Algae as a Solution for Water Management
Algae-based water treatment is a sustainable way of cleaning water. The treatment not only removes nutrients, but also produces valuable algae biomass. This biomass can then be used in circular economy solutions, such as textile additives and fertilizer.
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- Video: Envato
Meet Mick and Mack
- Video: ESCI - Locality
These little fellows are easy to please.
All they need to thrive is ...
sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and other nutrients, such as those found in domestic and industrial wastewater.
Meet Mick ...
Mick is a microalgae.
He’s often too small to be seen by the human eye. Mick and his family are grown purposefully in bioreactors. There Mick feeds on nutrients from various types of wastewater.
The treated water can then discarded. The microalgae are growing in photobioreactors - either in open ponds or tubular systems. When they are harvested the water is removed to gain concentrated algae biomass.
This algae biomass, enriched with recovered nutrients, is then processed using a biorefinery approach.
The extracts from the biorefinery can then be used as ingredients by the aquaculture, agriculture and the textile industry.
Microalgae can be found in almost every environment on Earth. They thrive in oceans, lakes, rivers, soils, and even in extreme conditions like hot springs and ice.
Mick
Meet Mack ...
Mack is a macroalgae.
You can find Mack and his family, for example, in the North and Baltic Seas. These water bodies are heavily polluted with nutrients, a process called eutrophication. This causes changes in algae communities, where fast-growing, opportunistic species start to take over.
Good thing that Mack and his family need those extra nutrients to grow!
Unlike Mick, Mack is grown and harvested in the open ocean.
Once harvested, macroalgae biomass is processed in a biorefinery approach. The extracts can then be used by the aquaculture, agriculture and the textile industries.
Macroalgae (like kelp) are not classified as plants – they lack roots, stems, and leaves.
Mack
- Video: Envato
- Video: ESCI - ALGAIA
Biorefinery
Biorefineries extract the algae biomass, resultant from the cultivation process, to produce extracts with high-value compounds. These compounds, enriched with nutrients can then be used in sectors such as textiles, aquaculture and agriculture.
This approach follows the principle of using the entire biomass, ensuring minimal waste and maximum resource efficiency. Because the process can be applied to different algal species, the technology is transferable, allowing other stakeholders to integrate it into their own value chains.
Examples of algae used in the Locality Project.
Red algae (Palmaria palmata) and Kelp (Saccharina latissima) as natural dye