Emerging Trends in Biological Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Applying sustainable and circularity approaches to biological wastewater treatment offers several opportunities. In order to eliminate or recover nutrients and organic contaminants from a wide range of wastewater types, biological wastewater treatment is frequently utilized. Conventional biological processes, however, have drawbacks such poor efficiency, excessive energy use, and excess sludge formation. Integrated solutions that combine biological treatment with other physical, chemical, or biological treatments have been developed and implemented recently in an effort to overcome these constraints. With an emphasis on their mechanisms, advantages, difficulties, and future prospects, this review highlights the most recent developments in integrated techniques for biological wastewater treatment. The review delves into the possible uses of integrated approaches for treating heterogeneous wastewater in the context of low-carbon fuel production, resource recovery, and green energy generation. The following biological treatment techniques are outlined in relation to metabolic reactions that are not genetically modified: bioremediation, electro-coagulation, electro-flocculation, electro-Fenton, advanced oxidation, electro-oxidation, bio-electrochemical systems, and photo-remediation.

Different conducting materials (CMs) help to increase fermentation rates and are important in metabolic processes involving mass/charge transfer. Fermentative biocatalysts are given favorable conditions and prompted to act in order to overcome the constraints of the conventional process through the hybridization of carbon, metal, and nano-based CMs in various processes