EFFECTS OF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION VARIABILITY IN A CHLOROPHYTE ALGAE MEDIUM IN WASTEWATER

Abstract

This article present an analysis of the effects that can be generated in a culture medium of algae chlorophytes if concentrations of phosphate, nitrite, nitrate and ammonium wastewater where they are generated, present variations. This study was developed with residual water from the outlet of trickling filter of treatment plant of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, located in zone 12 of Guatemala City. This plant was selected because it has typical wastewater of domestic origin characteristics, and previous studies was found to be viable crop development chlorophytes algae in water from its trickling filters. For the development of the study was necessary to change the original nutrient concentrations as follows: a) phosphate from 204.00 to 19.00 mg / l; b) ammonium 17.50-1.00 mg / l; c) Nitrate 114.00-76.00 mg / l; and d) nitrite 1.55-0.10 mg / l. These maximum and minimum values a factorial experimental design with the aim of determining the effect of variations in the initial concentration of nutrients relative to the final concentration thereof was applied. The results showed that in the middle of chlorophyte algae no effective absorption of phosphates, nitrates, ammonium and nitrites when ammonium is present in high concentration, the phosphate in low concentration, the nitrate maximum concentration and nitrite maximum concentration, giving values 19.00 phosphate to 7.08 mg / l, 17.50 to 8.94 ammonium mg / l, nitrates 116.00 to 60.16 mg / l, nitrite 0.10 to 1.55 mg/l. An important aspect observed during the research was that in combinations where the ammonia is in a low concentration and phosphate in concentration no absorption ammonium by the means of chlorophyte algae as a negative effect was obtained having an increased maximum ammonium 1.00 to 2.33 mg / l. Finally it was determined that the effect of the maximum and minimum concentrations of nitrite have no impact in terms of the absorption of nutrients in the medium of algae chlorophytes.