Seaweed as an Adsorbent for Wastewater Treatment

A recent review article highlights the potential of biosorption via macroalgae as a wastewater treatment method. Sulfated polysaccharides in the cellular wall allow seaweeds to efficiently bind pollutants, making them potential replacements for activated carbon in wastewater treatment. Ongoing work is exploring the use of seaweed to remove pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorous, phenolic compounds, dyes and heavy metals. However, most research to date has used simulated wastewater, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn regarding actual application of seaweed in real-world wastewater treatment.