The Role of Green Algae (Chlorococcum Humicola) in the Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Pollutants, especially hydrocarbon oil pollutants, are among the most important problems spread worldwide due to the environmental and health problems to all forms of life, especially humans. Therefore, it is important today to find environmentally friendly and low-cost treatment methods to decrease the high risk of pollutants. In this study, the single-celled green algae including Chlorococcum humicola was used to treat different concentrations of anthracene. The results of the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique revealed that the alga used had high treatment efficiency, as naphthalene disappeared at concentrations of 100 and 200 ppm after day 12 of treatment. In addition, the results also showed the possibility of using the algae as a carbon source for anthracene.