Consortium between microalgae and other microbiological groups: A promising approach to emphasise the sustainability of open cultivation systems for wastewater treatment

The application of microalgae in bioremediation of urban and industrial effluents has shown excellent results, both in terms of their ability to remove pollutants, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus and in the way that this system operates, which does not require large structures and is easy to handle. Microalgae are microscopic beings that have a high photosynthetic efficiency and are able to adapt to the most diverse types of effluents and environmental conditions due to mixotrophic characteristics. The treatment performed by these microorganisms can be done in a variety of systems, whether open, closed or in a hybrid model, so, the choice is directly correlated with the desirable characteristics, in terms of the design and configuration of the system. The open system has several economic and operational advantages and for this reason it has been widely used for effluent treatment. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that there is a mechanism of proto-cooperation between microalgae and contaminating microorganisms of the open system, mainly with bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts. In this work, the mechanisms, advantages and bottlenecks of the use of symbiotic systems in the biore-mediation of urban and industrial effluents will be discussed, mainly considering the feasibility and stability of open systems.

Automated summary

The application of microalgae in bioremediation of urban and industrial effluents has shown excellent results. Microalgae have high photosynthetic efficiency and can adapt to a variety of effluents and environmental conditions. The treatment can be done in various systems, and the open system is widely used due to its economic and operational advantages. Proto-cooperation between microalgae and contaminating microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, is important in the open system.