Elham Movahed - Department of Environment, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
Soroush Azizi - Department of Chemical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,Tehran, Iran.
Ali Hashemi - Department of Chemical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,Tehran, Iran.
Farshid Pajoum Shariati - Department of Chemical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,Tehran, Iran.

Chlorella vulgaris is a green unicellular microalgae species, which has the ability to be utilized as an effective agent in the secondary treatment of various wastewaters. Nitrate and phosphate ions are among hazardous materials within the wastewaters which can be assimilated by green microalgae species through various cultivation methods. In this study, three cultivation methods for Chlorella vulgaris cultivation were considered (autotrophic, heterotrophic, and mixotrophic), and the effect of these models on terms of nitrate and phosphate removal from municipal wastewater was investigated. The results revealed that the best pattern of microalgae growth is related to the mixotrophic culture method at about ۲.۳ grams on the ninth day. Besides, the highest rate of nitrate and phosphate removals were recorded through the mixotrophic model at ۹۲.۵۸% and ۹۱.۲۵%, respectively. According to the obtained results, mixotrophic cultivation had the greatest effect on the removal of nutrients from municipal wastewater compared to the other two cultivations.

Municipal wastewater, Chlorella vulgaris, Nitrate and phosphate removal