Microalgae-based livestock wastewater treatment (MbWT) as a circular bioeconomy approach: Enhancement of biomass productivity, pollutant removal and high-value compound production
Open accessAbstract
The intensive livestock activities that are carried out worldwide to feed the growing human population have led to significant environmental problems, such as soil degradation, surface and groundwater pollution. Livestock wastewater (LW) contains high loads of organic matter, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). These compounds can promote cultural eutrophication of water bodies and pose environmental and human hazards. Therefore, humanity faces an enormous challenge to adequately treat LW and avoid the overexploitation of natural resources. This can be accomplished through circular bioeconomy approaches, which aim to achieve sustainable production using biological resources, such as LW, as feedstock. Circular bioeconomy uses innovative processes to produce biomaterials and bioenergy, while lowering the consumption of virgin resources. Microalgae-based wastewater treatment (MbWT) has recently received special attention due to its low energy demand, the robust capacity of microalgae to grow under different environmental conditions and the possibility to recover and transform wastewater nutrients into highly valuable bioactive compounds. Some of the high-value products that may be obtained through MbWT are biomass and pigments for human food and animal feed, nutraceuticals, biofuels, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins and fertilizers. This article reviews recent advances in MbWT of LW (including swine, cattle and poultry wastewater). Additionally, the most significant factors affecting nutrient removal and biomass productivity in MbWT are addressed, including: (1) microbiological aspects, such as the microalgae strain used for MbWT and the interactions between microbial populations; (2) physical parameters, such as temperature, light intensity and photoperiods; and (3) chemical parameters, such as the C/N ratio, pH and the presence of inhibitory compounds. Finally, different strategies to enhance nutrient removal and biomass productivity, such as acclimation, UV mutagenesis and multiple microalgae culture stages (including monocultures and multicultures) are discussed.
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Numerous microalgal species have an excellent capability for bioremediation of nutrients, heavy metals, emerging pollutants and pathogens from wastewater.
“Numerous microalgal species, including Scenedesmus, Chlorella, Botryococcus, Phormidium, Limnospira (formerly Arthrospira, Spirulina), and Chlamydomonas, have been confirmed to have an excellent capability for the bioremediation of nutrients, HMs, emerging pollutants and pathogens from WW [33,34].”
From Microalgae-based wastewater treatment: Mechanisms, challenges, recent advances, and future prospects (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
Microalgae have a high potential to remove contaminants from the effluents of industries and urban areas.
“They have a high potential to remove contaminants from the effluents of industries and urban areas.”
From Microalgae-based wastewater treatment: Mechanisms, challenges, recent advances, and future prospects (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
Meeting the optimal light requirement is a challenge for microalgae-based wastewater treatment because livestock wastewater contains large amounts of suspended solids and turbidity that reduce light penetration and inhibit microalgae growth.
“Moreover, meeting the optimal light requirement is one of the challenges of microalgae-based WWT since livestock WW contains large amounts of suspended solids and turbidity, which both reduce light penetration into the medium and inhibit microalgae growth.”
From Microalgae-based wastewater treatment: Mechanisms, challenges, recent advances, and future prospects (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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Microalgae-based wastewater treatment: Mechanisms, challenges, recent advances, and future prospects
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- Authors
- López-Sánchez, A., Silva-Gálvez, A. L., Aguilar-Juárez, Ó., Senés-Guerrero, C., Orozco-Nunnelly, D. A., Carrillo-Nieves, D., & Gradilla-Hernández, M. S.
- Affiliations
- Tecnológico de Monterrey (MX)
- Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco (MX)
- Valparaiso University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Carrillo-Nieves, Danay
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-04
- Volume
- 308
- Pages
- 114612
- ISSN
- 0301-4797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4211116087
- Cited by
- 180
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 32 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 20
- FWCI
- 2.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Management (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
- Keywords
- microalgae-based wastewater treatment, livestock wastewater, circular bioeconomy, nutrient removal, microalgae productivity, swine wastewater, poultry wastewater, eutrophication, value-added chemicals, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, UV mutagenesis, biofertilizers, biofuels, nutraceuticals
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cattle, Environmental Pollutants, Nitrogen, Swine, Water Purification, Biomass, Biofuels, Microalgae, Livestock, Wastewater
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