Hermin Pancasakti Kusumaningrum*1 Muhammad Zainuri2, Aji Prasetyaningrum3

Potency of Blooming Microalgae as a Source of Biodiesel and Waste Water Management in Polder Tawang Semarang Indonesia : Study Case of Climate Change Effect

Hermin Pancasakti Kusumaningrum*1,,Muhammad Zainuri2, Aji Prasetyaningrum3

1)Genetics Laboratory, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Diponegoro University, Jl. Prof. Soedarto, UNDIP, Tembalang, Semarang. 50275.

2) Marine Laboratory, Faculty of Oceanografi and Fisheries, Diponegoro University, Jl. Prof. Soedarto, UNDIP, Tembalang, Semarang. 50275.

3) Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Jl. Prof. Soedarto, UNDIP, Tembalang, Semarang. 50275.

Abstract

The low-lying areas in the city of Semarang about 4 kilometers from the coastline is often flooded caused by overflow of sea water. Polder Tawang is a system to protect the overflow of sea water from outside the area of the dam to control water levels. In other side, temperatures inSemarangtend toincrease withthe range of24-320C. Photosyntetic, microalgae tend to growthstrongly causing blooming on Polder Tawang Semarang. Tawang Semarang on Indonesia was an example for an open source outdoor pond of natural microalgae cultures. The aim of this study was to investigate the potency of contaminant blooming microalgae from Polder Tawang Semarang as a source ofbiodiesel as an initiative study for exploiting their innate potentials and pollution management. The research methodology was conductedby measuring thefattyacidsof microalgaeby thetransesterificationmethodusing methanol and KOH as catalyst. The data also accomplished withmeasuring of theacidvalue, saponificationvalueand yod value. The research results have been obtained 17,66/ml fatty acid, the acid value was 2,592 mg-KOH/g, saponification value was 158,015 mg KOH/g and yod value was 5.923 g-I2/100g.The research result shows that application of blooming microalgae contaminant from Polder Tawang Semarang as new of biodiesel has yielded a potential results.

Key words : Polder Tawang Semarang, biodiesel, microalgae

INTRODUCTION

Microalgae including cyanobacteria, was an oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, largely contribute to the balance between CO2 and O2 in the atmosphere. They adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions, including extreme ones, also colonise most aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. For the last decades, the occurrence of waterblooms of planktonic microalgae greatly increased in continental aquatic ecosystems as a consequence of pollution generated by humans. These proliferations disrupt ecosystem equilibrium and may be harmful to animals and human due to the large number of secondary metabolites (hepato- and/or neurotoxins) some cyanobacteria may produce. In the environment, planktonic cyanobacteria of the genus Microcystis form waterblooms potentially harmful to animals and human.

Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, include edaphic and filamentous species also capable in biological nitrogen fixation. Microalgae like cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are capable of both carbon assimilation and N2 fixation, thereby enhancing productivity in variety of environments. Apart from fixing atmospheric N2, they secrete a number of biologically active substances. Tropical conditions such as those in Indonesia provide favourable environment for the luxuriant growth of these organisms in the natural ecosystems such as different types of soil, freshwater bodies, oceans, saline backwaters, estuaries, and also hyper saline saltpans (Benemann, 2002). Besides their ecological significance, microalgae offer a great potential tool as an organisms for the biotechnological interest such as marineculture, food, feed, fuel, fertilizer, medicine and combating pollution (Venkataraman 1981, Borowitzka, 1988 ). With the advent use of a microalgal biomass, it is of interest to investigate whether from blooming of contaminant microalgae are feasible for use as cyanobacterial biofertilizers. Microalgae can synthesize and operate the nitrogenase complex in oxygenated surroundings because they derive energy for growth and nitrogen fixation from sunlight. Therefore, heterocystous cyanobacteria are of interest as biofertilizers (Reynaud and Metting, 1988). Biofertilizer is defined as inoculant containing active material of living microorganisms which functions to fix a particular nutrient and facilitate the availability of soil nutrients to plants. The present work was carried out to understand the use of cyanobacteria from Polder Tawang Semarang for biofertilizer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Polder Tawang Semarang is located in the north of Semarang City. Polder Tawang Semarang occupies about 3,205 sq miles [8,300 sq km] in area in the part of north Coastal region of Central Java. Polder Tawang serve as outdoor open ponds. Water and microalgal samples were collected aseptically from Polder Tawang ponds during June – October 2008 on a sterile Duran bottle 500 ml.

