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. 2025 Nov 11;12:1664674. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1664674

Table 2.

Cultivation of marine microalgae in wastewater for nutrient removal and biomass production.

Wastewater Microalgae Nutrient removal Biomass production Reference
TOC TN TP
Saline food industry wastewater Dunaliella salina 72.5% COD a 84.8% NO3+ 80.5% PO4+ ~6 × 105 cells/mL (77)
Dairy wastewater from milk producing factory Tetraselmis suecica 40.2% 44.9% 42.2% PO43- 0.6 g/L (34)
Marine aquaculture wastewater Isochrysis galbana / >60% DIN b 100% DIP c / (76)
Marine aquaculture wastewater Chlorella sp. / >90% DIN 100% DIP / (76)
Shrimp farm wastewater Navicula sp. / / / 77.6 mg/L (80)
Shrimp farm wastewater Tetraselmis sp. / / / 81.3 mg/L (80)
Shrimp farm wastewater Navicula sp. / / / 86.3 mg/L (80)
Fishery wastewater Thalassiosira pseudonana and Isochrysis galbana / 85.3% 92.8% 1.4 g/L (141)
Milkfish culture wastewater Isochrysis galbana / 97.9% NH3-N; 94.3% NO2-N d 59.4% 132.4–174.7 mg/L/day (75)
Milkfish culture wastewater Nannochlorum sp. / 84.1% NH3-N e; 93.4% NO2-N 71.65% 94.8–711.0 mg/L/day (75)
Milkfish culture wastewater Tetraselmis tetrahele / 99.2% NH3-N; 97.5% NO2-N 51.55% 136.0–187.5 mg/L/day (75)
Molasses Dunaliella salina / / / ~2.1 g/L (142)
Starch-rich food processing waste of Chinese steamed bread Isochrysis galbana / / / 3.9 g/L (143)
Synthetic wastewater Dunaliella tertiolecta / / 54.4% 9.6 g/L (144)
Synthetic wastewater Nannochloropsis gaditana / / 33.3% 12.9 g/L (144)
Municipal wastewater Phaeodactylum tricornutum 89.9% COD 82.2% 96.0% 1.0 g/L (19)

a COD, Chemical oxygen demand; b DIN, Dissolved inorganic nitrogen; c DIP, Dissolved inorganic phosphorus; d NO2-N, Nitrate-nitrogen; e NH3-N, Ammonia-nitrogen.