Resource Recovery From Food Processing Wastewater Through Microalgae‐Driven Carbon Chain Rearrangement

Guanghong Luo; Shoukai Guo; Yu Xie; Liqin Sun; Ashiwin Vadiveloo; Zhongliang Sun

doi:10.1111/gcbb.70177

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Resource Recovery From Food Processing Wastewater Through Microalgae‐Driven Carbon Chain Rearrangement

Journal article

Open access

Resource Recovery From Food Processing Wastewater Through Microalgae‐Driven Carbon Chain Rearrangement

Guanghong Luo, Shoukai Guo, Yu Xie, Liqin Sun, Ashiwin Vadiveloo and Zhongliang Sun

Global change biology. Bioenergy, Vol.18(10), e70177

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.70177

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Abstract

Algae

Amino acids

Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic treatment

Aquatic microorganisms

Bioconversion

Biodegradation

Biosynthesis

Carbohydrates

Carbon

Chemical oxygen demand

Energy distribution

Fatty acids

Food

Food chains

Food industries wastewaters

Food processing

Functional groups

Light attenuation

Lipids

Metabolic engineering

Metabolic pathways

Metabolism

Microalgae

Microorganisms

Mineralization

Molecular chains

Molecular structure

Nutrient availability

Organic carbon

Peptides

Pollutant removal

Pollution control

Predictive control

Process controls

Process engineering

Proteins

Raw materials

Resource recovery

Systems stability

Value added

Wastewater treatment

Food processing wastewater is characterized by high concentrations of biodegradable organic carbon that are typically lost through mineralization in conventional treatment systems. This review presents carbon chain rearrangement as a conceptual framework for converting wastewater carbon into value-added products via microalgae-driven bioconversion processes. The heterogeneous nature of wastewater carbon, consisting of significant variations in chain length, molecular structure, and functional groups, directly impacts its usability and transformation efficiency by microorganisms. Algal–bacterial consortia offer a promising platform for carbon upgrading by coupling bacterial degradation of complex substrates with photosynthetically driven biosynthesis. Carbon conversion at the cellular level is determined by metabolic pathway distribution and limited by energy and nutrient availability, while microbial interactions enhance stability and substrate use. In contrast to conventional aerobic and anaerobic treatments, which predominantly mineralize carbon, these systems promote carbon retention in biomass, thereby improving resource recovery potential. However, large-scale implementation remains limited by challenges including light attenuation, nutrient imbalance, and process instability. Future progress will require integrating metabolic insights with process engineering and predictive control strategies. Overall, carbon chain rearrangement provides a unified framework for transitioning wastewater treatment from pollutant removal to resource-oriented biomanufacturing.

Details

Title: Resource Recovery From Food Processing Wastewater Through Microalgae‐Driven Carbon Chain Rearrangement
Authors/Creators: Guanghong Luo - Hexi University
Shoukai Guo
Yu Xie - Yantai University
Liqin Sun - Yantai University
Ashiwin Vadiveloo - Murdoch University
Zhongliang Sun - Yantai University
Publication Details: Global change biology. Bioenergy, Vol.18(10), e70177
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Number of pages: 21
Identifiers: 991005917859707891
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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