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Integration of microalgal cultivation system for wastewater remediation and sustainable biomass production

World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology volume 32, Article number: 139 (2016) Cite this article

Abstract

Untreated wastewaters have been a great concern and can cause major pollution problems for environment. Conventional approaches for treating wastewater involve tremendous capital cost, have major short comings and are not sustainable. Microalgae culture offers an interesting step for wastewater treatment. Microalgae serve the dual purpose of phycoremediation along with the production of potentially valuable biomass, which can be used for several purposes. The ability of microalgae to accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals and other toxic compounds can be integrated with wastewater treatment system to offer an elegant solution towards tertiary and quaternary treatment. The current review explores possible role of microalgal based wastewater treatment and explores the current progress, key challenges, limitations and future prospects with special emphasis on strategies involved in harvesting, boosting biomass and lipid yield.

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[Adapted from Pahl et al. (2013)]

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support provided research fund of Catholic Kwandong University (CKURF-201406680001) and this study was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (2016005271).

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  1. Department of Energy and Environment Convergence, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung, 210701, South Korea

    Prabuddha L. Gupta, Seung-Mok Lee & Hee-Jeong Choi

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  1. Prabuddha L. Gupta
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  2. Seung-Mok Lee
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  3. Hee-Jeong Choi
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Correspondence to Hee-Jeong Choi.

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Gupta, P.L., Lee, SM. & Choi, HJ. Integration of microalgal cultivation system for wastewater remediation and sustainable biomass production. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 32, 139 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-016-2090-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-016-2090-8

Keywords

  • Microalgae
  • Wastewater
  • Phycoremediation
  • Biomass
  • Harvesting