bioprospecting of indigenous microalgae consortium from palm oil mill effluent for simultaneous wastewater treatment and lipid production

The use of indigenous microalgae for wastewater bioremediation provides a sustainable strategy for nutrient removal and biomass valorization, while also offering opportunities for the bioprospecting of novel strains. this study investigates the cultivation performance and bioremediation potential of indigenous microalgae consortium from palm oil mill effluent (pome). the strains were cultivated under varying pome concentrations, and their biomass productivity, optical density, lipid content, and nutrient removal efficiency were evaluated. taxonomic analysis indicated the dominance of chlamydomonas (43.7%) along with other green algal genera. under optimal cultivation at 500 mg cod/l, the consortium achieved an optical density of 3.2, a lipid content of 33.47%, and the maximum removal efficiencies of cod (84.85%), total nitrogen (100%), and total phosphorus (100%) after 13 days of cultivation. these findings highlight the dual role of indigenous microalgae in wastewater treatment and bioresource production, while emphasizing their bioprospecting potential for sustainable biotechnological applications within the circular bioeconomy of the palm oil industry.