Algae absorbs an incredible amount of nitrogen and other nutrients from water, which makes it an excellent option to treat wastewater. In areas where farming runoff is a concern, algae ponds are useful for collecting runoff water, which is likely high in nitrogen, fertilizer, and other organic compounds. Some types of microalgae will even consume heavy metals, which makes them a viable option for removing dangerous toxins from a water supply.
What’s more, these algae can be harvested. When used to treat farming runoff, the algae can be repurposed as fertilizer. Algae that have been used to collect heavy metals and other contaminants can be filtered out of the water, dried, and properly disposed of with greater ease than what would be required to dispose of contaminated water. Creating algae ponds for wastewater treatment will require a good pond liner—like one of our RPE liners—and a particular type of algae suited to the type of compounds you wish to remove from the water.
