SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT BY ALGAE: CURRENT APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVESGOUR GOPAL SATPATIAbstract Solid waste management is a major social and environmental concern among the developed and developing countries. Solid wastes in the form of municipal, industrial, commercial and agricultural wastes create harmful effects for the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. Many physical, biological, chemical, physicochemical and biochemical processes have been employed for testing wastes before and after disposal. Dumping and incineration are the most common method in small and large towns or cities, which may create a major threat to living organisms. The landfill sites, over time, form toxic leachate when mixed with rainwater and directly pour into the water ecosystem to contaminate surface and ground water. With increasing demand for sustainable development, algae based green technology has been suggested for management of solid wastes in landfill sites. The monocultures of algae and algae-bacteria co-cultures may reduce the environmental footprints and enhance the production of biomass when cultivated in landfill leachate. The biomass obtained can be applied for the production of biofuel, biofertilizers, animal feed, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals in a sustainable way. Hence, algae-based bioremediation can be a potential alternative for solid waste management in landfill sites. |