Leonel Pereira (CFE/TERRA) highlights research on microalgae in wastewater treatment in “90 Segundos de Ciência”
Researcher Leonel Pereira (CFE/TERRA) presented the advances in his research on microalgae in wastewater treatment on the program “90 Segundos de Ciência” (90 Seconds of Science).
Leonel Pereira, a researcher at the Marine Research Lab of the Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE) and member of the TERRA Associate Laboratory, recently participated in the program “90 Seconds of Science,” where he presented the advances in his research on the use of microalgae in wastewater treatment.
With almost four decades dedicated to the study of algae, Leonel Pereira currently heads the Algoteca at the University of Coimbra — one of the largest collections of freshwater microalgae, with hundreds of species, “most of them native, that is, collected in Portugal or in some of the former Portuguese colonies.”
This project therefore aims to use some of the species or strains of microalgae in this collection “to perform bioremediation of effluents,” which can be used to remove pollutants such as drugs, pesticides, or heavy metals from wastewater.
In addition to its decontaminating function, the biomass resulting from bioremediation can be reused to produce “biofuels, namely bioethanol or biodiesel, if they are species that produce polysaccharides or lipids.”
This research reinforces the role of microalgae as allies in ecological transition, combining scientific innovation with the enhancement of natural resources.
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