Microalgae-Based Nutrient Recovery from Urban Wastewater

Algal treatment of wastewater is one of the most interesting topics in recent years. It is a sustainable alternative for recovering nutrients and energy compared to conventional wastewater treatments, which require the expenditure of large amounts of energy and lead to the loss of valuable organic elements. The rationale behind the treatment of municipal wastewater by algal microorganisms is that these photosynthetic organisms not only gather from the surrounding environment the macro- and micronutrients they need for the formation of their organic structures, but they also entrap energy from solar radiation. This whole process is based on the use of wastewater as a free and sustainable growth medium. In this way, it is possible not only to contribute to the remediation of effluents that cannot be released as such into receiving water bodies but also to produce biomass with a higher energy content that can be further utilized for biochemical production.