Integration of Sustainable Biotechnology: Microalgae in Microbial Fuel Cells for Bioremediation and Bioenergy From Livestock Waste

Integration of Sustainable Biotechnology: Microalgae in Microbial Fuel Cells for Bioremediation and Bioenergy From Livestock Waste | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Integration of Sustainable Biotechnology: Microalgae in Microbial Fuel Cells for Bioremediation and Bioenergy From Livestock Waste Thaís Almeida, Aluisio Pantaleão This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6436698/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Sustainable waste management has advanced from pollution control to resource recovery. This study explores the integration of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with microalgae biotechnology for simultaneous wastewater bioremediation, bioelectricity generation, and biomass production. Microalgae enhance the system by photosynthesizing CO₂, supplying oxygen for cathodic reactions, and producing valuable biomass. In Brazil, a major beef producer, livestock waste poses serious environmental risks. This work evaluated the performance of microalgae in wastewater from confined beef cattle production using four concentrations (5%, 20%, 35%, and 50%) in a 1×4 factorial design with triplicates. Bioremediation, energy generation, and biomass characteristics were assessed using SEM and EDX. The 20% concentration delivered optimal results: 50% phosphorus, 30% nitrogen, and 7% potassium reduction; 2.142 μW maximum power; 0.51 μA current; and 4.2 mV voltage. SEM revealed biofilm formation on the anode, while EDX confirmed phosphorus (4.26%) and magnesium (4.03%) bioaccumulation. The integrated system efficiently treats wastewater while generating clean energy and high-value biomass, such as biofuels and animal feed. This approach supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and underscores Brazil’s potential to lead in sustainable agribusiness technologies. Biological sciences/Biotechnology/Environmental biotechnology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Biological sciences/Microbiology/Environmental microbiology Biological sciences/Ecology/Agri ecology Biological sciences/Ecology/Conservation Biological sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem ecology Biological sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem services Biological sciences/Ecology/Environmental economics Sustainable biotechnology. Microbial fuel cell. Microalgae. Bioremediation. Livestock waste. Bioenergy Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6436698","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":445440619,"identity":"b1ec7806-5ff8-40e2-aea4-150093ae28d3","order_by":0,"name":"Thaís Almeida","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACxgMMDBKMDQz8Hx+D+czMDXjV8wAxVAuDsTEDgwFQCyNRWhhAysykwVoYCGixZ2B+cOhGhYVsfwNDWnVBxZ9o/naglh8V2/DYwmZwOOeMhPGMAwzHbs84Y5A74zBjA2PPmdv4HGZwOLdNIrHhAGPbbd42g9wGoBZmIBuPFvYPh3P/SSTOP8DMVgzSMp+wFh6gLQ0SiRsOsLExg7RsIKjlME/B4ZxjEsYbD/MwS/OcMc7dCNRyEJ9f2NvbNz7OqamTnXe8h/EzT4Vc7rzzhw8++FGBWwsDMwaDARJTo2AUjIJRMAooAAB4WlWBgQGkLQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"São Paulo State University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thaís","middleName":"","lastName":"Almeida","suffix":""},{"id":445440623,"identity":"578bd085-5206-450a-97bb-d97e30b4ec1e","order_by":1,"name":"Aluisio Pantaleão","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"São Paulo State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aluisio","middleName":"","lastName":"Pantaleão","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-13 00:08:09","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6436698/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6436698/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":84943213,"identity":"0cafcc04-88e1-4c05-aafd-ba86dacff635","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-19 05:40:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1608550,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ArtigoScientificReports2025Thais.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6436698/v1_covered_789b745f-59c0-4f8e-aea8-0146dc43c685.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eIntegration of Sustainable Biotechnology: Microalgae in Microbial Fuel Cells for Bioremediation and Bioenergy From Livestock Waste\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Sustainable biotechnology. 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