Cultivation of Chlorella sp. IM-01 in municipal wastewater for simultaneous nutrient removal and energy feedstock production

•Microalgae- a plausible solution for wastewater treatment with nitrogen and phosphorus removal.•Carbohydrates and lipids from microalgae can be converted into biofuels.•This study suggests the possible cultivation of Chlorella sp. in sewage wastewater with harvesting period of 4-5 days for biofuels production.

Current study assesses the potential of indigenously isolated microalgae Chlorella sp. IM-01 for nutrients removal from sewage wastewater and also usability of this wastewater for mass cultivation of microalgae for biofuels production. Growth of Chlorella sp. IM-01 is studied in BG-11 nutrient media and wastewater samples (inlet and outlet from primary treatment point designated as S1 and S2, respectively) at the retention period of 4th and 10th day. In wastewater samples, better growth rate is found in S2 as compared to S1. Biochemical analysis in terms of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids is also done at 4th and 10th day. Biochemical analysis revealed that S2 has better prospect for biofuel production and retention period of 4-5 days is sufficient. These finding suggest that use of such potential species not only prove to deplete the water pollution levels but also act as energy feedstock for biofuels production.