Microalgal Systems for Wastewater Treatment: Technological Trends and Challenges towards Waste Recovery

Etiele G. Morais, Nathana L. Cristofoli, Inês B. Maia, Tânia Magina, Paulo R. Cerqueira, Margarida Ribau Teixeira, João Varela, Luísa Barreira and Luísa Gouveia
Additional contact information
Etiele G. Morais: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Nathana L. Cristofoli: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Inês B. Maia: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Tânia Magina: Necton Companhia Portuguesa de Culturas Marinhas, S.A. Belamandil, 8700-152 Olhão, Portugal
Paulo R. Cerqueira: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Margarida Ribau Teixeira: CENSE—Centre for Research on the Environment and Sustainability, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
João Varela: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Luísa Barreira: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Luísa Gouveia: GreenCoLab—Green Ocean Technologies and Products Collaborative Laboratory, CCMAR, Algarve University, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-26

Abstract: Wastewater (WW) treatment using microalgae has become a growing trend due the economic and environmental benefits of the process. As microalgae need CO 2 , nitrogen, and phosphorus to grow, they remove these potential pollutants from wastewaters, making them able to replace energetically expensive treatment steps in conventional WW treatment. Unlike traditional sludge, biomass can be used to produce biofuels, biofertilizers, high value chemicals, and even next-generation growth media for “organically” grown microalgal biomass targeting zero-waste policies and contributing to a more sustainable circular bioeconomy. The main challenge in this technology is the techno-economic feasibility of the system. Alternatives such as the isolation of novel strains, the use of native consortia, and the design of new bioreactors have been studied to overcome this and aid the scale-up of microalgal systems. This review focuses on the treatment of urban, industrial, and agricultural wastewaters by microalgae and their ability to not only remove, but also promote the reuse, of those pollutants. Opportunities and future prospects are discussed, including the upgrading of the produced biomass into valuable compounds, mainly biofuels.

Keywords: agroindustrial wastewater; industrial wastewater; microalgal bioproducts; urban wastewater; strain isolation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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