379 Ajay Kumar Mishra (ed.) Smart Materials for Waste Water Applications, (379–398) © 2016 Scrivener Publishing LLC 15 Natural Algal-Based Processes as Smart Approach for WastewaterTreatment D. Annie Jasmine 1 , K.B. Malarmathi 1 , S.C.G. Kiruba Daniel 2, *, and S. Malathi 3 1 Department of Biotechnology, Anna University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India 2 Division of Nanoscience and Technology, Anna University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India 3 Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Abstract he greatest challenge in the 21st century is to provide new innovative water treatment methods. he conventional treatment processes are becoming incompetent by demands of space, energy, and economy and environment sustainability. he current, rapidly growing considerations have given room for sustainable alternative approaches of being greener, cheaper and energy eicient. Amongst various biological methods to treat municipal wastewater like lagoons, aerobic oxidation ponds, anaerobic treatment chambers, dissolved air loatation and others, recently algal- based treatments are being most explored because of its viability for enhancement of treatment eiciency and also advantage of added-value products. his chapter elaborates the sustainable algal-based approaches for energy-eicient municipal wastewater treatment. he natural algal consortia dynamics gives a smart mode of enhancing the nutrient recov- ery and growth of algal biomass, hence a proicient wastewater treat- ment. he chapter explores on the unknown potentials of the algae for energy-eicient wastewater treatment. he algal consortia treating the wastewater have innate ability of biolocculation, which exacerbates the *Corresponding author: crossguevara@gmail.com