Integration of microalgae culture as a natural-based solution for wastewater treatment

Abstract

The age of Anthropocene makes it imperative that we find ways to tackle pollution and to stay within planetary boundaries limits, one of these boundaries is nutrients availability. From a planetary boundaries point of view, the release of new reactive nitrogen should be 25% of the current level, equal to a yearly release of about 35 million tons. Instead of discharging N- and P-rich wastewater into coastal and inland waters, the use of the same microalgae growth for useful purposes in microalgaebased wastewater treatment, since cultivation of algae requires the addition of nutrients; mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In turn, a cost reduction in nutrients removal phase in wastewater treatment stages, and water reclamation for reuse and maintenance of ecological balance in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, this work deals with the nutrients and the eutrophication issue in a naturebased solution and aims to investigate the ability of a green microalgae to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from the hypereutrophic water and try to investigate the ability of microalgae in producing biogas to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.