## 1 Introduction  
Energy is a fundamental driver of modern societal and economic development, with consumption rising markedly each year. The increase in energy consumption is driven by rapid population growth (9.5 billion by 2050), industrial expansion, technological advancements, and heightened demands for comfort and convenience in daily life. Currently, energy production predominantly relies on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, which are significant contributors to environmental degradation, global warming, and climate change [1]. As the world faces the challenges of climate change, lack of clean water, and food safety, it must address several critical issues, including implementing effective emission-reduction strategies, managing raw materials responsibly, and adopting clean, renewable energy sources to safeguard the environment [2; 3; 4]. Microalgae, as a third-generation biomass, have remained at the forefront of scientific interest for several decades due to their energy potential and ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere [5; 6]. Research centers worldwide continue to explore their capabilities and applications. The advancement of technologies related to the production and processing of algae holds significant promise for addressing global challenges, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy transition, enhancement of energy security, and the effective management of problematic anthropogenic waste. Algae, as photosynthetic organisms (capable of harnessing energy from light, carbon dioxide, and inorganic substances), are among the primary producers of oxygen, contributing to 40% of global photosynthesis. Microalgae, due to their vitality, high growth rates, and ability to acclimatize to unfavorable environmental conditions, are capable of colonizing almost any type of habitat, including freshwater and marine environments, deserts, volcanic regions, frozen lands, and soils with high salinity or acidic pH. This enables their cultivation on lands that are not suitable for agriculture, without the use of pesticides [7; 8]. They constitute an ecologically and economically valuable resource, utilized in areas such as agriculture and animal husbandry [9], as raw material for the production of biodegradable plastics [10], and for high-value-added molecules such as proteins, lipids, pigments, carbohydrates [11; 12], antioxidants, and amino acids [13] used in the food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. As previously mentioned, microalgae can be economically utilized, but they can also act as pollutants in surface waters and wastewater, as indicated by studies such as those by [14]. Due to their ability to process various waste substances, microalgae can serve as an effective tool in bioremediation and sustainable resource management. They acquire nutrients from various waste sources, such as agro-industrial waste [15] and industrial effluents [2; 16; 17], including aquaculture wastewater [3], as well as domestic or municipal wastewater [5], contributing to the environmental cleansing of excess nitrogen and phosphorus compounds that can lead to water eutrophication. Moreover, utilizing microalgae for nutrient absorption from industrial waste [18] can provide a solution to the problem of untreated waste in various industrial sectors, thereby reducing their negative impact on aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere. Furthermore, recent studies indicate that algae could serve as an affordable and environmentally safe coagulant for removing microplastics from rivers, lakes, and oceans, contributing to sustainable plastic waste management and addressing the global plastic pollution crisis [4; 19].