Microalgal flocculants and biomass to make biofertilizers were collected by manual filtration using bamboo net (mesh size 1000 µm). The liquid biomass were dried in the temperature room until constant weight. Mixed microalgal biomass about 500 g were added to the plant. Water samples were also taken from each site for analyzing physico-chemical and biological parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity by using standard methods (APHA, 1975). Microalgae specimens were identified microbiologically the publications of Tze (1987). 1932. Photomicrography was taken using digital camera on microscope (Germany). The correlation co-efficient analysis was made between physico-chemical properties of water and total cyanobacterial species.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

According to microscopic visualization and analysis, as per the diversity and abundance of microalgae in Polder Tawang Semarang, Microcystis was dominating in Polder Tawang Semarang (Fig 1). Low diversity of microalgae was attributed to a massive bloom of Microcystis. Low amount of dissolved oxygen (0.814 mS/cm) had a significant effect in reducing the other cyanobacterial population. Microcystis is one of the dominant organisms that is associated with almost permanent blooms in tropical freshwaters that are exposed to constant sunshine, warmth, and nutrients like phosphate, silicate, nitrate, CO2 and lime. Formation of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater bodies as illustrated in Fig.2. is essentially due to buoyant nature of these organisms. Buoyancy of cyanobacteria is imported by the gas vacuoles which forms dense growth on the water surface in ponds, reservoirs and lakes and cause serious nuisance because of visual appearance, production of toxins (Carmichael, 1994) and unpleasant odour produced by substances such as geosmin (Baudin et al., 2006).

(a)(b)(c)

Fig. 1. Microscopic appearance of contaminat microalgae on Polder Tawang Semarang (a. 100x, b. 400x, c. 1000x)

Fig. 2. Blooming of microalgal on Polder Tawang Semarang

Physico-chemical analysis of in Polder Tawang Semarang water revealed that the pH was 7.0, dissolved oxygen was 0.814 mS/cm, salinity was 0.03 and temperature was warm 30.1 oC. The correlation co-efficient analysis of physico-chemical properties of water samples and total cyanobacterial species revealed the significant positive correlation between Total Cyanobacterial Species (TCS) and dissolved oxygen (r=0.8; p<0.01). Climate change and warm temperature have connection with the proliferation of cyanobacteria blooms. Warming trends lead to stablization of thermal layers in water, which inhibits vertical circulation and thus lowers dissolved oxygen in the bottom layer of water.

Studies on the microalgal biodiversity of Polder Tawang Semarang during July until October 2008 has been made. Although a massive bloom of Microcystis in Polder Tawang had a significant effect in reducing the other cyanobacterial population, in any ecosystem, not a single species grows independently and indefinitely. All the species are interlinked and has cyclic transformation of nutrients. The physicochemical changes in the environment may affect particular species and induce the growth and abundance of other species, which leads to the succession of several species in a course of time. When microalgae are associated to bacteria on the environment (non axenic), an interaction happens, which might be good for both; in a way that the microalga is able to assimilate products of the bacterial activity in the media. Likewise, the associated microbial flora is implied on the regulation of physiologic parameters such as pH, temperature and salinity (Moronta et al., 2006). Some bacteria can enhance bioremediation of wastewater by microalgae by increasing microalgal proliferation and metabolism, allowing the microalgae to clean the water better than when used alone. Azospirillum and cyanobacteria species may improve mangrove reforestation by increasing the rate of survival and development of seedlings in an otherwise unfavorable environment.

The association ability between contaminant microalgae on Polder Tawang Semarang then was biotechnologically applied to use as biofertilizers to improve their potential. This application marked successfully result as we can see on Fig 3. comparing to the control.

(a)(b)

Fig. 3. Application of Polder Tawang contaminant microalgae as biofertilizers (a) control without adding microalgae (b) after addition of microalgae

Application of biotechnology to Polder Tawang microalgae contaminant was using microalgae as free-living cyanobacteria community that under some conditions, are beneficial for plants. They will promote plant growth in two different ways: (1) They directly affect the metabolism of the plants by providing substances that are usually in short supply, as listed in Table 1.

These cyanobacteria are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, of solubilizing phosphorus and iron, and of producing plant hormones, such as auxins, gibberelins, cytokinins, and ethylene. Additionally, they improve a plant's tolerance to stresses, such as drought, high salinity, metal toxicity, and pesticide load. One or more of these mechanisms may contribute to the increases obtained in plant growth and development that are higher than normal for plants grown under standard cultivation conditions.

