Bioremediation and Wastewater Treatment Using Algae: A Review

Abstract

There is a vast water problem worldwide, denoted by increasing water pollution and a scarcity of clean water sources, which need innovative and long-term solutions-utilizing seaweed and micro-algae species for wastewater treatment and biological remediation. Algae are known to have unique physiological and biochemical characteristics since they showed effective removal of a wide variety of pollutants from different water systems, including other heavy metals: lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury. Also, aquatic algal species can grow in various aquatic ecosystems due to their adsorption, ion exchange, and intracellular sequestration abilities to reduce toxic metals from surrounding habitats. In addition to heavy metal removal, algae-based systems have shown promising uses in treating a wide range of wastewater treatment, including municipal, industrial, and agricultural effluents, by removing organic debris, nutrients, and potentially dangerous microorganisms such as systems. Integrating algae-based systems into standard water management processes can provide a more environmentally friendly and sustainable technique, resulting in usable clean water, which overcomes the shortage of clean water supply.