Phycoremediation: Future Perspective of Green Technology

Abstract

A rapid buildup of toxic pollutants (metals, radionuclides and organic contaminants) in the environment has adversely affected the quality of natural resources and has created major strains on the natural ecosystems. The various conventional methods used for cleaning the environmental contaminants do not find favour because of the tedious nature of the treatment method and higher economic cost. In recent years, an increasing interest of scientists in the phycoremediation of wastewater has been growing rapidly due to its cost-effective and environmental friendly nature of the technology. The use of algal systems with bare minimum requirement of space and nutrients is one of the preferred sustainable green technologies for removal of toxic wastes from the environment. Algae are the photoautotrophic organisms with their unique characteristics of using sunlight and CO2 for their growth and survival. They are endowed with remarkable metabolic and absorption capabilities which enable them to adapt to various environmental conditions. This chapter provides an overview of phycoremediation of toxic heavy metals from wastewater by using algae. The algal biomass raised from the wastewater can be good resource for a variety of biotechnological applications.