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Clean Technol.
Special Issues
Microalgae-Based Systems for Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management
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Microalgae-Based Systems for Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management

A special issue of Clean Technologies (ISSN 2571-8797).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 6253

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Sofia Oliveira

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Guest Editor
1. LSRE-LCM—Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering, Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
2. ALiCE—Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: aerobic granular sludge; microalgae-bacterial granular sludge; bioaugmentation processes; biological wastewater treatment; extracellular polymeric substances; wastewater valorization; resource recovery; antibiotic resistance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Catarina Amorim

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Guest Editor
CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina, Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Interests: wastewater treatment; wastewater valorization schemes; environmental biotechnology; bioremediation; microbiome functional dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wastewater treatment is a pressing global challenge, with conventional methods often being energy-intensive and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions as well as generating large contents of excess sludge that require costly handling and disposal. Microalgae-based processes have emerged as a sustainable alternative, enabling the efficient removal of nutrients and organic and inorganic pollutants from various wastewater types, including municipal, industrial, and agricultural effluents, while offering alternative pathways for waste sludge treatment and valorization.

Beyond pollutant removal, microalgae cultivation facilitates carbon dioxide sequestration and generates biomass that can be valorized into biofuels, biofertilizers, and other high-value products, aligning with circular economy principles and providing sustainable solutions for wastewater sludge management. However, the optimization of cultivation conditions, scalability, and economic feasibility remain challenges in its application.

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research on and developments in microalgae-based wastewater treatment systems. We invite contributions that explore innovative cultivation techniques, integration with existing treatment systems, and biomass valorization strategies. Studies focusing on microalgae–bacteria consortia, multi-omics approaches, and real-world applications are particularly welcome.

This Special Issue collection will benefit researchers, engineers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders seeking sustainable and efficient wastewater management solutions with improved sludge valorization pathways. We welcome original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and case studies that advance the understanding and application of microalgae-based processes in pollutant removal from wastewater.

Dr. Ana Sofia Oliveira
Dr. Catarina Amorim
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Clean Technologies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microalgae-based wastewater treatment
  • pollutants removal
  • nutrient recovery
  • sludge valorization
  • sludge management
  • sustainable wastewater management
  • microalgae–bacteria consortia
  • industrial and municipal effluents

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1200 KB  
Article
Integrated Treatment and Valorization of Meat Processing Wastewater via Microalgae-Based Biomass Production
by Ana S. S. Sousa, Ana S. Oliveira, Paula M. L. Castro and Catarina L. Amorim
Clean Technol. 2026, 8(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol8010020 - 3 Feb 2026
Viewed by 727
Abstract
Meat-processing wastewater (MPWW) is rich in nutrients and organic matter. This study assessed its potential as feedstock for microalgal biomass production while enabling wastewater treatment. In batch assays, the microalgae-based consortium grew in raw MPWW, and its synergy with the native wastewater microbial [...] Read more.
Meat-processing wastewater (MPWW) is rich in nutrients and organic matter. This study assessed its potential as feedstock for microalgal biomass production while enabling wastewater treatment. In batch assays, the microalgae-based consortium grew in raw MPWW, and its synergy with the native wastewater microbial community enhanced the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate. If suspended solids were pre-removed from wastewater, COD removing rates improved from 828.5 ± 60.5 to 1097.5 ± 22.2 mg L−1 d−1. In a raceway system operated in fed-batch mode with sieved and sedimented MPWW, COD removal was consistently achieved across feeding cycles, despite the variability in wastewater composition, reaching rates of up to 806.3 ± 0.0 mg L−1 d−1. Total nitrogen also decreased in most cycles. Microalgal biomass, estimated from total photosynthetic pigment’s concentration, increased from 0.4 to 17.9 µg mL−1. The microalgae-based consortium became more diverse over time, harboring at the end, additional eukaryotic taxa such as protozoan grazers and fungi (e.g., Heterolobosea class and Trichosporonaceae and Dipodascaceae families), although their roles in removal processes remain unknown. This study highlights the potential use of real MPWW as feedstock for microalgal-based biomass production with concomitant carbon/nutrient load reduction, aligning its implementation with circular economy percepts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microalgae-Based Systems for Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management)
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Review

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35 pages, 4852 KB  
Review
From Waste to Resource: Algal–Bacterial Systems and Immobilization Techniques in Aquaculture Effluent Treatment
by Jiangqi Qu, Ruijun Ren, Zhanhui Wu, Jie Huang and Qingjing Zhang
Clean Technol. 2025, 7(4), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol7040097 - 4 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4749
Abstract
The rapid expansion of global aquaculture has led to wastewater enriched with nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter, antibiotics, and heavy metals, posing serious risks such as eutrophication, ecological imbalance, and public health threats. Conventional physical, chemical, and biological treatments face limitations including high cost, [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of global aquaculture has led to wastewater enriched with nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter, antibiotics, and heavy metals, posing serious risks such as eutrophication, ecological imbalance, and public health threats. Conventional physical, chemical, and biological treatments face limitations including high cost, secondary pollution, and insufficient efficiency, limiting sustainable wastewater management. Algal–bacterial symbiotic systems (ABSS) provide a sustainable alternative, coupling the metabolic complementarity of microalgae and bacteria for effective pollutant mitigation and concurrent biomass valorization. Immobilizing microbial consortia within carrier materials enhances system stability, tolerance to environmental changes, and scalability. This review systematically summarizes the pollution characteristics and ecological risks of aquaculture effluents, highlighting the limitations of conventional treatment methods. It focuses on the metabolic cooperation within ABSS, including nutrient cycling and pollutant degradation, the impact of environmental factors, and the role of immobilization carriers in enhancing system performance and biomass resource valorization. Despite their potential, ABSS still face challenges related to mass transfer limitations, complex microbial interactions, and difficulties in scale-up. Future research should focus on improving environmental adaptability, regulating microbial dynamics, designing intelligent and cost-effective carriers, and developing modular engineering systems to enable robust and scalable solutions for sustainable aquaculture wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microalgae-Based Systems for Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management)
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