Sodium Phosphate Na3PO4 Effects on the Growth of Chlorella vulgaris

Abstract

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient to promote algae growth. Nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphate and sodium are needed in order for algae to grow. Using photobioreactors to grow algae, we added 32 μL of sodium phosphate to our growth solutions in two of the trial bottles in the photobioreactor and measured the estimated initial cell count. We predicted that the algae (Chlorella vulgaris) will have a higher growth rate when a mixture of sodium phosphate is added. After completing our trials, our data indicated that sodium phosphate has a negative impact on the growth of algae. This means that our hypothesis was not supported. For future experiments, it would be advised to test either a different amount of sodium phosphate or a different nutrient. This will allow for a wider variety of understanding to see which better allows for algae growth.