Native species of microalgae were isolated from natural water bodies in the Midwestern United States of America and were screened for the ultimate goal of mass cultivation in Missouri and the surrounding states, and for their potential as biomass and biodiesel sources. A number of different nutrient media recipes were utilized to isolate the maximum number of colonies from each field samples. These nutrient recipes were modified in order to optimize the isolation and growth dynamics of specific colonies. All of the isolates were categorized based on the morphological appearance of the culture and the microscopic cellular appearance of the isolated colonies. Isolates included many common green microalgae and cyanobacteria. Lipid content was determined for selected strains that demonstrated relatively quick growth. Scenedesmus sp. that demonstrated the high growth rate, resistance to invasion, and contained sufficient amounts of lipid was investigated for its potential as a sustainable biomass and biodiesel feedstocks.

As the global population reaches eight billion, large quantities of wastewater (domestic, industrial, livestock) need to be treated in an efficient, green, and environmentally friendly manner. Wastewater hydroponics technology (HP) can efficiently remove various pollutants (conventional and emerging pollutants, heavy metals, and microorganisms) and create economic benefits. This paper aims to systematically review the principles, applications, and limitations of wastewater hydroponics technology in the context of pollution and nutrient removal. Unlike constructed wetlands, wastewater hydroponics has been proven to be effective in removing pollutants through small-scale in situ restoration. For instance, the average removal of COD, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) was more than 70%, 60%, 80%, 64.2%, and 49.5%, respectively. However, HP technology still has the disadvantages of high energy consumption, complex control parameters, and low public acceptance of using wastewater for planting crops. Therefore, further research is needed to reduce system energy consumption. In addition, hybrid technologies, such as two-stage hydroponics that use aquatic plants (algae or aquatic floating weeds) to recycle pollutant-containing wastewater nutrients for hydroponics, should be further developed.