Cited by 105Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsAlgal biology and biofuel productionAdsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal

Capabilities and Mechanisms of Microalgae on Removing Micropollutants from Wastewater: A Review

Liu, Ranbin, Li, Siqi, Tu, Yingfan, Hao, Xiaodi·2021·Journal of Environmental Management

Abstract

Micropollutants in wastewater are a set of compounds receiving a growing concern to the environment and human health. As a green and low-cost process, microalgae-based systems (MBSs) have already been demonstrated the ability of micropollutant removal. In the present review, 114 micropollutants and 16 microalgae species in total are summarized and analyzed to present an overview capability of the MBSs. The analysis shows that MBSs can eradicate most of the included micropollutants with 94 compounds (82% of total) being removed by ≥ 50%. Regarding the reliability of removal efficiency, those from hormone active substances, macrolides, and cephalosporins are consistently removed at a high level (≥80%). Herein, biodegradation is the predominant removal pathway for most micropollutants, particularly, bearing electron-donating groups. Besides, the large family of microalgae species and unique phototrophic ability enables broad ecological niches and extra abilities over activated sludge systems to remove some recalcitrant micropollutants, e.g. pesticides. In the future study, optimization on the reactor configuration and operation parameters is expected to improve the stability of MBSs before extrapolating to full-scale deployment.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112149

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  • Microalgae-based wastewater systems are a low-cost process with two key benefits: purifying wastewater and simultaneous biomass harvesting.

    “It should also be noted that microalgae-based wastewater systems differ from the conventional wastewater treatment processes since these systems are a low-cost process with two key benefits: (1) purifying wastewater and (2) simultaneous biomass harvesting [214].”

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Authors
Liu, R., Li, S., Tu, Y., & Hao, X.
Affiliations
Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (CN)
Corresponding author
Hao, Xiaodi
Venue
Journal of Environmental Management
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-05
Volume
285
Pages
112149
ISSN
0301-4797 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3133368659
Cited by
105
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 14
FWCI
0.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Environmental Management (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China
  • Beijing Municipal Education Commission
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
Keywords
micropollutant removal, wastewater treatment, biodegradation, macrolides, cephalosporins, pesticides, removal efficiency, activated sludge comparison
MeSH terms
Humans, Waste Disposal, Fluid, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Reproducibility of Results, Microalgae, Wastewater

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