Critical mineral removal from mining‐impacted waters using microalgal biomass

Abstract

Rising demand for critical minerals has led to increased mining and mineral processing activities, resulting in the release of metal‐contaminated waters requiring treatment. Conventional treatment methods, such as lime neutralization, effectively precipitate metals; however, they are less effective at low metal concentrations and produce large volumes of sludge. Microalgae offer a promising alternative approach for the remediation of mining‐impacted waters through extracellular biosorption and intracellular bioaccumulation mechanisms. Metal removal performance is influenced by biological (e.g., strain, cultivation conditions, biomass state), physical (e.g., mixing type, contact time), and environmental factors (e.g., pH, temperature, metal type, initial metal concentration, biomass dosage, redox potential). This review examines current research on microalgal metal removal, with emphasis on removal mechanisms and key influencing factors. It highlights their ability to achieve high metal removal efficiencies across a wide range of conditions and their potential for implementation in the removal and recovery of critical minerals from mining‐impacted waters.