Algal Bioremediatoin of Berkeley Pit Water, Phase II
Principal Investigator: Dr. Grant Mitman
gmitman@mtech.edu
This project further investigated the bioremediation potential of
algae indigenous to the Berkeley Pit. Specific study objectives
were to determine if Berkeley Pit algae were capable of reducing
dissolved metals concentrations, could reduce the overall toxicity
of the water with algae induced chemical changes, and could stimulate
the microbial community within the water. Four algae species, which
were previously isolated from the Berkeley Pit (MWTP Activity IV,
Project 8, MWTP Activity IV, Project 10, and MWTP Activity IV, Project
16) were studied; and these four species were Chromulina freiburgensis
Dofl., Chlorella ellipsoidea Gerneck, Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck
and Chlamydomonas acidophilla Negoro. Optimum nutrient levels for
each species were first determined, and then each algae species
was studied for metals removal capacity. Laboratory experiments
demonstrated that aluminum was the only metal significantly removed
from Berkeley Pit water. Of the four algae species, Chromulina freiburgensis
was shown to be the best bioremediater. The failure of the algae
to remove metals from the water did not concur with the work of
others. It is suspected that the algae did not reach sufficient
cell densities to bind the abundant metal ions present in Berkeley
Pit water.
Activity IV, Project 20
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