Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
2.8
Journals
Applied Microbiology
Special Issues
Novel Microbiological and Metabolic Approaches Applied to Pollutant Matrices Degradation
share announcement

Novel Microbiological and Metabolic Approaches Applied to Pollutant Matrices Degradation

A special issue of Applied Microbiology (ISSN 2673-8007).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2025) | Viewed by 3810

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gaetano Zuccaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Research, Development and Innovation, Rousselet Environment, 14 Boulevard Charles Peguy, 30100 Alès, France
Interests: biochemical engineering; wastewater treatment; membrane separation; microbial interaction; synthetic biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increase in public awareness of topics concerning the impact of anthropogenic activities on the environment and human health requires robust efforts by the scientific community to corroborate generic informations. Among the most sensitive subjects are the treatment and degradation of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and inorganic pollutants. This broad spectrum includes PFAs, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals or nitrates, sulphates and phosphates.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together original research articles and reviews that have a multidisciplinary approach, with a particular focus on the investigation of metabolic and microbiological implications for the understanding of the most suitable process solution, its impact and the concrete applicative implementation.

Dr. Gaetano Zuccaro
Guest Editor

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. Applied Microbiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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

  • Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
  • inorganic pollutants
  • metabolic and microbiological implications

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

29 pages, 4059 KB  
Article
Computational Characterisation of Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria Inhibitors to Overcome Methanogenic Competence and Optimise Green Biogas Production
by David Talavera-Cortés, Laureano E. Carpio, Patricia Serrano-Candelas, Carlos Lafita, María José Tàrrega Marti, Ángela Baeza-Serrano, Pau Granell, Rafael Gozalbes and Eva Serrano-Candelas
Appl. Microbiol. 2025, 5(4), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/applmicrobiol5040128 - 11 Nov 2025
Viewed by 286
Abstract
Microorganisms such as methanogenic archaea play a key role in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by breaking down organic matter and pollutants and producing methane, a potential renewable energy source. However, sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) compete with archaea for the same substrates under anaerobic conditions, [...] Read more.
Microorganisms such as methanogenic archaea play a key role in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by breaking down organic matter and pollutants and producing methane, a potential renewable energy source. However, sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) compete with archaea for the same substrates under anaerobic conditions, lowering methane production and generating harmful hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Inhibiting SRB is therefore crucial to enhance methane yield and reduce toxic by-products. By means of manual screening of public databases (KEGG, BRENDA, PDB, PubChem) 12 potential inhibitors of SRB were found. After computational ecotoxicological assessment, four candidates were selected, and one of them experimentally increased methane production, demonstrating that SRB inhibition favours the anaerobic digestion of sludges. In order to further explore new candidates, Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship (QSAR) models were developed showing reliable predictive performance. These models enabled the virtual screening of COCONUT, a natural product database, identifying 73 potential SRB inhibitors. After an ecotoxicological assessment, five commercially available compounds remained. The identified candidates may reduce competition between SRB and methanogenic archaea, leading to higher methane production and supporting WWTPs in generating their own biogas. This would contribute to a circular economy and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Microbiological and Metabolic Approaches Applied to Pollutant Matrices Degradation)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 1201 KB  
Article
Knockouts of Yeast Plasma Membrane Phosphate Transporters Alter Resistance to Heavy Metals
by Larisa Ledova, Lubov Ryazanova, Ludmila Trilisenko, Vladimir Ostroumov and Tatiana Kulakovskaya
Appl. Microbiol. 2025, 5(4), 109; https://doi.org/10.3390/applmicrobiol5040109 - 11 Oct 2025
Viewed by 566
Abstract
Mutant yeast strains with altered sensitivity to heavy metals are crucial for revealing the mechanisms of metal absorption and detoxification, as well as for bioremediation of these pollutants. Here, we show that a knockout of the PHO87 gene encoding the low-affinity phosphate transporter [...] Read more.
