LAPSE:2023.17405
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.17405
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, Luísa Gouveia
March 6, 2023
Wastewater (WW) treatment using microalgae has become a growing trend due the economic and environmental benefits of the process. As microalgae need CO2, 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, strain isolation, urban wastewater
Suggested Citation
Morais EG, Cristofoli NL, Maia IB, Magina T, Cerqueira PR, Teixeira MR, Varela J, Barreira L, Gouveia L. Microalgal Systems for Wastewater Treatment: Technological Trends and Challenges towards Waste Recovery. (2023). LAPSE:2023.17405
Author Affiliations
Morais EG: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Cristofoli NL: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; MED—Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Maia IB: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Magina T: Necton Companhia Portuguesa de Culturas Marinhas, S.A. Belamandil, 8700-152 Olhão, Portugal
Cerqueira PR: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Teixeira MR: CENSE—Centre for Research on the Environment and Sustainability, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Varela J: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; GreenCoLab—Green Ocean Technologies and Products Collaborative Laboratory, CCMAR, Algarve University, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Barreira L: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Gouveia L: GreenCoLab—Green Ocean Technologies and Products Collaborative Laboratory, CCMAR, Algarve University, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; LNEG-UBB—National Laboratory of Energy and Geology I.P., Bioenergy and Biorefineries Unit, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar 22, 16 [ORCID]
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
14
Issue
23
First Page
8112
Year
2021
Publication Date
2021-12-03
Published Version
ISSN
1996-1073
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PII: en14238112, Publication Type: Review
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doi:10.3390/en14238112
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