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REVIEW ARTICLE

Integrating algal consortia into domestic wastewater biorefineries: Mechanisms, efficiency, and circular economy perspectives

Sarah Khan1 ,  Anwesha Mondal1 ,  Shremayi Chatterjee1 ,  Santanu Paul1*
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1 Department of Botany, Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
EER, 025460078 https://doi.org/10.36922/EER025460078
Received: 12 November 2025 | Revised: 9 January 2026 | Accepted: 22 January 2026 | Published online: 20 February 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Urbanization is occurring on a large scale at an unprecedented pace. In this context, algal consortia represent a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution for domestic wastewater remediation. This review focuses on mixed algal consortia as a treatment approach for domestic wastewater containing organic and inorganic pollutants, including nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals, and other chemicals. These consortia demonstrate enhanced pollutant removal efficiencies through synergistic biosorption, bioaccumulation, and biodegradation mediated by multiple algal species. Indeed, algal biomass can be valorized in biorefineries to produce a range of resources, including biofuels, biopolymers, and organic phyco-fertilizers, thereby advancing the circular bioeconomy. Overall, this review positions algal consortia as a potentially low-cost platform that integrates wastewater remediation with bioresource recovery, promoting the transformation of urban ecosystems toward a greener, more resilient future.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Algal consortia
Phycoremediation
Domestic wastewater
Biorefinery
Circular bioeconomy
Biosorption
Bioaccumulation
Sustainable wastewater treatment
Funding
This work was supported by grants from the University Grants Commission, India (A.M. Fellow ID: 191620246470, Dec 2019) and CSIR-HRDG (S.C. Fellow ID: 09/0028(17403)/2024-EMR-I).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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