DOI: 10.58920/aqlis0302705 ISSN: 3063-5543

Multifunctional Roles of Microalgae in Sustainable Aquaculture: Nutrition, Live Feed, Bioremediation, and Carbon Sequestration

Demtew Welbara
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As global aquaculture rapidly expands, ensuring ecological and economic sustainability requires a transition toward circular economy solutions. Microalgae have emerged as highly adaptable primary producers capable of addressing both aquaculture nutritional deficits and environmental waste. This systematic review synthesizes 71 peer-reviewed papers published between 2000 to 2025 indexed in PubMed and Google Scholar to evaluate the integration of microalgal biomass across modern aquaculture systems. Quantitatively, microalgae, yield substantial dry cell weight concentrations containing 12–65% proteins, 2–23% lipids, and 5–26% carbohydrates, serving as highly nutritious direct feeds or live prey enrichers that enhance larval growth, survival, and coloration. Currently, their high photosynthetic efficiency drives ecological remediation; 1kg of microalgal biomass sequesters approximately 1.83 kg of CO2, while their mixotrophic and autotrophic pathways achieve up to 99% removal of hazardous wastewater nutrients like inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus. By evaluating these functional benefits alongside key techno-economic bottlenecks such as species selection methods and harvesting costs this review establishes an integrated frame work for leveraging microalgae to achieve sustainable, eco-friendly global aquaculture.

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