Arts For Life

Society now faces a problem with environmental pollution, primarily due to industrial pollution. Mercury is a poisonous pollutant with a widespread distribution that settles in ecosystems. Numerous traditional methods have been used to clean mercury contamination. Bioremediation is one potential and eco-friendly method of reducing toxicants by using organisms. Phycoremediation uses algae, such as Euglena sp., in its process. This research aimed to analyze the growth, productivity, photosynthetic pigments, and Superoxide dismutase activity of Euglena sp. and analyze the kinetic model of mercury content in Euglena sp. using Pseudo-First-Order and Pseudo-Second-Order equations in the Free Water Surface-Constructed Wetlands (FWS-CW) system. This research shows that Euglena sp. chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoid, and total chlorophyll content decrease at the lowest level at a concentration of 15 ppm. SOD activity of Euglena sp. increased with the increase of mercury stress. However, it was insignificant for the concentrations of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, and 20 ppm. The growth and productivity of Euglena sp. decrease with the increase of mercury stress. These experiences happen because Euglena sp. carries out a detoxification process. The mercury phycoremediation process by Euglena sp. is more suitable with the Pseudo-Second-Order kinetic model with an R2 value of 0.43. These results indicate that Euglena sp. can potentially be a phycoremediation agent of mercury with a maximum mercury concentration of 15 ppm.