Bioremediation of Petroleum Effluent by Freshwater Microalgae

Freshwater green microalgae Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck , Scenedesmus quadricauda, Chlamyomonas reinhardtii and bluegreen microalgae Nostoc muscorum,Anabaena ambigua ,Oscillatoria animalis, Oscillatoria sancta, Spirulina maxima and Spirulina platensis were obtained from Culture Collection of Algae, Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai-600025. These microalgae screened for petroleum effluent utilization as carbon source on agar salt medium. The microalgae Scenedesmus quadricauda, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck and bluegreen microalgae Anabaena ambigua, Nostoc muscorum, Oscillatoria animalis ,Oscillatoria sancta, Spirulina maxima and Spirulina platensis showed better growth.Scenedesmus quadricauda ,Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck and bluegreen microalgae Anabaena ambigua, Nostoc muscorum, Oscillatoria animalis and Oscillatoria sancta they were selected for further petroleum biodegradation studies. These microalgae degraded petroleum effluent levels in culture medium studies.