Untreated or poorly treated wastewater still represents environmental issues world-widely. Wastewater, especially saline wastewater treatment, is still primarily associated with high costs from physical and chemical processes, as high salinity hinders biological treatment. One favourable way is to find the suitable biological pathways and organisms to improve the biological treatment efficiency. In this context, halophilic microorganisms could be strong candidates to address the economics and effectiveness of the saline wastewater treatment process. Dunaliella salina is a photoautotrophic microalga that grows in saline environments. It is known for producing marketable bio-compounds such as carotenoids, lipids, and proteins. A biological treatment based on D. salina cultivation offers the opportunity to treat saline wastewater, reducing the threat of possible eutrophication from inappropriate discharge. At the same time, D. salina cultivation could yield compounds of industrial relevance to turn saline wastewater treatment into a profitable and sustainable process. Most research on D. salina has primarily focused on bioproduct generation, leaving thorough reviews of its application in wastewater treatment inadequate. This paper discusses the future challenges and opportunities of using D. salina to treat wastewater from different sources. The main conclusions are (1) D. salina effectively recovers some heavy metals (driven by metal binding capacity and exposure time) and nutrients (driven by pH, their bioavailability, and functional groups in the cell); (2) salinity plays a significant role in bioproducts generation, and (3) wastewater can be combined with the generation of bioproducts.

AIM: The main objective was to evaluate the efficiency of the sewage treatment plant (STP) of UNISC, through the ecotoxicological characterization and the analyses of the physical, chemical and microbiological variables from the raw and treated effluent. METHODS: Samples were collected during 2008 and 2009 for performing acute toxicity (Daphnia magna), chronic toxicity (Ceriodaphnia dubia), as well as the determination of environmental variables. RESULTS: The results indicated acute toxicity with an EC(I)50 48 hours average of 64.1 ± 9.9%, characterized as moderately toxic, and an average chronic toxicity CI(I)25 of 8,1 ± 2.6%, characterized as highly toxic. The total phosphorus (3.6 ± 1.4 mg L-1) and the ammonia nitrogen (77.8 ± 22.5 mg L-1) showed high concentration in the treated effluent, highlighting the STP inefficiency and, specially, the large amount of nutrients that the system is introducing into the receiving waterbody, the Lajeado Stream, condition that characterizes a large potential environmental impact known as eutrophication. The treated effluent showed high levels of thermotolerant coliforms, reaching an average of 6.4 × 10(5) ± 8.6 × 10(5) NMP 100 mL-1, corresponding to a potential pollution load of high impact in the receiving waterbody, characterizing therefore a public health problem. CONCLUSIONS: The Lajeado Stream has no supporting capacity for preventing acute and chronic effects on biota.

AIM: This research aimed to study the composition of epilithic diatom flora in headwater areas of the sub-basin of the Andreas stream, RS, Brazil, and their relation with eutrophication processes. METHODS: Quarterly excursions (March, June, September, December 2012 and Mach 2013) were performed in ten sampling points selected in the sub-basin, to collect samples for the identification and counting the organisms in the group of diatoms (Class Bacillariophyceae). RESULTS: The results indicated the occurrence of 243 taxa, distributed in 53 genera. Of these, 59 were considered abundant, being distributed in 29 genera. Seven species showed elevated tolerance levels to organic pollution and eutrophication: Adlafia drouetiana (R. M. Patrick) Metzeltin & Lange-Bertalot, Amphipleura lindheimeri Grunow; Fallacia monoculata (Hustedt) D. G. Mann, Navicula cryptotenella Lange-Bertalot, Navicula symmetrica R. M. Patrick, Nitzschia palea (Kützing) W. Smith and Sellaphora auldreekie D. G. Mann & S. M. McDonald in Mann et al. CONCLUSION: Although this research has been conducted in headwater areas, the occurrence of these seven species could be explained by considering the use of these areas for agricultural and livestock purposes, compromising the stability of these aquatic ecosystems, due to the significant contribution of fertilizer and organic matter, a condition that characterizes a process of eutrophication.