The potential of wastewater grown microalgae for agricultural purposes: Contaminants of emerging concern, heavy metals and pathogens assessment

Álvarez-González, Ana; Uggetti, Enrica; Serrano, Lydia; Gorchs, Gil; Casas, Mònica Escolà; Matamoros, Víctor; Gonzalez-Flo, Eva; Díez-Montero, Rubén

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121399

Cited by 28 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, the algal biomass could not be suitable to produce some typical products (e.g., food, feed, and biofertilizer) when microalgae grow on wastewater due to the exceeding permitted levels of heavy metals, pollutants, and pathogens. As reported previously, cadmium in the microalgal biomass was higher than the threshold established by the European regulation for fertilizing products, and three contaminants of emerging concern (hydrocinnamic acid, caffeine, and bisphenol A) were detected in the microalgae biomass used as biofertilizer ( Álvarez-González et al, 2023 ). Although microalgae could remove pathogenic bacteria effectively from wastewater ( Bhatt et al, 2023 ), Escherichia coli with a number of 400 CFU were found in 1 g algal biomass ( Álvarez-González et al, 2023 ).…”

Section: Wastewater Treatment Using Microalgae: Challenges and Potent...mentioning

confidence: 59%

Challenges and potential solutions of microalgae-based systems for wastewater treatment and resource recovery

Gao

Yang

et al. 2023

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Wastewater Treatment Using Microalgae: Challenges and Potent...mentioning

confidence: 59%

Challenges and potential solutions of microalgae-based systems for wastewater treatment and resource recovery

Gao

Yang

et al. 2023

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The biofertilisers extracted from microalgal biomass also shows the presence of harmful contaminants like bisphenol A ( Álvarez-González et al, 2023). Because of the above-mentioned challenges, utilisation of microalgae for wastewater treatment is restricted only for tertiary treatment rather than primary and secondary treatments.…”

Section: Challenges and Potential Hazards Of Biomass Generated From W...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the previous reports, the presence of cadmium in the microalgal biomass was higher than the standard concentration established by the European regulation. The biofertilisers extracted from microalgal biomass also shows the presence of harmful contaminants like bisphenol A (Álvarez‐González et al, 2023). Because of the above‐mentioned challenges, utilisation of microalgae for wastewater treatment is restricted only for tertiary treatment rather than primary and secondary treatments.…”

Section: Challenges and Potential Hazards Of Biomass Generated From W...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and future perspectives of a microalgae based circular bioeconomy to manage industrial wastewater– A Systematic Review

Raghuraman Rengarajan,

Detchanamurthy,

Panneerselvan

et al. 2024

Physiologia Plantarum

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Post technological advancements and industrialisation, the recovery of resources by treating wastewater is gaining momentum. As the global population continues to grow, the need for water is becoming increasingly urgent. Therefore, the re‐utilisation of water is becoming an increasingly important factor in the preservation of life on this planet. Wastewater is classified according to its source of origin. When left untreated, the effluent causes several environmental hazards and poses health issues as they have higher concentrations of nutrients and toxic heavy metals. Currently, several conventional methods exist to treat and handle wastewater, but they generate secondary waste post‐treatment and are not sustainable. Microalgae‐based treatment of wastewater is highly sustainable, cost‐efficient and aligns with the concept of circular bioeconomy. The biological treatment of effluents using microalgae has several advantages. Approximately 1.83 kg of CO2 is sequestered per kg of the dry biomass during microalgae cultivation. Among all the sustainable alternatives, microalgae offer better biomass productivity by utilising a higher concentration of nutrients in wastewater. The wastewater‐grown microalgae have higher efficiency in producing commercially important secondary metabolites. This systematic review highlights the competence of microalgae in different wastewater sources and their industrial perspectives. This also gives an overview of the biproducts produced from microalgae‐based wastewater treatment.

show abstract

“…Just as the use of treated wastewaters or agricultural effluents for microalgae cultivation offers advantages, it is crucial to check biomass for pathogens, heavy metal concentration as well as contaminants of emerging concern before any use in agricultural practices [ 38 ]. Once microalgal biomass is produced with sufficient quantities, it can be directly used or processed via numerous techniques to formulate biostimulants.…”

Section: Microalgae-based Biostimulants: From Phototrophic Microorgan...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Review of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria-Based Biostimulants for Agriculture Uses

Chabili,

Minaoui,

Hakkoum

et al. 2024

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Significant progress has been achieved in the use of biostimulants in sustainable agricultural practices. These new products can improve plant growth, nutrient uptake, crop yield and quality, stress adaptation and soil fertility, while reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint. Although it is an emerging market, the biostimulant sector is very promising, hence the increasing attention of the scientific community and agro-industry stakeholders in finding new sources of plant biostimulants. Recently, pro- and eucaryotic microalgae have gained prominence and can be exploited as biostimulants due to their ability to produce high-value-added metabolites. Several works revealed the potential of microalgae- and cyanobacteria-based biostimulants (MCBs) as plant growth promoters and stress alleviators, as well as encouraging results pointing out that their use can address current and future agricultural challenges. In contrast to macroalgae biostimulants, the targeted applications of MBs in agriculture are still in their earlier stages and their commercial implementation is constrained by the lack of research and cost of production. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview on the use of this promising new category of plant biostimulants in agriculture and to highlight the current knowledge on their application prospects. Based on the prevailing state of the art, we aimed to roadmap MCB formulations from microalgae and cyanobacteria strain selection, algal biomass production, extraction techniques and application type to product commercialization and farmer and consumer acceptance. Moreover, we provide examples of successful trials demonstrating the beneficial applications of microalgal biostimulants as well as point out bottlenecks and constraints regarding their successful commercialization and input in sustainable agricultural practices.

show abstract

The potential of wastewater grown microalgae for agricultural purposes: Contaminants of emerging concern, heavy metals and pathogens assessment

Cited by 28 publications

References 36 publications

Challenges and potential solutions of microalgae-based systems for wastewater treatment and resource recovery

Challenges and potential solutions of microalgae-based systems for wastewater treatment and resource recovery

Current and future perspectives of a microalgae based circular bioeconomy to manage industrial wastewater– A Systematic Review

A Comprehensive Review of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria-Based Biostimulants for Agriculture Uses

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About