Hybrid Microalgal-Activated Sludge Treatment Prospects: A Review

Abstract

Enormous amount of wastewater of varying strength and contamination is produced due to domestic, municipal, agricultural, and industrial activities. These usually contained a high level of pollutants including inorganic and organic pollutants, pesticides, and heavy metals. Physio-chemical treatment approaches were employed to treat these recalcitrant contaminants and efectively handle extremely toxic substances within a short period. However, despite this, these treatments were associated with setbacks, including incomplete pollutant removals, lack of multiple pollutants removal capabilities, excessive sludge production, and cost of energy and chemical employed. Hybrid microbial treatment systems were efcient due to their potential to remove multiple contaminants like heavy metals, BOD, COD, assimilate nutrients, production of renewable energy alternatives, and easily recycled or regenerated. The future bottleneck in terms of best microbial proportions for higher growth rates and removal efciencies is highlighted