Faraloni, CeciliaTouloupakis, EleftheriosSantos, Eleonora2024-01-162024-01-162023-06Faraloni, C.; Touloupakis, E.; Santos, E. Enhancing NatureBased Solutions: Efficient Removal of Hydroxytyrosol in Olive Mill Wastewater Treatment for Value Creation. Water 2023, 15, 2163. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122163http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/9287Funding: This research is financed by National Funds of the FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within the project «UIDB/04928/2020» and, under the Scientific Employment Stimulus-Institutional Call CEECINST/00051/2018.This study aimed to investigate the potential use of the microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana and Scenedesmus quadricauda for the bioremediation of olive mill wastewater (OMW), which is a major environmental issue and a waste product of olive oil production. The study investigated the effects of different dilutions (10% and 50%) of OMW on the growth of the microalgae and their ability to remove the phenolic component hydroxytyrosol (OH-Tyr) and enhance their antioxidant properties. The results indicated that, although the growth on OMW was not enhanced, both microalgae strains were able to remove OH-Tyr from OMW, with Chlorella sorokiniana showing higher removal efficiency than Scenedesmus quadricauda. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of the microalgal extracts increased after 96 h of exposure to OMW. These findings suggest that microalgae-based treatment of OMW could be a promising approach for the bioremediation of this waste product and the production of value-added products. Overall, the use of microalgae for the treatment of OMW could provide a sustainable solution for the management of this waste product while generating potential economic benefits for olive producers.engMicroalgae-based treatmentsNature-based solutionsOlive mill wastewatersEconomic sustainabilityjournal articlehttps://doi.org/10.3390/w151221632073-4441