Resource recovery from industrial effluents through the cultivation of microalgae: A review

•Microalgae are fit for wastewater treatment due to their high nutrients content.•Microalgae are cultivated to restore value-added products such as bio-fuels.•Anaerobic digestion is an important biotechnology for stabilizing waste effluent.•Hydrothermal processes are an advanced recovering technique for value-added product.•Biotechnology such as ultrafiltration reduces electric energy consumption. Industrial effluents such as pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, dyes, and metal processes holds abundant value-added products (VAPs), where its recovery has become essential. The purpose of such recovery is for sustainable treatment, which is an approach that considers the economic, social, and environmental aspects. Microalgae with its potential in the recovery process from effluents, can reduce energy usage of waste management strategies and regenerate nutrients such as carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Microalgae cultures offer the use of inorganic materials by microalgae for their growth and the help of bacteria to produce biomass, thus, resulting in the absence of secondary emissions due to its ability to eliminate volatile organic compounds. Moreover, recovered bioactive compounds are transformed into bioethanol, bio-fertilizers, biopolymer, health supplements and animal feed. Therefore, it is significant to focus on an economical and efficient utilization of microalgae in recovering nutrients that can be further used in various commercial applications.