Phycoremediation: A future aspect of wastewater treatment

Abstract

The increase of industrial activities has led to the production of toxic pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, pesticides, phenols, organic compounds, etc., in the aquatic system leading to water pollution. This increase in water pollution has become a threat to humankind and a matter of concern for protecting aquatic flora, fauna, and other living organisms. The classical treatment of wastewater include physical, chemical, and biological methods. These known chemical and physical methods require a lot of energy and induce secondary pollutants into the environment. Phycoremediation is a biological process of removing waste from wastewater using algae, which have played a crucial role in removing nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), sulfur (S), and minerals that act as feed for the growth of these algae rather than being contaminants. Algae have also been found to be efficient in removing toxic elements such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic, etc, as well as radionuclides as a bio absorbent. These algae are not only capable of removing the nutrients but are also capable of reducing the BOD and COD of the wastewater. Another significant advantage of utilizing algae in bioremediation is that it produces a large amount of biomass and absorbs and accumulates heavy metals. Thus, phycoremediation is now an emerging technology for wastewater treatment and can be a sustainable biomass feedstock for biofuel production.