Phyco-remediation: Role of Microalgae in Remediation of Emerging Contaminants

The developing new technologies and urbanization make ease to livelihood but also create new challenges to mankind and living creatures. There are several toxic compounds rigorously released in the environment, and due to their high hydrophobic nature as well as their non-degradable properties, they become a major concern to human health. There are several techniques introduced to treat these emerging contaminants like endocrine-disrupting compounds, pharmaceutical compounds, antiepileptic drugs, antibiotics, dyes, wastewater contaminants, organic and household wastes, and personal care products. The remediation processes are introduced using plants, fungi, and bacteria. The algae such as microalgae and cyanobacteria are found more reliable and good biological tool to remediate these contaminants. The process of removal of these emerging contaminants using algae is called phyco-remediation. New technologies like genetic engineering incorporated with these microalgae are a promising tool to cope up with these emerging contaminants and help in detoxifying these contaminants from the ecosystem. The present chapter discusses all aspects related to the concept of emerging contaminants and its types and the role of microalgae and cyanobacteria in the removal of these contaminants with proper mechanisms. Also, this chapter provides some future prospects regarding the applications of phyco-remediation with respect to some other fields like advanced oxidation processes and genetic engineering.