Utilization of Seaweed Waste: Biosorption of Toxic Compounds Onto Invasive Seaweed and Seaweed Wastes

Abstract

[Abstract] The concept of biosorption results from the “passive” (nonmetabolic) interaction of a chemical species with a particle of a biological material. This interaction can be practically exploited, for example, for removal of toxic substances of wastewaters or for the enrichment of a fertilizer with micronutrients. In this work, equilibrium and dynamic data obtained with “low-cost” biomaterials of algal waste or invasive seaweed species have been reviewed and critically analyzed in the context of a circular economy. The concept of a biosorption unit, oriented to the valorization of any solid residual material of algal biomass, can be considered as a real possibility in a biorefinery process; but to accomplish this goal it is necessary that the emphasis on research must definitely move from laboratory scale toward pilot plant assays.