Table 1. Nutritive component of microalgae

No / Component / amount
Chlorella sp. / Dunaliella sp. / Polder Tawang microalgae
1 / Protein / 31.57 / 31.44 / 46.2
2 / Lipid / 8.49 / 7.86 / 3.8
3 / Carbohydrate and others / 15.36 / 11.05 / 31.7 (crude)
4 / Ash / 37.18 / 36.86 / 33.2
5 / Water / 7.40 / 7.42 / 7.8
6 / Laurat Acid / 1.625 / 1.614 / 46.2
7 / Miristat Acid / 4.227 / 3.958
8 / Palmitat acid / 35.287 / 31.584
9 / Palmitaleat acid / 35.287 / 31.584
10 / Stearat acid / 18.004 / 17.855
11 / Oleat acid / 6.489 / 6.247
12 / Linoleat acid / 13.885 / 12.986
13 / Linooleat acid / 0.658 / 0.559
14 / Fikosa Penta Enoit acid / 2.876 / 2.776
15 / Dokosa Hexa Enoit acid / 1.596 / 1.468

Some cyanobacteria also play indirectly promote plant growth by preventing the deleterious effects of phytopathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and viruses). They produce substances that harm or inhibit other microbes, but not plants, by limiting the availability of iron to pathogens or by altering the metabolism of the host plant to increase itsesistance to pathogen infection. Biocontrol cynobacteria may also fix nitrogen or produce phytohormones. These advantages make microalgal contaminant was potential and suitable as biofertilizers, therefore reducing environmental pollution and can help managing waste water treatment . In the next future, fundamental and applied research with cyanobacterial biofertilizer technologies will focused on flooded rice cultivation for which there is some evidence that agronomically significant quantities of crop available N are provided.

CONCLUSION AND PROSPECTS

The present study concluded inspite of the fact that cyanobacteria Microcystis are ubiquitous in Polder Tawang Semarang , their population dynamics are often influenced by the available nutrients and the physico-chemical conditions of the ecosystem. Biotechnological application of microalgae contaminant from Polder Tawang Semarang in the plant as biofertilizers or plant growth-promoting agent has yielded satisfactory results comparing to controlled experiments. Cyanobacteria promoting plant use multiple mechanisms to promote plant growth, or mechanisms such as nitrogen-fixation. Hopefully, the results will be promising under applications on agricultural conditions. The public will be more sympathetic to the concept of cyanobacteria inoculants. In the near future, cyanobacteria growth-promoting agent will be part of solutions to agricultural and environmental problems.

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Polder Tawang Semarang Indonesia, Study Case of Climate Change Effect : Potency of Blooming Microalgae as a New Source of Biodiesel and Waste Water Management

Abstract

Low-lying areas in the city of Semarang is very narrow, about 4 kilometers from the coastline. The area under the city is often flooded, and in some areas, flooding is caused by overflow of sea water. Polder Tawang is a system to protect the overflow of sea water from outside the area of the dam to control water levels. In other side, temperatures inSemarangtend toincrease withthe range of24-320C. As a photosynthetic organisms, microalgae growthis strongly influencedby temperaturethat convert solar energy and CO2 into O2 and carbohydrates, then used to synthesize all other biomass constituents. Blooming microalgae act as an eutrophication and pollution controlling agent for the removal of P and N. Polder Tawang Semarang on Indonesia was the ideal example for an open source outdoor pond of natural microalgae cultures cultivation. It was a subject and model for waste water managementto reduce pollution and eutrophication marked by blooming of microalgae. The aim of this study was to investigate the potency of contaminant blooming microalgae from Polder Tawang Semarang as biodiesel as an initiative study for exploiting their innate potentials and pollution management. The research result shows that application of blooming microalgae contaminant from Polder Tawang Semarang as new source of biodiesel has yielded a potential results.

Dr. HERMIN PANCASAKTI KUSUMANINGRUM, SSi., MSi., Lecturer of Biology,Department on Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Diponegoro University.Jl. Prof. Soedarto, SH., Tembalang, Semarang. 50275. INDONESIA.,e-mail :

INTRODUCTION

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Microalgal flocculants and biomass to make biofertilizers were collected by manual filtration using bamboo net (mesh size 1000 µm). The liquid biomass were dried in the temperature room until constant weight. Mixed microalgal biomass about 500 g were added to the plant. Water samples were also taken from each site for analyzing physico-chemical and biological parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity by using standard methods (APHA, 1975). Microalgae specimens were identified microbiologically the publications of Tze (1987). Photomicrography was taken using digital camera on microscope (Germany). The correlation co-efficient analysis was made between physico-chemical properties of water and total cyanobacterial species.