Bioremediation of Restaurant Wastewater Using Extremophilic Galdieria Sulphuraria: A Promising Approach for Circular Bioeconomy and Environmental Sustainability

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at the University of Technology in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, have explored the potential of microalga Galdieria sulphuraria to bioremediate raw restaurant wastewater. The study found that G. sulphuraria was able to remove pollutants and uptake nutrients from the wastewater, producing enriched biomass that can be further utilized to generate secondary metabolites. This innovative approach contributes to the circular bioeconomy and environmental sustainability.

Key Takeaways:

  • The research explored the bioremediation efficiency of G. sulphuraria for the removal of pollutants, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), fats, oil, grease (FOG), and uptake of nutrient such as ammoniacal-nitrogen (NH4+-N), total-nitrogen (TN), total-phosphorus (TP), and potassium (K).
  • The microalga G. sulphuraria showed a high growth rate of 0.15 day-1 and biomass productivity of 39 mg L-1 d-1 when cultivated with restaurant wastewater.
  • The maximum removal efficiencies for COD, BOD, FOG, NH4+-N, TN, TP, and K were 71%, 80%, 66%, 96%, 93%, 99%, and 75%, respectively.
  • The study revealed that using G. sulphuraria is a promising approach for treating restaurant wastewater by removing pollutants, uptaking nutrients, and producing enriched biomass.
  • The research has significant implications for the circular bioeconomy and environmental sustainability, as it provides a novel method for treating wastewater and generating valuable biomass.

Statistics:

  • G. sulphuraria grown with restaurant wastewater had a specific growth rate of 0.15 day-1, which is a significant finding in bioremediation research.
  • The biomass productivity of G. sulphuraria was 39 mg L-1 d-1, indicating its potential for large-scale production.
  • The maximum removal efficiencies for COD, BOD, FOG, NH4+-N, TN, TP, and K were 71%, 80%, 66%, 96%, 93%, 99%, and 75%, respectively.
  • The study demonstrated the feasibility of using G. sulphuraria for bioremediation of restaurant wastewater, with a removal efficiency of up to 99% for TP.

Sources:

  • Bioremediation of Restaurant Wastewater Using Extremophilic galdieria Sulphuraria: an Approach Contributing To Circular Bioeconomy and Environmental Sustainability. Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal, 2025;68.
  • NewsRx. Studies from University of Technology in the Area of Sustainability Research Described (Bioremediation of Restaurant Wastewater Using Extremophilic galdieria Sulphuraria: an Approach Contributing To Circular Bioeconomy and Environmental ...). Biotech Week. August 6, 2025; p 966.