Tolerance Limit of the Alga Spirulina platensis to Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulphonate Polluted Wastewater

摘要

Domestic detergents carried by the urban wastewater normally accumulate in the surface water bodies inmost of the Indian cities. One of the major chemical components of these detergents is linear alkyl benzenesulphonate (LAS) and its accumulation in water bodies may become toxic to aquatic flora and fauna. In thepresent study, the growth of a Cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis, generally used as a nutraceutical sourceof protein, was studied in CFTRI medium spiked with 5 levels of LAS (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 ppm). The growth ofSpirulina gradually increased and became maximum at 6 ppm of LAS beyond which there was a gradualdecline with the minimum growth recorded at 10ppm level. At 6 ppm level of LAS, maximum biomass yield(109.5 mg/50mL), protein (587.5 μg/mL) and nitrate reductase activity (79.2 NR μM NO 2 /hr/g FW) wereobserved. Maximum content of chlorophyll-a (4.324 mg/g FW) and carotenoid (0.451 mg/g FW) were observedat 4 ppm level of LAS. The results thus, showed that Spirulina platensis is able to tolerate up to 6ppm of LASin wastewater bodies.