Novel Approaches in Wastewater Utilization Using Photosynthetic Microbes

The global industrialization has led to significant changes in ecological dynamics and biodiversity. Population growth, urbanization, and changes in consumption patterns have influenced human interactions with the environment. The release of wastewater into mainstream aquatic channels without proper pretreatment can lead to serious problems, including eutrophication and algal blooms that disturb aquatic life forms. Improving wastewater treatment and management is crucial for protecting human health, ensuring sustainable development, and protecting the environment. The use of microalgae and cyanobacteria for wastewater treatment is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach that not only improves water quality but also produces value-added products such as biofuels, food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Integrating biorefinery techniques with wastewater treatment has several sustainable advantages including cost-effectiveness. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have significantly increased in the past decade, providing efficient and clean production of high-value compounds and fuels using microbes. BESs can be classified into several distinct categories, namely electrogenesis systems, electro-hydrogenesis systems, microbiological desalination processes systems, microbiological electrosynthesis systems, and bioelectrochemical systems for water treatment. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a type of bioreactors that facilitate the conversion of chemical energy from organic substances into electrical energy. This conversion process is achieved by the catalytic process of microbes, which occurs in anaerobic conditions. The current chapter highlights several of these sustainable techniques employed in wastewater treatments with the advent of photosynthetic microbes.