What is Microalgae Immobilization

The application of microalgae-based wastewater treatment was first introduced in the 1940s to treat municipal wastewater. Microalgae have been studied for its various potentials such as for nutrients removal, carbon dioxide (CO2) removal, biofuel production from biomass, etc. This chapter focuses on the potential of microalgae membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment, microalgae cultivation, and harvesting. Furthermore, the selection of microalgae species is covered by comparison of nitrogen, phosphorus, COD, and BOD removal from various studies. Microalgae membrane bioreactors combine the biological treatment of microalgae with the conventional membrane bioreactor. Still, membrane fouling phenomenon is a challenge in microalgae membrane technology. Thus, several other technologies of immobilized microalgae are introduced which can potentially reduce the membrane fouling occurrence and concurrently remove the need for microalgae harvesting process.