Role of algal-based technologies in domestic wastewater treatment for resources recovery and water reuse Book in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Domestic wastewater is a major source of contamination, especially in areas where there are no established treatment processes. This wastewater without effective treatment can contaminate clean bodies of water and soil, affecting the environment and some species. The use of microalgae for the treatment of different types of wastewater (phycoremediation) has been used at different scales. These phycoremediation processes have the potential to reduce contaminants in wastewater such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonium, and emerging contaminants, among others. These technologies have the potential to be applied in rural areas where common treatments have not been established, so they can be a great option to reduce pollution from untreated domestic wastewater in the world. Also, the microalgae biomass obtained from the wastewater treatment process can be used for the production of different subproducts such as biofuels, and biofertilizers, and the production of different metabolites of interest, increasing the interest of this technology by being able to obtain economic compensation for its establishment. In this chapter, the potential of domestic wastewater treatment by microalgae and its resource recovery and water reuse will be discussed. In addition, it will be considered the possible subproducts to be obtained from microalgae biomass and its possible use in areas where there are no common wastewater treatment plants installed. © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved.

publication date

  • January 1, 2025