Mutant yeast strains with altered sensitivity to heavy metals are crucial for revealing the mechanisms of metal absorption and detoxification, as well as for bioremediation of these pollutants. Here, we show that a knockout of the PHO87 gene encoding the low-affinity phosphate transporter of the cytoplasmic membrane of S. cerevisiae increased resistance to manganese, silver, and vanadate ions. However, a knockout of PHO90 (PHO87 paralog) did not affect the sensitivity to silver and vanadate ions but increased sensitivity to manganese ions. The Δpho87 cells accumulated 10 times less manganese compared to the wild-type cells, while the Δpho90 cells accumulated two times more manganese compared to the wild-type cells, when grown in YPD with 2 mM MnSO4. The polyphosphate content of the Δpho84, Δpho87, and Δpho90 cells cultivated at high phosphate concentration did not differ from that of the wild-type strain. In the presence of 2 mM MnSO4, Δpho87 cells contained several times less polyphosphates, and Δpho90 cells contained more short-chain polyphosphates than the cells of the wild-type strain. We hypothesize that phosphate carriers participate in the regulation of heavy metal uptake, and the respective knockouts are useful in bioremediation and bioassay of these pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Microbiological and Metabolic Approaches Applied to Pollutant Matrices Degradation)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 12990 KB  
Article
What Can Contribute to Weakening of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Cryogels Used for Cell (Self)Immobilization?
by Olga Senko, Nikolay Stepanov, Olga Maslova and Elena Efremenko
Appl. Microbiol. 2025, 5(3), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/applmicrobiol5030097 - 12 Sep 2025
Viewed by 789
Abstract
This work was undertaken in order to identify the presence of changes in the characteristics of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cryogels that can contribute to the degradation of such polymer matrices under the influence of their contact with various microorganisms used in immobilized form [...] Read more.
This work was undertaken in order to identify the presence of changes in the characteristics of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cryogels that can contribute to the degradation of such polymer matrices under the influence of their contact with various microorganisms used in immobilized form in different biotechnological processes using various complex media and conditions. Immobilized cells of bacteria, yeasts, microalgae, fungi, and microbial consortia were involved in the investigations. It was established that the presence of microorganisms can indirectly (through media transformed by them, in particular, containing lipids) or directly (through high rates of metabolite production, in particular, the fast accumulation of gases in the pores of polymer matrices, or due to the colonization of cryogels (self)immobilization by fungi with the growing mycelium) decrease rheological characteristics of PVA cryogel. Such weakening of PVA cryogels can be expected as a result of the first stage of further degradation of polymer matrices. The values of both the modulus of elasticity and the shear modulus of PVA cryogels confirmed this. The effect of high pressure accumulated in the reactors with PVA cryogel-immobilized cells, as well as their use in flow systems, was not revealed. These factors can be taken into account for the sustainable use of matrices based on PVA cryogels as biocatalysts with microorganisms or soil-structuring elements in artificial or natural environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Microbiological and Metabolic Approaches Applied to Pollutant Matrices Degradation)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Other

Jump to: Research

6 pages, 200 KB  
Opinion
A Synergistic Approach to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Treatment That Includes Microbial Bioremediation and Considers Degradation Fluxes
by Gaetano Zuccaro
Appl. Microbiol. 2025, 5(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/applmicrobiol5010010 - 21 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1195
Abstract
The aim of the author is to propose a change of the approach to the management of fluorinated pollutants in waste and water streams, in which the linear treatment of pollutants could be replaced by the integration of a synergistic system including biological [...] Read more.
The aim of the author is to propose a change of the approach to the management of fluorinated pollutants in waste and water streams, in which the linear treatment of pollutants could be replaced by the integration of a synergistic system including biological treatments and a focus on the secondary streams produced by conventional and less conventional technological solutions in order to avoid the translation of the problem or, even worse, the production of equally harmful compounds [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Microbiological and Metabolic Approaches Applied to Pollutant Matrices Degradation)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop