We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Potential of Microalgae in Bioremediation of Wastewater
AI summary Read the abstract
This review evaluates the potential of microalgae for wastewater bioremediation, covering their capacity to remove nutrients, heavy metals, and emerging contaminants including microplastics from a range of wastewater types.
The increase in global pollution, industrialization and fast economic progress are considered to inflict serious consequences to the quality and availability of water throughout the world. Wastewater is generated from three major sources, i.e. industrial, agricultural, and municipal which contain pollutants, such as: xenobiotics, microplastics, heavy metals and augmented by high amount of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen compounds. Wastewater treatment is one of the most pressing issues since it cannot be achieved by any specific technology because of the varying nature and concentrations of pollutants and efficiency of the treatment technologies. The degradation capacity of these conventional treatment technologies is limited, especially regarding heavy metals, nutrients, and xenobiotics, steering the researchers to bioremediation using microalgae (Phycoremediation). Bioremediation can be defined as use of microalgae for removal or biotransformation of pollutants and CO2 from wastewater with concomitant biomass production. However, the usage of wastewaters for the bulk cultivation of microalgae is advantageous for reducing carbon, nutrients cost, minimizing the consumption of freshwater, nitrogen, phosphorus recovery, and removal of other pollutants from wastewater and producing sufficient biomass for value addition for either biofuels or other value-added compounds. Several types of microalgae like Chlorella and Dunaliella have proved their applicability in the treatment of wastewaters. The bottlenecks concerning the microalgal wastewater bioremediation need to be identified and elucidated to proceed in bioremediation using microalgae. This objective of this paper is to provide an insight about the treatment of different wastewaters using microalgae and microalgal potential in the treatment of wastewaters containing heavy metals and emerging contaminants, with the specialized cultivation systems. This review also summarizes the end use applications of microalgal biomass which makes the bioremediation aspect more environmentally sustainable. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
More Papers Like This
Wastewater Remediation Potential of Diatoms
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines the potential of diatoms (microscopic algae) for bioremediation of wastewater contaminants. Diatoms can remove nutrients, heavy metals, and some emerging pollutants from water, potentially complementing other strategies for reducing microplastic and chemical contamination.
Microalgae wastewater treatment: Biological and technological approaches
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how microalgae-based systems can be used to treat industrial wastewater, including water contaminated with microplastics and heavy metals. Researchers highlight the potential of both conventional and extremophilic microalgae species that thrive in harsh conditions like high temperatures or acidic environments. The study discusses practical applications where algae-based treatment has already been implemented, offering a biological approach to addressing water pollution challenges.
State-of-the-art microalgae-based bioreactor wastewater treatment for the elimination of emerging contaminants: A mechanistic review
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how bioreactors using microalgae — tiny photosynthetic organisms — can remove a wide range of pollutants from wastewater, including microplastics, heavy metals, and pesticides, through processes like absorption and biological breakdown. While promising, the technology still faces challenges around scaling up and maintaining consistent performance in real-world treatment facilities.
Feasibility, challenges, and future prospects of microalgae-based bioremediation technique for removing microplastics from wastewater
AI summary Read the abstract
This opinion piece assessed the feasibility, challenges, and future prospects of using microalgae-based bioremediation to remove emerging contaminants from wastewater, highlighting the potential of microalgae while noting scale-up challenges and selectivity limitations.
Progress on microalgae cultivation in wastewater for bioremediation and circular bioeconomy
AI summary Read the abstract
This review explores the potential of microalgae cultivation in wastewater for bioremediation and circular bioeconomy, highlighting how microalgae can simultaneously treat wastewater while producing valuable biomass for various applications.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.