Recovery of value-added materials from wastewater

Recovery of value-added materials from wastewater creates an opportunity for recycling resources to the circular bioeconomy and reduces the burden of the burgeoning demand and depletion of the natural resources. Much progress is focused and found successful in resource recovery options from wastewater in the laboratory scale over the last decade. This chapter aims to highlight and identify the emerging technologies that facilitate the recovery of value-added materials from wastewater systems focusing on subjective opinions and several key challenges. Value-added products such as biofuels, biopolymers, biopesticides, bioflocculants, biosurfactants, proteins and enzymes, and nutrient recovery from wastewater by various biotechnological advanced methodologies and other mechanical/chemical methods have been the primary focus and objective. Foreseeing the future generation of wastewater treatment plants with these resource recovery units along with the traditional treatment plant design would pave a way for the sustainable and circular bioeconomy concept. This helps to identify the potential application of treatment methodologies for the value-added products with further technological advancements. It is also important to understand and identify these knowledge gaps in converting the final end product to a profitable market, with a more sustainable and energy efficient way.