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Review
. 2022 Nov 3;12(11):1094.
doi: 10.3390/membranes12111094.

Microalgae-Enabled Wastewater Remediation and Nutrient Recovery through Membrane Photobioreactors: Recent Achievements and Future Perspective

Pei Sean Goh  1 , Nor Akalili Ahmad  1 , Jun Wei Lim  2   3 , Yong Yeow Liang  4 , Hooi Siang Kang  5 , Ahmad Fauzi Ismail  1 , Gangasalam Arthanareeswaran  6
Affiliations
Review

Microalgae-Enabled Wastewater Remediation and Nutrient Recovery through Membrane Photobioreactors: Recent Achievements and Future Perspective

Pei Sean Goh et al. Membranes (Basel). .

Abstract

The use of microalgae for wastewater remediation and nutrient recovery answers the call for a circular bioeconomy, which involves waste resource utilization and ecosystem protection. The integration of microalgae cultivation and wastewater treatment has been proposed as a promising strategy to tackle the issues of water and energy source depletions. Specifically, microalgae-enabled wastewater treatment offers an opportunity to simultaneously implement wastewater remediation and valuable biomass production. As a versatile technology, membrane-based processes have been increasingly explored for the integration of microalgae-based wastewater remediation. This review provides a literature survey and discussion of recent progressions and achievements made in the development of membrane photobioreactors (MPBRs) for wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery. The opportunities of using microalgae-based wastewater treatment as an interesting option to manage effluents that contain high levels of nutrients are explored. The innovations made in the design of membrane photobioreactors and their performances are evaluated. The achievements pave a way for the effective and practical implementation of membrane technology in large-scale microalgae-enabled wastewater remediation and nutrient recovery processes.

Keywords: bioremediation; membrane photobioreactor; microalgae; nutrient recovery; wastewater treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the merits and challenges of microalgae–enabled wastewater treatment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Concentrations of total nitrogen and PO43P in the effluent of the MPBR operated with different HRTs [104]. (b) Concentration of (i) total nitrogen and (ii) total phosphorus before and after the decay of microalgae in the MPBR operated under a long HRT [105]. (c) Removal efficiencies of (i) NO3−-N and (ii) PO43−-P in the MPBR and OMPBR as a function of hydraulic retention time [110]. (d) Illustrations of (i) sidestream and (ii) submerged FO modules in the OMPBR [111] (Reprinted with permission).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The major fouling-contributing components during wastewater treatment in microalgae-containing MPBRs.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) The appearance of membranes operated in various light/dark (L/D) conditions. (b) Schematic illustration of conventional and electrically induced microalgae-activated sludge MPBR [133]. (c) Annular MPBR equipped with ion exchange membrane to separate microalgae cultivation and nutrient-containing wastewater [134] (Reprinted with permission).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Summary of current innovations and the way forward for the implementation of MPBRs in wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery applications.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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