Converting nitrogen and phosphorus wastewater into bioenergy using microalgae-bacteria consortia: A critical review

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 342; p. 126056
• Main Authors: Zhang, Chaofan, Li, Shengnan, Ho, Shih-Hsin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2021
• Subjects: activated sludge; Advanced wastewater treatment; Bacteria; biodiesel; bioelectricity; bioethanol; biohydrogen; Biomass; Cell-to-cell communication; Ecosystem; ecosystems; eutrophication; Microalgae; Microalgae biorefinery; Microalgae-bacteria interactions; Nitrogen; Nutrients recovery; Phosphorus; risk; Waste Water; wastewater; wastewater treatment; Advanced wastewater treatment; Microalgae-bacteria interactions; Nutrients recovery; Cell-to-cell communication; Microalgae biorefinery
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126056

[Display omitted] •The mechanism for removing nutrients via microalgae-bacteria consortia is discussed.•Light is an important operational parameter for efficiently removing nutrients.•Bio-flocculation using bacteria is a superior method for microalgal harvest.•Recent bioenergy production via microalgae-bacteria consortia is elaborated. Conventional wastewater treatment using activated sludge cannot efficiently eliminate nitrogen and phosphorus, thus engendering the risk of water eutrophication and ecosystem disruption. Fortunately, a new wastewater treatment process applying microalgae-bacteria consortia has attracted considerable interests due to its excellent performance of nutrients removal. Moreover, some bacteria facilitate the harvest of microalgal biomass through bio-flocculation. Additionally, while stimulating the functional bacteria, the improved biomass and enriched components also brighten bioenergy production from the perspective of practical applications. Thus, this review first summarizes the current development of nutrients removal and mutualistic interaction using microalgae-bacteria consortia. Then, advancements in bio-flocculation are completely described and the corresponding mechanisms are thoroughly revealed. Eventually, the recent advances of bioenergy production (i.e., biodiesel, biohydrogen, bioethanol, and bioelectricity) using microalgae-bacteria consortia are comprehensively discussed. Together, this review will provide the ongoing challenges and future developmental directions for better converting nitrogen and phosphorus wastewater into bioenergy using microalgae-bacteria consortia.