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intengineering t1_j6oced4 wrote

Reply to comment by a_k_96 in AskScience AMA Series: I'm Birgül Akolpoglu, a doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany. I work on microalgae and bacteria-based microrobots that could one day be used to deliver drugs and battle cancer! AMA! by AskScienceModerator

Thanks for the question! Although I am no expert in bioremediation, I know that several large-scale wastewater treatments with microalgal technologies have already demonstrated the capability of detoxifying organic and inorganic pollutants. Microalgae can remove contaminants through three different pathways; bioadsorption, biouptake, and biodegradation. For further information I would recommend these publications:

https://aiche.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/btpr.3098

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31382151/#:~:text=Microalgae%20have%20demonstrated%20potential%20for,%2C%20bio%2Duptake%20and%20biodegradation

Our research on microorganism based microrobotics mainly focuses on their medical functions, but I am always interested in finding out more on other uses of these tiny swimmers!

Hope I could answer your question!

All the best,

/birgül

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