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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 1125

W.N. Doemel and A.E. Brooks; Detergent phosphorus and algal growth. Water Research 9:713-719, 1975

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The total biomass of Chlorella pyrenoidosa (two strains), Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Euglena gracilis, Anabaena flos-aquae and Plectonenema boryanum was determined after the algae were grown in waters from Sylvan, Pleasant and Pidgeon Lake (all in northeastern Indiana) that had been supplemented with 0.1, 1 or 10% sewage effluents (Indiananpolis and Crawsfordsville, Indianda). Biomass was found not to be significantly decreased when the total phosphorus was reduced by alkaline treatment from 7.20-3.50 mg/l (50 per cent reduction) for the Crawfordsville effluents. In another series of experiments Chlorella pyrenoidosa was grown in Sugar Creek water (west central Indiana) to which had been added 0.1, 1 or 10% sewage effluents that originated from a motel treatment system. Reactive sewage phosphorus was reduced from 15.4 to 7.44 mg/l (57 per cent reduction) by supplying the motel with non-phosphorus cleaning products. No significant reduction in algal growth was observed. Only when effluents were advanced treated so that reactive phosphorus levels were below 1.2 mg/l (92 per cent reduction) was algal growth significantly decreased.