Marine vanadium pollution: Sources, ecological impacts and cutting-edge mitigation strategies

Vanadium (V) is a hazardous element with widespread environmental presence, particularly in marine environments, due to both natural and industrial sources. This review examines vanadium's impact on marine organisms, highlighting its disruption of metabolic processes in fish, microalgae, and crustaceans, leading to oxidative stress, impaired growth and reproduction. Vanadium accumulation in marine food chains poses risks to higher organisms, including humans. Conventional vanadium removal methods, e.g., filtering and reverse osmosis, are costly and energy-intensive. Alternatively, bioremediation offers a sustainable solution, particularly using microalgae and thraustochytrids. Microalgae can detoxify and immobilize vanadium through adsorption and biodegradation, contributing to carbon capture and producing value-added products. Advances in bioprocess engineering, including regulating key parameters such as temperature and pH during biomass harvesting and using chelating agents, have enhanced this bioremediation approach, making it a viable option for industrial-scale applications and aligning with Sustainable Development Goals by integrating environmental protection with renewable energy production.