ABSTRACT
Pharmaceutical compounds are considered a major environmental pollutant worldwide due to their persistence and potential health risks. They are often detected in wastewater streams, posing serious threats to both terrestrial and aquatic life. The current remediation methods available for the removal of such contaminants are costly and not environment-friendly. Thus, a more efficient, inexpensive, and eco-friendly method for remediation of pharmaceuticals is the need of the hour. Recently, microalgae have received tremendous attention from researchers across the globe as a potential bioremediation candidate. Efficient and high remediation capability, cost-effectiveness, eco-friendliness, solar energy dependency, the ability of carbon dioxide sequestration, etc., are some of the reasons for getting such attention. Thus, this chapter aims to comprehensively evaluate and discuss the current status and future possibilities of using microalgae as an effective strategy for bioremediation of pharmaceuticals from wastewater.
