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Fixing the Broken Phosphorus Cycle: Wastewater Remediation by Microalgal Polyphosphates
Frontiers in Plant Science, Volume: 11
Swansea University Author: Steve Slocombe
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Copyright © 2020 Slocombe, Zuñiga-Burgos, Chu, Wood, Camargo-Valero and ́ Baker. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
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DOI (Published version): 10.3389/fpls.2020.00982
Abstract
Phosphorus (P), in the form of phosphate derived from either inorganic (Pi) or organic (Po) forms is an essential macronutrient for all life. P undergoes a biogeochemical cycle within the environment, but anthropogenic redistribution through inefficient agricultural practice and inadequate nutrient...
| Published in: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| ISSN: | 1664-462X |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media SA
2020
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65471 |
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| Abstract: |
Phosphorus (P), in the form of phosphate derived from either inorganic (Pi) or organic (Po) forms is an essential macronutrient for all life. P undergoes a biogeochemical cycle within the environment, but anthropogenic redistribution through inefficient agricultural practice and inadequate nutrient recovery at wastewater treatment works have resulted in a sustained transfer of P from rock deposits to land and aquatic environments. Our present and near future supply of P is primarily mined from rock P reserves in a limited number of geographical regions. To help ensure that this resource is adequate for humanity's food security, an energy-efficient means of recovering P from waste and recycling it for agriculture is required. This will also help to address excess discharge to water bodies and the resulting eutrophication. Microalgae possess the advantage of polymeric inorganic polyphosphate (PolyP) storage which can potentially operate simultaneously with remediation of waste nitrogen and phosphorus streams and flue gases (CO2, SOx, and NOx). Having high productivity in photoautotrophic, mixotrophic or heterotrophic growth modes, they can be harnessed in wastewater remediation strategies for biofuel production either directly (biodiesel) or in conjunction with anaerobic digestion (biogas) or dark fermentation (biohydrogen). Regulation of algal P uptake, storage, and mobilization is intertwined with the cellular status of other macronutrients (e.g., nitrogen and sulphur) in addition to the manufacture of other storage products (e.g., carbohydrate and lipids) or macromolecules (e.g., cell wall). A greater understanding of controlling factors in this complex interaction is required to facilitate and improve P control, recovery, and reuse from waste streams. The best understood algal genetic model is Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in terms of utility and shared resources. It also displays mixotrophic growth and advantageously, species of this genus are often found growing in wastewater treatment plants. In this review, we focus primarily on the molecular and genetic aspects of PolyP production or turnover and place this knowledge in the context of wastewater remediation and highlight developments and challenges in this field. |
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| Keywords: |
acidocalcisomes, biofuel, biomass, biogas, phosphorus, polyphosphate, wastewater |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This work was supported by UK Research and Innovation
(UKRI) through a grant award from the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council – BBSRC (BB/N016033/
1). Further recognition to the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral
Training in Bioenergy (EP/L014912/1) and to the ESRC
funded GCRF Water Security and Sustainable Development
Hub (ES/S008179/1) for the financial support provided to NW
and TZ-B, respectively. |