Recent advances in Microalgae-based distillery wastewater treatment

The growing trend in consumption and production of food products from brewing industries has led to an increased waste discharge of contaminants into the environment. The diversity of toxic non-biodegradable compounds present in the distillery wastewater (DWW) brings up a challenge for the researchers to explore more novel methods in the treatment process. More recently, microalgae-based bioremediation has gained significant importance in all kinds of wastewater treatment. Being eco-friendly and solar driven the potential value of this approach in DWW treatment however are yet to be fully exploited. Thus, in this review, we first describe the roles and applications of bacteria and fungi for treating melanoidins and other organic compounds present in the distillery effluent. Later, a special emphasis was given to the strategies that are involved in phycoremediation of DWW. At last, we intend to shed lights on research works related to microbial fuel cells and developing genetically engineered microalgae as a future prospect for improving the efficiency of phycoremediation in wastewater management and pollution control in the near future. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The growing trend in consumption and production of food products from brewing industries has led to an increased waste discharge of contaminants into the environment. Microalgae-based bioremediation has gained significant importance in wastewater treatment, but its potential value in distillery wastewater treatment still needs to be fully exploited. Research work explores the roles of bacteria and fungi in treating organic compounds in distillery wastewater, and emphasizes strategies for phycoremediation in distillery wastewater, as well as introducing microbial fuel cells and genetically engineered microalgae for future prospect.