Interaction of Microorganisms with Metals and Minerals

Dear Colleagues,

Metals play a crucial role in our everyday lives. A wide range of metals have became indispensable materials, and are used in a wide range of products, objects and applications. Microorganisms and metals are connected via a complex network of interactions. Metals can serve as electron donors and acceptors in microbial metabolism, and act as enzyme co-factors, while microbes catalyze a range of processes that can affect metal speciation, mobility and toxicity. Microbes catalyze redox transformations, as well as the solubilization, precipitation, sorption, and accumulation of metals, thus affecting metal biogeochemical cycling and mineral formation and/or dissolution. Microbial processes have been used in a range of biotechnological applications. For instance, biohydrometallurgy facilitates the recovery of metals from low-grade ores and mining wastes (such as mill tailings), while bioremediation and wastewater treatment mitigate metal pollution and associated negative environmental impacts.

For this Special Issue, we invite contributions on microbe–metal interactions. The articles in this collection demonstrate the complexity of microbial processes involved in metal(loid) transformations, metal–microbe interactions, metal(loid) biogeochemical cycling, and microbiology-based solutions for metal recovery and removal. This Special Issue covers topics including, but not limited to, metal bioleaching and biorecovery, biomineralization, metal resistance, microbial adaption, bioremediation, cell adhesion, biofilms, microbial diversity, metal biotransformations, biogeochemical cycling, sulfide oxidation, sulfate reduction, bioremediation, mine wastewater treatment, metal(loid) biomobilization and immobilization, synthetic biology, industrial microbiology, metal recycling applications and others.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) those listed in the keywords below.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Eva Pakostova
Dr. Ana Santos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.