Exploring the Efficacy of Ulva lactuca in Industrial Wastewater Treatment: A Sustainable Approach

Abstract

The toxic and persistent organic and inorganic elements in oil refinery effluents, such as heavy metals, dyes, and phenolic compounds, significantly release harmful pollutants into water bodies. Refinery wastewater treatment is essential to meeting the growing water demand and safeguarding downstream users from health hazards. Marine algae are one of the most popular adsorbents and biofilters for treating industrial effluent, and they have many advantages over other materials. These include being readily available in large quantities, having various functional groups (such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, sulfate, and phosphate), inexpensive, and being environmentally acceptable. In this research, green seaweed, “Ulva lactuca,” was naturally found in the batch treatment of refinery wastewater in the most efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly way, utilizing limited resources. The surface morphological characterizations of the seaweed before and after treatment are carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). A series of batch experimental studies were carried out to remove organics from refinery wastewater by varying the effluent solution pH, mixing time, stirring speed, algae dosage, and effluent solution temperature. The study mainly focused on determining parameters like Chemical Oxygen demand COD), Total Dissolved solids (TDS), Total Suspended solids (TSS), Turbidity, and Dissolved oxygen before and after treatment. The study demonstrates that the optimal efficiency of the treatment process occurs at a pH of 6, with 90 minutes of stirring time, a dosage of 0.8-1 g of Ulva lactuca, a stirring speed of 60-140 RPM, and a solution temperature of 35°C. The experimental results of the present study demonstrate that green seaweed, Ulva lactuca, is an eco-friendly and cost-effective biosorbent for effectively removing contaminants from refinery effluent. Ulva lactuca exhibited excellent pollution removal efficiency, significantly reducing chemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, dissolved solids, and suspended matter.