Polyphosphate accumulation in microalgae and cyanobacteria: recent advances and opportunities for phosphorus upcycling
Maxence Plouviez, Nicola Brown
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) must continuously be added to soils as it is lost in the food chain and via leaching. Unfortunately, the mining and import of P to produce fertiliser is unsustainable and costly. Potential solutions to the global issues of P rock depletion and pollution lie in microalgae and cyanobacteria. With an ability to intracellularly store P as polyphosphates, microalgae and cyanobacteria could provide the basis for removing P from water streams, thereby mitigating eutrophication, and even enabling P recovery as P-rich biomass. Metabolic engineering or changes in growing conditions have been demonstrated to improve P removal and recovery by triggering polyphosphates synthesis in the laboratory. This now needs to be replicated at full scale. • Understanding of phosphate assimilation has improved in microalgae and cyanobacteria. • Microalgae and cyanobacteria can accumulate phosphorus as polyphosphates. • New processes for P upcycling from waste using microalgae are in development. • The new process could be integrated within the agri-food system. • Biomass with high level of phosphorus could be used as a biofertiliser.