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The ability of Chlorella pyrenoidosa, a freshwater microalga, to degrade phenolic effluent of coal-based producer gas plant under ambient conditions was investigated. C. pyrenoidosa was able to grow in high-strength phenolic effluent. Major contaminant present in the effluent was phenol (CHOH). The effluent has 1475.3 ± 68 mg/L of initial total phenolic concentration. The effect of nutrients used for algal cultivation in phenol degradation was analyzed by inoculating four different concentrations, viz.,1, 2, 3, and 4 g of wet biomass/L of raw effluent of C. pyrenoidosa mixed with effluent into two batches (with and without nutrients). C. pyrenoidosa was able to degrade more than 95% of the phenol (CHOH) concentration with the algal concentrations of 3 and 4 g/L when supplemented with nutrients. With effluent devoid of nutrients, the average percent reduction in total phenolic compounds was observed to a maximum of 46%. No physical changes in the C. pyrenoidosa were observed during degradation. C. pyrenoidosa was able to consume the organic carbon present in the phenolic compounds as carbon source for its growth despite the inorganic carbon supplemented externally.

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