Co-culture Consortium of Scenedesmus dimorphus and Nitrifiers Enhances the Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Artificial Wastewater

Nutrient removal from artificial wastewater in autotrophic condition by the co-culture consortium of Scenedesmus dimorphus and nitrifiers was investigated. The batch experiments of co-culture, S. dimorphus- and nitrifiers-only treatments were conducted and compared for 9 days. As a result, the co-culture system showed enhancement in both nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) removal compared to each single culture. Especially, total N removal efficiency and P removal efficiency in co-culture reactor were enhanced 3.4 and 6.5 times compared to nitrifiers-only reactor, respectively. This result implies that post-treatment systems such as denitrification of nitrate and luxury uptake of P can be deducted by using the co-culture consortium of Scenedesmus dimorphus and nitrifiers. In addition, unlike nitrifiers-only reactor, the co-culture maintained high Dissolved Oxygen (DO) without external aeration. Thus it is suggested that co-culture of Scenedesmus dimorphus and nitrifiers is an efficient and economic method to removal nutrient from wastewater.