Can microalgae grown in wastewater reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers?
Open accessAbstract
Alternatives to conventional inorganic fertilizers are needed to cope with the growing global population and contamination due to the production and use of those inorganic compounds. The recovery of nutrients from wastewater and organic wastes is a promising option to provide fertilization in a circular economy approach. In this context, microalgae-based systems are an alternative to conventional wastewater treatment systems, reducing the treatment costs and improving the sustainability of the process, while producing nutrient-rich microalgal biomass. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the use of microalgal biomass produced during domestic wastewater treatment in high rate algal ponds as a biofertilizer in basil crops ( Ocimum basilicum L.). Wastewater was successfully treated, with removal efficiencies in the secondary treatment of 69, 91 and 81% in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) and phosphates (PO 4 3 –P), respectively. The microalgal biomass, composed mainly by Scenedesmus , presented the following composition: 12% of dry weight and nutrients concentration of 7.6% nitrogen (N), 1.6% phosphorus (P) and 0.9% potassium (K). The study compared the performance of 3 different fertilizers: 1) microalgae fertilizer (MF), 2) inorganic fertilizer (IF) as positive control and 3) the combination of both microalgae and inorganic fertilizer (MF + IF). Comparable plant growth (i.e., number of leaves, shoot fresh and dry weight and leaf fresh weight) was observed among treatments, except for leaf dry weight, which was significantly higher in the IF + MF and MF treatments (28 and 27%, respectively) in comparison with the control. However, the microalgae treatment provided the lowest chlorophyll, N and K leaf content. In conclusion, this study suggests that combining microalgae grown in wastewater with an inorganic fertilizer is a promising nutrients source for basil crops, enhancing the circular bioeconomy.
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Microalgae biomass enhances crop growth and yield, comparable to synthetic fertilizers.
“Microalgae biomass enhances crop growth and yield, comparable to synthetic fertilizers [113, 114].”
From A Holistic Approach to Circular Bioeconomy Through the Sustainable Utilization of Microalgal Biomass for Biofuel and Other Value-Added Products (2024) · cites this paper as [113]
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- Authors
- Álvarez-González, A., Uggetti, E., Serrano, L., Gorchs, G., Ferrer, I., & Díez-Montero, R.
- Affiliations
- Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES)
- Universidad de Cantabria (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Uggetti, Enrica
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-12
- Volume
- 323
- Pages
- 116224
- ISSN
- 0301-4797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4296225893
- Cited by
- 84
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 2.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Management (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCrea (University of Cantabria) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- UPCommons institutional repository (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- European Commission
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2020)
- 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
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Innovations in Aquaponics and Hydroponics Systems
- Keywords
- microalgae, wastewater treatment, biofertilizers, inorganic fertilizer reduction, Ocimum basilicum, high rate algal ponds, Scenedesmus, nutrient recovery, circular economy, plant growth, chlorophyll content, nitrogen and phosphorus removal, microalgal biomass
- MeSH terms
- Chlorophyll, Fertilizers, Nitrogen, Phosphates, Phosphorus, Potassium, Biomass, Crops, Agricultural, Microalgae, Wastewater
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