Novel Biological Processes for Wastewater Treatment Applications
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2026 | Viewed by 174
Editors
Interests: applied and environmental microbiology; algal biotechnology; biological wastewater treatment and reuse; resource recovery; geomicrobiology; environmental sustainability; climate change mitigation
Interests: environmental analytical chemistry; water treatment; water quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Wastewater treatment is undergoing rapid transformation driven by the need for sustainable, energy-efficient, low-carbon, and resource-recovery-oriented technologies. Conventional treatment systems are limited by high operational costs, sensitivity to toxicity, sludge generation, and the inability to remove emerging contaminants such as antibiotics, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and microplastics.
Advances in microbial ecology, biotechnology, multi-omics, metabolic engineering, nanobiotechnology, and process intensification now enable novel biological processes with greater stability, resilience, and pollutant-removal efficiency. This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research and reviews on emerging biological processes for treating domestic, industrial, agricultural, and municipal wastewater.
Topics of Interest
- Novel microbial processes (microalgae–bacteria consortia, aerobic granular sludge, extremophilic processes);
- Engineered microbial communities and targeted biodegradation;
- Anaerobic membrane bioreactors and high-rate anaerobic systems;
- Bioelectrochemical systems for treatment and energy recovery;
- Metabolic engineering, CRISPR tools, and omics-driven insights;
- Enzyme engineering and advanced biocatalysts;
- Resource recovery: nutrients, bioenergy, bioplastics (PHA), and biochar;
- Nature-based systems (constructed wetlands, algal ponds, hybrid reactors);
- Nanotechnology-enabled biological processes;
- Biodegradation of pharmaceuticals, PPCPs, microplastics, and xenobiotics;
- Bioprecipitation, biosorption, and bioleaching of heavy metals;
- LCA, techno-economic analysis, and climate-resilient wastewater systems.
Dr. Adegoke Isiaka Adetunji
Prof. Dr. Qiming Xian
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- wastewater
- biological technologies
- circular bioeconomy
- sustainability
- microbial ecology
- pollutant removal
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