General introduction
1
General introduction
The concept of sustainable development focuses on satisfying current needs while
preserving the means for future generations to do the same. Yet our reality falls short of this
goal, as humanity's impact on the planet and its ecosystems has been devastating, particularly
over the last century. The major contributor to this problem is the exponential increase in the
world's population, which is having a detrimental effect on food security.
Human domestic, agricultural and industrial activities generate a plethora of waste and debris,
likely to pollute and disturb the receiving environment. These discharges and wastes constitute
what is known as wastewater (Mecheref & Mahfouf, 2016).
Treating this water, which is essential for preserving our environment, helps to limit the impact
of various forms of pollution on human health.
Today, there are multiple physico-chemical and biological treatment techniques, but their
implementation is both costly and cumbersome. In addition, they are known to have adverse
effects on the environment.
Biological wastewater treatment is a crucial technique for eliminating dissolved pollutants,
which involves their degradation and decomposition by various micro-organisms, including
microalgae.
Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that first appeared on Earth three billion years
ago. They continue to attract the attention of scientists around the world, thanks to their
remarkable potential in a variety of fields, which has aroused growing interest over the years.
In the environmental field, microalgae play a key role in wastewater treatment, using their
capacity to fix carbon dioxide and certain heavy metals during their development.
It is also important to point out that wastewater from our study area is discharged into bodies
of water, causing a major ecological imbalance for terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna.
The aim of this work is to demonstrate the role of microalgae in wastewater treatment by
building a microalgae treatment plant, in order to treat wastewater and thus resolve the
inconveniences caused by it.
1
General introduction
The concept of sustainable development focuses on satisfying current needs while
preserving the means for future generations to do the same. Yet our reality falls short of this
goal, as humanity's impact on the planet and its ecosystems has been devastating, particularly
over the last century. The major contributor to this problem is the exponential increase in the
world's population, which is having a detrimental effect on food security.
Human domestic, agricultural and industrial activities generate a plethora of waste and debris,
likely to pollute and disturb the receiving environment. These discharges and wastes constitute
what is known as wastewater (Mecheref & Mahfouf, 2016).
Treating this water, which is essential for preserving our environment, helps to limit the impact
of various forms of pollution on human health.
Today, there are multiple physico-chemical and biological treatment techniques, but their
implementation is both costly and cumbersome. In addition, they are known to have adverse
effects on the environment.
Biological wastewater treatment is a crucial technique for eliminating dissolved pollutants,
which involves their degradation and decomposition by various micro-organisms, including
microalgae.
Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that first appeared on Earth three billion years
ago. They continue to attract the attention of scientists around the world, thanks to their
remarkable potential in a variety of fields, which has aroused growing interest over the years.
In the environmental field, microalgae play a key role in wastewater treatment, using their
capacity to fix carbon dioxide and certain heavy metals during their development.
It is also important to point out that wastewater from our study area is discharged into bodies
of water, causing a major ecological imbalance for terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna.
The aim of this work is to demonstrate the role of microalgae in wastewater treatment by
building a microalgae treatment plant, in order to treat wastewater and thus resolve the
inconveniences caused by it.