Integrated Algal Bioadsorption for Removing Major Pollutants from Textile Effluents by Low-Cost Photobioreactor and Generating Valuable By-Products

The increasing environmental strain of untreated or poorly treated textile effluents is one of the most critical issues facing the industrial ecology and the healthcare systems of the people in the world. The current research introduces an integrated system of phycoremediation that uses Cladophora algae as a primary biological treatment of textile wastewater, with strategic biomass valorization that will allow for the creation of an economic system. A cost-effective photobioreactor (PBR) was developed, built, and streamlined based on recyclable materials found locally to enable the effective growth of algae and the maximum utilization of the removal performance. The system aims to remove three key types of textile contaminants, such as azo dyes, heavy metals, and organic pollutants, by synergistically using bioadsorption and biodegradation processes. The experimental outcomes showed a removal efficiency of above 85 percent and removal of azo dye above 90 percent under optimum operating conditions. The algal biomass obtained was effectively used to produce two useful by-products, namely, high-performance bioadsorbents to be further used in the treatment process and natural textile dyes that can be easily converted into supplementary economic value at the same time, decreasing the total operation costs. In comparison to traditional wastewater treatment systems, it can be seen that the proposed solution can offer much lower energy use, a small amount of sludge, and improved sustainability indicators across a variety of environmental impacts. This model introduces a cost-efficient scaling solution that balances the environmental cleanup with the circular bioeconomy that is especially relevant in the textile sector of the developing economy, where the legacy treatment infrastructure is still too expensive to use.