Use of microalgae as a biosensor for bioremediation of emerging contaminants

Abstract

Emerging contaminants are a worldwide concern as a result of continuous discharge from various domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities that lead to potential health concerns. Microalgae is used as a biosensor to identify contaminants in wastewater and by the process of bioremediation to get rid of those contaminants so that the water is purified and everyone has the excess to clean drinking water. In addition to cleaning wastewater and addressing pollution issues, microalgaebased wastewater treatment technology may use nutrients in wastewater to produce algal biomass, which is becoming more and more popular. Microalgae can reduce levels of nitrogen and phosphate as well as other hazardous substances like heavy metals or pharmaceuticals, making them potential candidates for wastewater recovery. Due to their use of sunlight as their primary energy source, photosynthetic microalgae require less energy input than conventional systems, which reduces the process' overall carbon footprint.