Research on wastewater treatment by means of microalgal-bacterial processes has become a hot topic worldwide during the last two decades. Owing to the lower energy demand for oxygenation, the enhanced nutrient removal and the potential for resource recovery, microalgal-based technologies are nowadays considered as a good alternative to conventional activated sludge treatments in many instances. Nevertheless, biomass harvesting still constitutes one of the major challenges of microalgal-bacterial systems for wastewater treatment, which is hindered by the poor settleability of microalgal biomass. In this review, the use of microalgal-bacterial aggregates (MABAs) to overcome harvesting issues and to enhance resource recovery is presented. The fundamentals of MABAs-based technologies, the operational strategies and factors affecting the formation of MABAs, the microbiology and the methanogenic potential of the aggregates are addressed and critically discussed. The most recent findings and the challenges facing this technology towards its consolidation are also presented.

在过去的二十年中，通过微藻细菌工艺进行废水处理的研究已成为世界范围内的热门话题。由于氧合作用的能源需求较低，增强的营养去除能力和资源回收的潜力，如今，在许多情况下，基于微藻的技术被认为是传统活性污泥处理的一种很好的替代方法。然而，生物质的收集仍然构成用于处理废水的微藻细菌系统的主要挑战之一，这被微藻生物质的较差的可沉降性所阻碍。在这篇综述中，提出了使用微藻-细菌聚集体（MABA）克服收获问题并提高资源回收率的方法。基于MABA的技术的基本原理，讨论并严格讨论了影响MABA形成，骨料的微生物学和产甲烷潜力的操作策略和因素。还介绍了最新发现以及该技术在整合方面面临的挑战。