Innovative Nature-Based (Bio)remediation Solutions for Soil and Water

Dear Colleagues,

Human activities, be they industrial, agricultural, and/or domestic, have a major impact on water and soil quality through the release of persistent organic and inorganic pollutants. Consequently, the pollution of these resources has become a serious global concern, with the increasing presence of contaminants, including many emerging micropollutants, posing a significant risk to ecosystems and, implicitly, to human health. Conventional remediation methods for contaminated water and soils are often energy-intensive, expensive, and of limited effectiveness, particularly regarding trace and emerging contaminants. In contrast, nature-based solutions offer a sustainable, low-impact, and eco-friendly (bio)remediation alternative by harnessing microbial biomass (bacteria, fungi, and algae), plant-based materials (e.g., agricultural residues, sawdust, peat, or fruit peels) or plant-based systems emphasizing ecological interactions, and biosorbents derived from waste (e.g., chitosan, biomass-derived activated carbon, and biochar), to break down or neutralize pollutants. Through these mechanisms, nature-based strategies are able to restore water and soil quality, minimizing secondary environmental impacts.

Advanced technologies focused on (bio)remediation are transforming wastewater and soil treatment into a sustainable and resource-recovering process, and life cycle assessment (LCA) is emerging as a critical tool for the evaluation of the overall environmental performance, energy efficiency, and long-term sustainability of these approaches. Although soil remediation technologies have demonstrated significant progress and effectiveness, research concerning the systematic evaluation of remediation outcomes remains relatively limited. The long-term monitoring of remediated sites could be the final and ultimately possibly the most critical step in this regard. Furthermore, the integration of biotechnology and systems engineering provides valuable instruments with which to address the global challenge of contaminated media. Thus, continued interdisciplinary research and, following on from it, pilot-scale approaches, promise to accelerate the transition from laboratory proofs of concept to large-scale applications of innovative nature-based technologies. The research areas of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Advances in nature-based wastewater and soil treatment technologies;
• Bioremediation using microorganisms, plants, enzymes, biosorbents, and/or their synergies;
• Utilization of waste-derived materials as sustainable sorbents;
• Transition from laboratory-scale proofs of concept to pilot- and large-scale applications;
• Life cycle assessment and sustainability evaluation of bioremediation processes;
• Long-term monitoring of remediated sites and post-remediation monitoring (laboratory-based monitoring, in situ monitoring, etc.);
• Comparative analysis of nature-based versus conventional treatment technologies considering environmental impacts and associated costs;
• Integration of bioremediation into the circular economy framework;
• Challenges and opportunities for scaling-up innovative nature-based technologies.

Dr. Isabela Maria Simion
Dr. Raluca Maria Hlihor
Dr. Petronela Cozma
Guest Editors

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• bioremediation
• nature-based solutions
• wastewater treatment
• soil remediation
• sustainability assessment
• Life Cycle Assessment
• post-remediation monitoring
• pilot-scale applications
• emerging micropollutants