ALGAL GROWTH IN THE BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF CATTLE WASTE

Abstract

The steady increase in contaminants and pollutants reaching our1akes and streams has caused the steady decline in the 1ife supporting and aesthetic qualities of our waters. This is caused by excessive fertilization from effluents high in phosphorus, nitrogen and organic growth substances. Algae and aquatic plants become excessive and when they decompose a sequence of objectionable features arise. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of organic loading and concentration on algal growth and also see how algal growth is affected by the efficiency of treatment. The cattle waste was treated biologically in a stabilization pond. Two concentrations of 5g/l and 10g/l were used and a detention time of 30 days was used for the treatment. The rate of loading was 0.2L/s. The results showed an efficiency of 75% in terms of BOD removal and that algae grew abundantly during sunshine and at a temperature ranging between 30 – 32°C and pH values ranging from 7.4 to 8.1. The peak algal growth for both concentrations occurred between 14 – 18 days detention time. Also, the peak algal growth for the 5g/l concentration occurred at 45% BOD removal efficiency while that of the 10g/l concentration occurred at 48% BOD removal efficiency. It was also observed that turbidity determination could be used as an indirect method of confirming algal growth. This work reveals the influence of concentration, temperature, hydrogen ion concentration (pH), detention time and turbidity on algal growth and recommends ways of attaining safe standards of effluents before discharging into receiving streams.

Key Words: Contaminants, Pollutants, Algal Growth, Excessive fertilization

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