藻类在生态系统中扮演着极其重要的角色。它们构成了营养网的基础，产生氧气使许多水生生物呼吸，吸收二氧化碳，并作为避难地和数千种物种的栖息地。许多物种还可以吸收海水中的有机污染物。几个世纪以来，人类一直将藻类用作食物、肥料、饲料以及提取具有抗真菌、抗病毒、抗癌和抗菌特性的化合物的来源。最近，一些物种被用于生产生物燃料。研究表明，将微量的藻类与牛的饲料混合可以将其消化活动产生的甲烷排放量减少95%以上。藻类应用最为广泛但鲜为人知的应用之一是提取它们的藻胶胶原用于食品、医药、葡萄酒和纺织等行业。这些化合物具有胶化、稳定和增稠的特性，因此常常被用于霜状物、冰淇淋、奶酪、果冻、调味汁、洗发水、药品、牙膏以及许多其他产品中。藻胶和卡拉胶由红藻提取，而海藻酸盐由棕藻提取，被用于制作牙科印模、乳化乳液和油漆等，并用于葡萄酒和啤酒的制备中。藻类对于新的生物吸附材料的研究和开发特别有兴趣，不只因为它们具有高吸附能力，而且因为它们在海洋中以丰富且易得的数量存在。海洋藻类是吸附重金属和各种污染物的有前途的生物吸附剂，并由于其固有特性，在近几十年来受到了越来越多的关注。将其应用作为生物吸附剂以吸附重金属和放射性核素，可以解释为利用废弃物来清除废物。由于自然产生并被留在海滩上，藻类在经济上具有特别的吸引力，因为大量的藻类生物质被认为是废物。藻类生物质的组成使其成为一个有前途的候选对象，可以广泛应用于列表中不断延长的应用程序。开发适当的技术和政策可以将藻类在沿海生态系统中的存在从一个令人不快且潜在有害的现象转变为重要益处的源泉。本文讨论了藻类生物质清除污染物的能力，以及其在生产染料、油类、生物燃料，以及动物饲料和肥料行业等方面的适用性。有必要进一步研究将目前被视为废物的生物质转化为解决环境问题的手段的策略。 版权所有 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd.

Algae play an extremely important ecological role. They form the basis of trophic webs, produce oxygen that allows the respiration of many of the organisms in aquatic environments, absorb CO2, and serve as refuge areas and habitats for thousands of species. Many species can also absorb organic pollutants from seawater. Algae have been used for many centuries by humans as a source of food, fertilizer, fodder, and for the extraction of compounds with antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, and antibacterial properties. More recently, some species have been used for the production of biofuels. It has been shown that mixing small proportions of algae with the feed of cattle can reduce methane emissions from their digestive activity by more than 95%. One of the most widespread but least known applications of algae is the extraction of their phycocolloids for utilization in food, pharmaceutical, wine, and textile industries, among others. These compounds have gelling, stabilizing, and thickening properties and are therefore frequently included in creams, ice creams, cheeses, jellies, flavored milks, sauces, shampoos, medications, toothpaste, and many other products. The phycocolloids agar and carrageenan are extracted from red algae, whereas alginate is extracted from brown algae, being used in dental impressions, emulsifying lotions, and paints, among others, and in the preparation of wine and beer. Algae are of particular interest in the research and development of new biosorbent materials, not only because of their high adsorption capacity, but also because they are present in the seas and oceans in abundant and easily accessible quantities. Marine algae are a promising biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals and various pollutants and, due to their intrinsic characteristics, have received increasing attention in recent decades. Their application as biosorbents for the sorption of heavy metals and radionuclides could be interpreted as the use of waste to remove waste. Algae have attracted particular interest in the field of biotechnology for economic reasons, given that large amounts are naturally produced and left lying on beaches as waste material. The composition of algae biomass makes it a promising candidate for an extensive list of applications that continues to lengthen. The development of appropriate technologies and policies can transform the presence of algae in coastal ecosystems from an unpleasant and potentially harmful phenomenon into a source of major benefits. This review discusses the capacity of algae biomass to remove pollutants and also delves into its applicability in the production of dyes, oils, and biofuels and for animal feed and fertilizer industries, among others. Further research is warranted on strategies to convert a biomass that is currently considered waste into a means of addressing environmental problems.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.