Work

Effects of typical emerging pollutants on biological treatment systems: processes, mechanisms, and recovery strategies

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: With the rapid advancement of industrialization and urbanization, human activities have released large quantities of persistent emerging contaminants into the environment. Among these, nanomaterials, microplastics, and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances have emerged as research hotspots due to their widespread applications and increasingly significant environmental risks. These contaminants exhibit strong environmental persistence in aquatic environments and significantly affect the stability and treatment efficiency of conventional biological treatment systems, posing new challenges to the normal operation and pollutant removal. This article reviews the migration and transformation behavior of these emerging contaminants in biological treatment systems, the processes and mechanisms underlying their impacts on microbial communities and metabolic activities, as well as recovery strategies. By summarizing existing research results, this article aims to provide a scientific basis and technical support for the process optimization and the development of pollutant reduction technologies in wastewater treatment systems.

Source: Frontiers in Microbiology

DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1998868

Authors: Xiaoying Ren, Aiwen Song, Da Shang, Huai Li

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801