35% of ammoniacal nitrogen, 86.9% of ammonia, 87% of ammonium and 88.6% of totalnitrogen content. This species was also found to remove up to 99.1% of phosphate contentand 99.5% of phosphorus. Characium sp produced 0.78 mg/L of carotenoid, 15.24 mg/L ofprotein and 18.43 mg/L of lipid by the end of the 20-day study period.