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Performance of Microalgae Consortia in Palm Oil Mill Effluent Remediation: An Eco-Friendly Strategy

Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia · Vol. 15 No. 1 (2026)

DOI
10.15294/jpii.v15i1.40485
ISSN
2089-4392, 2339-1286
Published
2026-03-24
Publisher
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Language
eng

Abstract

Palm oil production continues to grow in line with global market demand; however, production waste is also expected to increase. The treatment of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) remains a critical environmental challenge due to its high organic load and complex pollutant composition, thereby requiring serious management. This study investigates the potential of four microalgal consortia in remediating POME. A quantitative experimental approach was employed to evaluate the efficiency of the microalgae consortium exposed to different POME concentrations (25%, 50%, and 75%) over 14 days. The results revealed that the three-species consortium CNT (Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis oculata, and Tetraselmis chuii) exhibited superior performance in reducing COD, BOD, and TSS, with removal efficiencies of 77.55%, 72.73%, and 49.7%, respectively, compared to the two-species consortium. The optimal physicochemical parameters supporting CNT growth were recorded at pH 9.19-9.6, 29.1-30.6 °C, and adaptive salinity up to 41 ppt. The biomass yield of the CNT consortium (3.862 g L⁻¹ at 25% POME) was lower than that of NT (4.671 g L⁻¹ at 25% POME), indicating that CNT allocated more energy to detoxifying and remediating POME than to biomass accumulation. Future research should focus on optimizing response surface methodology and scaling up photobioreactor systems through metagenomic and transcriptomic analyses to simultaneously maximize remediation efficiency and biomass productivity of the CNT consortium. These findings provide strategic opportunities to harness polyculture microalgae consortium as a sustainable, scalable, and economically viable technology for POME remediation.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

11 authors · 23 co-authorship links · 13 across different organisations

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • Diponegoro University
  • State University of Semarang
  • Wageningen University & Research
  • Omdurman Islamic University
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Yogiswara DanurrachmanDiponegoro University1
Maryono MaryonoDiponegoro University1
Fuad MuhammadDiponegoro University1
Peter van der MaasWageningen University & Research1
Amar Sharaf Eldin KhairOmdurman Islamic University1
Andin IrsadiState University of Semarang1
Sutrisno AnggoroDiponegoro University1
Muhammad HelmiDiponegoro University1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jpii/oai, first harvested 29 Okt 2026, last seen 1 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Performance of Microalgae Consortia in Palm Oil Mill Effluent Remediation: An Eco-Friendly Strategy</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Andin Vita Amalia</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Soeprobowati, Tri Retnaningsih </dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Christwardana, Marcelinus </dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">bioremediation</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">microalgae consortium</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">POME</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">biomass productivity</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">Palm oil production continues to grow in line with global market demand; however, production waste is also expected to increase. The treatment of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) remains a critical environmental challenge due to its high organic load and complex pollutant composition, thereby requiring serious management. This study investigates the potential of four microalgal consortia in remediating POME. A quantitative experimental approach was employed to evaluate the efficiency of the microalgae consortium exposed to different POME concentrations (25%, 50%, and 75%) over 14 days. The results revealed that the three-species consortium CNT (Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis oculata, and Tetraselmis chuii) exhibited superior performance in reducing COD, BOD, and TSS, with removal efficiencies of 77.55%, 72.73%, and 49.7%, respectively, compared to the two-species consortium. The optimal physicochemical parameters supporting CNT growth were recorded at pH 9.19-9.6, 29.1-30.6 °C, and adaptive salinity up to 41 ppt. The biomass yield of the CNT consortium (3.862 g L⁻¹ at 25% POME) was lower than that of NT (4.671 g L⁻¹ at 25% POME), indicating that CNT allocated more energy to detoxifying and remediating POME than to biomass accumulation. Future research should focus on optimizing response surface methodology and scaling up photobioreactor systems through metagenomic and transcriptomic analyses to simultaneously maximize remediation efficiency and biomass productivity of the CNT consortium. These findings provide strategic opportunities to harness polyculture microalgae consortium as a sustainable, scalable, and economically viable technology for POME remediation.
 </dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-03-24</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jpii/article/view/40485</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/jpii.v15i1.40485</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia; Vol. 15 No. 1 (2026): March 2026</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2089-4392</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2339-1286</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/jpii.v15i1</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jpii/article/view/40485/8850</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>