Summary
The rapid expansion of both the global economy and the human population has led to a shortage of water resources suitable for direct human consumption. As a result, water remediation will inexorably become the primary focus on a global scale. Microalgae can be grown in various types of wastewaters (WW). They have a high potential to remove contaminants from the effluents of industries and urban areas. This review focuses on recent advances on WW remediation through microalgae cultivation. Attention has already been paid to microalgae-based wastewater treatment (WWT) due to its low energy requirements, the strong ability of microalgae to thrive under diverse environmental conditions, and the potential to transform WW nutrients into high-value compounds. It turned out that microalgae-based W
Regional applicability
The review is geographically unspecified, describing microalgae treatment as a globally applicable wastewater remediation approach. Applicability to United Kingdom practice would depend on local wastewater composition, climate conditions for outdoor cultivation, and regulatory acceptance; the technology's low energy footprint may be particularly relevant to UK water company decarbonisation targets, though pilot-scale validation in temperate conditions would be needed.
Key measures
Contaminant removal mechanisms; types of pollutants removed (agricultural toxins, textile dyes, pharmaceutical residues); nutrient recovery efficiency; carbon dioxide mitigation potential
Outcomes reported
This review examines mechanisms by which microalgae remove contaminants from wastewater through biosorption, bioaccumulation, and biodegradation. It addresses removal of toxins from agricultural runoff, textile, and pharmaceutical industrial effluents, alongside nutrient recovery and carbon dioxide mitigation.
Topic tags
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