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Application of Microbial Technology in Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2026 | Viewed by 1777

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: environmental biotechnology; wastewater treatment; high-risk pollutants; biodeg-radation; synthetic biology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: microbial ecology; microbial nitrogen cycle; wastewater treatment; meta-omics; biological nutrient removal

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wastewater treatment systems are facing increasing challenges in the context of global environmental and sustainability goals. Key issues include controlling carbon emissions, achieving stringent regulatory standards for conventional pollutants, and addressing the removal of high-risk pollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), antibiotics, various pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Biological treatment processes are the most widely employed methods in wastewater treatment due to their effectiveness in pollutant removal, operational stability, and cost efficiency. Microorganisms play a pivotal role in the biodegradation of pollutants in biological wastewater treatment systems. However, traditional wastewater treatment systems were primarily designed to target conventional pollutants, posing limitations when addressing emerging issues such as nitrogen removal under carbon neutrality goals or the advanced removal of low-concentration, recalcitrant, and high-risk pollutants. Therefore, innovative approaches rooted in microbial technology are urgently needed to meet these evolving demands.

This Special Issue focuses on the application of microbial technologies to advance wastewater treatment and overcome current limitations. We invite researchers to contribute original research articles, reviews, and case studies on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Microbial methods for effectively controlling greenhouse gas emissions in wastewater treatment processes.
  • Identification and bioaugmentation of microorganisms capable of degrading high-risk pollutants in wastewater.
  • Development and application of microbial consortia for the removal of high-risk pollutant
  • Synthetic biology approaches for addressing high-risk pollutants in wastewater.
  • Mechanistic studies on the microbial degradation of high-risk pollutants in wastewater treatment systems.

Dr. Xiwei He
Dr. Depeng Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 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.

Keywords

  • microbial technology
  • wastewater treatment
  • high-risk pollutants
  • carbon neutrality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2715 KB  
Article
Performance Comparison of Microbial Fuel Cells Using Ceramic Membranes Fabricated from Various Commercial Clays for Wastewater Treatment Purposes
by Fernando Andrés Rojas Aguilar, Víctor A. Ramírez Coutiño, Luis A. Godínez and Francisco J. Rodríguez-Valadez
Water 2025, 17(21), 3064; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213064 - 26 Oct 2025
Viewed by 385
Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a sustainable alternative for wastewater treatment by simultaneously removing organic pollutants and generating energy. In this work, ceramic membranes were fabricated from low-cost locally available clays and tested as separators in MFCs. The systems achieved chemical oxygen demand [...] Read more.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a sustainable alternative for wastewater treatment by simultaneously removing organic pollutants and generating energy. In this work, ceramic membranes were fabricated from low-cost locally available clays and tested as separators in MFCs. The systems achieved chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of up to 95%, comparable to those obtained with conventional Nafion membranes. In terms of energy performance, the ceramic membranes maintained open-circuit voltages of 0.80 ± 0.05 V during batch operation with voltage generation cycles ranging from 6 to 3 days, and delivered power densities between 140 and 180 mW/m2 under closed-circuit conditions. These values were very similar to those obtained with Nafion. The ceramic membranes maintained consistent COD removal performance during successive batch feeding cycles, confirming their stability under repeated operation. Overall, these results highlight the potential of ceramic materials as cost-effective and robust alternatives for large-scale wastewater treatment using MFC technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Microbial Technology in Wastewater Treatment)
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17 pages, 4548 KB  
Article
Ultrasonic-Cavitation-Enhanced Biodegradation of Ciprofloxacin: Mechanisms and Efficiency
by Qianheng Wen, Qiwei Peng, ThuThi Pham and Xiwei He
Water 2025, 17(16), 2495; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162495 - 21 Aug 2025
Viewed by 980
Abstract
Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a persistent fluoroquinolone antibiotic, poses serious environmental concerns due to its low biodegradability and widespread presence in aquatic ecosystems. This study investigates the synergistic application of low-frequency ultrasonic cavitation and biological treatment to enhance CIP removal efficiency. Experiments have shown that [...] Read more.
Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a persistent fluoroquinolone antibiotic, poses serious environmental concerns due to its low biodegradability and widespread presence in aquatic ecosystems. This study investigates the synergistic application of low-frequency ultrasonic cavitation and biological treatment to enhance CIP removal efficiency. Experiments have shown that under the optimal biological treatment conditions (6 g/L sludge concentration, pH 8), single biological treatment for 48 h can only remove 41.9% CIP and 24.9% total organic carbon (TOC). Ultrasonic pretreatment was conducted under varying frequencies and pH conditions to determine optimal cavitation parameters, while biodegradation performance was evaluated at different sludge concentrations and pH levels. Results indicated that in 10 mg/L CIP wastewater under alkaline conditions (pH 9.0), CIP and TOC removal efficiencies reached 58.9% and 35.2%, respectively, within 30 min using 15 kHz ultrasound irradiation. When ultrasonic pretreatment was followed by biological treatment, overall removal rates increased to 96.3% for CIP and 90.4% for TOC, significantly outperforming either method alone. LC-MS analysis identified several degradation intermediates during ultrasonic pretreatment, revealing key transformation pathways such as piperazine ring cleavage, hydroxylation, and defluorination. Furthermore, toxicity evaluation using the T.E.S.T. model confirmed a substantial reduction in ecological risk after ultrasonic treatment. Overall, the combined ultrasonic–biological process offers a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable strategy for the efficient removal of fluoroquinolone antibiotics from wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Microbial Technology in Wastewater Treatment)
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