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

Abstract

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.