Resource recovery through bioremediation of wastewaters and waste carbon by microalgae: a circular bioeconomy approach
- 1 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
- Vol. 28 (42), 58837-58856
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11645-8
Abstract
Microalgal biomass–based biofuels are a promising alternative to fossil fuels. Microalgal biofuels’ major obstacles are the water and carbon sources for their cultivation and biomass harvest from the liquid medium. To date, an economically viable process is not available for algal based biofuels. The circular bioeconomy is an attractive concept for reuse, reduce, and recycle resources. The recovery of nutrients from waste and effluents by microalgae could significantly impact the escalating demands of energy and nutraceutical source to the growing population. Wastewaters from different sources are enriched with nutrients and carbon, and these resources can be recovered and utilized for the circular bioeconomy approach. However, the utilization of wastewaters and waste seems to be an essential strategy for mass cultivation of microalgae to minimizing freshwater consumption, carbon, nutrients cost, nitrogen, phosphorus removal, and other pollutants loads from wastewater and generating sustainable biomass for value addition for either biofuels or other chemicals. Hence, the amalgamation of wastewater treatment with the mass cultivation of microalgae improved the conventional treatment process and environmental impacts. This review provides complete information on the latest progress and developments of microalgae as potential biocatalyst for the remediation of wastewaters and waste carbon to recover resources through biomass with metabolites for various industrial applications and large-scale cultivation in wastewaters, and future perspectives are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 124 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cultivation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa in soybean processing wastewaterBioresource Technology, 2011
- Coproduct market analysis and water footprint of simulated commercial algal biorefineriesApplied Energy, 2011
- Comparative assessment of CO2 capture technologies for carbon-intensive industrial processesProgress in Energy and Combustion Science, 2011
- Biomass and lipid production of heterotrophic microalgae Chlorella protothecoides by using biodiesel-derived crude glycerolBiotechnology Letters, 2011
- Heterotrophic cultures of microalgae: Metabolism and potential productsWater Research, 2011
- Continuous culture of the microalgae Schizochytrium limacinum on biodiesel-derived crude glycerol for producing docosahexaenoic acidBioresource Technology, 2011
- Microalgae for “Healthy” Foods—Possibilities and ChallengesComprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2010
- Microalgae cultivation in a wastewater dominated by carpet mill effluents for biofuel applicationsBioresource Technology, 2010
- Freshwater and marine microalgae sequestering of CO2 at different C and N concentrations – Response surface methodology analysisEnergy Conversion and Management, 2009
- A handful of carbonNature, 2007