Application of Microbe Consortium Bacillus maritimus and Virgibacillus Chiquensis from Sea Cucumber as Nitrate Booster in Semarang Wastewaters Potentially for Plants Bioactivator

Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Diponegoro University, Indonesia

Abstract: This study aims to increase nitrate content in waste water after the introduction of consortium microbes from the species Bacillus maritimus and Virgibacillus chiquensis Waste water samples were collected from 3 different sites in Semarang city, namely Pekunden, Tembalang, and Kaligawe. Consortium microbe in the concentration of 10 mL was added to 100 mL sample from each site prior to incubation for 4 days. The results showed that there was a decrease in microbe density from 12×10 CFU. mL-1 to 3.0×10 CFU.mL-1, meanwhile nitrate content increased almost six folds after the introduction of consortium microbes. Identification of pathogenic microbe in the samples found the species Staphylococcus aureus to be most prevalent. This study concluded that consortium microbe from the species of Bacillus maritimus and Virgibacillus chiquensis can be applied to increase nitrate content in waste water, which is usable as a component in bio activator for plants.