Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{191461,
        author = {Chaitali Sanjay Borse and Chetan Patil and Neha Thakare and Sunita Ghumare and Rohini Deore},
        title = {A Comprehensive Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Iron and Paper–Pulp Industrial Effluents and the Potential of Microalgae for Sustainable Bioremediation in Nashik District, Maharashtra, India},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {8},
        pages = {6838-6849},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=191461},
        abstract = {The pulp and paper industry are a major consumer of water and chemicals and is recognized as one of the most polluting industrial sectors due to the discharge of large volumes of wastewater enriched with organic matter, nutrients, and toxic heavy metals. The present study aimed to assess the physico-chemical characteristics and heavy metal contamination of combined iron, paper and pulp industrial effluents from Nashik District, Maharashtra, India, and to evaluate the efficiency of algal-based phycoremediation under laboratory conditions. A total of twelve grab samples (I-1 to I-12) were collected from Satpur and Ambad MIDC industrial areas and analyzed for key water quality parameters including pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nutrients, and selected heavy metals using standard analytical methods. Pre-treatment analysis revealed that the effluents were highly polluted, exhibiting slightly acidic pH (5.7–6.7), high COD (735–1470 mg/L), elevated EC (1500–2500 mS/cm), substantial TDS and TSS, excessive nutrients (nitrate, ammonia and phosphate), and considerable concentrations of heavy metals such as Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Cd and Pb, indicating severe environmental risk if discharged untreated. Phycoremediation experiments were conducted using six aquatic algal and cyanobacterial species Chlorella vulgaris, Spirulina platensis, Scenedesmus quadricauda, Oscillatoria terebriformis, Chroococcus turgidus and other cyanobacteria grown in untreated effluent for 20–25 days under controlled laboratory conditions. Post-treatment results demonstrated significant improvement in effluent quality, with a marked reduction in COD (0.6–35.6 mg/L), nutrients, and heavy metals. Complete removal of cadmium and substantial reductions in copper, chromium, lead, zinc, nickel and iron were observed, attributed to algal uptake, biosorption and pH-induced precipitation. The pH of the treated effluent shifted towards neutral to alkaline conditions, enhancing metal immobilization and reducing toxicity. the study confirms that algal-based phycoremediation is an effective, eco-friendly and sustainable approach for the treatment of complex industrial effluents from iron, paper and pulp industries. The technique shows strong potential as a tertiary or polishing treatment option for reducing organic load, nutrient enrichment and heavy metal contamination, thereby contributing to environmental protection and sustainable wastewater management.},
        keywords = {Algae, water quality, water treatment, waste water, effluent, statistical assessment, paper-pulp industry.},
        month = {January},
        }