Microalgae: A promising tool for pesticide mitigation in wastewater

In the current scenario, pesticides are widely used as they play a vital role in increasing agricultural yields and ultimately provide economic benefits to farmers. Apart from this positive side, pesticides also have a darker appearance as they became a major threat to soil health and water. The amplified use of pesticides is causing a serious imbalance in the agricultural soil and the aquatic environment. Nowadays, a huge proportion of the pollutants come from pesticides and they have become a serious concern for human health and the natural ecosystem. Researchers have applied various methods (physical or chemical) to exterminate the challenges of pesticide accumulation, but still, necessitate extensive research and concrete findings in this area. Currently, pesticide remediation includes chemical, physical, and biological remediation, while some studies support the application of these three methods simultaneously. Most of the tools available to combat pesticide accumulation are inadequate or too expensive. Based on the latest research, bioremediation has become an emerging technique. Bioremediation using microalgae has shown promising prospects since it is an ecological, efficient, and economical method against the accumulation of pesticides. The objective of this chapter is to deliberate the stumbling block of wastewater contamination through pesticide accumulation and to explore the prospective techniques for remediation of pesticides from wastewater. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.