Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology最新文献

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is the world’s most abundant renewable carbon source, yet its potential to drive a circular bioeconomy remains largely untapped. Microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) offer a promising route for converting this complex feedstock into electricity or valuable chemicals. However, LCB-MET advancement is hindered by a fundamental challenge: LCB recalcitrance necessitates depolymerization, a process mismatched with the metabolic capabilities of most electroactive microorganisms (EAMs). While EAMs excel at oxidizing simple substrates, most lack the hydrolytic machinery to break down LCB, creating a critical performance bottleneck. Addressing this requires a multi-disciplinary approach. At the heart of the biological challenge lie two core paradigms,each drawing on microorganisms sourced from nature or artificially engineered: (i) specialized strains capable of both hydrolytic and electrogenic functions, or (ii) synthetic consortia establishing division of labor between fermentative microbes and EAMs. These strategies do not operate in a vacuum; their performance is constrained by materials and environment. To evaluate the progress and potential of these interdependent biological, material, and engineering strategies, this review examines the landscape of LCB utilization in METs. It synthesizes recent advances in coupling depolymerization with extracellular electron transfer, critically evaluate microbial players from pure strains and mixed communities to genetically modified organisms and synthetic consortia, and assesses the key operational parameters, challenges, and potential solutions that define this field. Moving beyond, the review provides graphic representations and statistical analyses of recent publications to establish quantitative performance benchmarks.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is widely applied to stabilize wastewater sludge and recover energy, but it increasingly operates in the presence of emerging contaminants such as antibiotics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and plastic particles including microplastics (MPs, < 5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs, < 1 µm), collectively referred to as micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) in the substrates. These highly persistent pollutants are routinely detected in wastewater treatment plants and often resist conventional removal, raising concerns about their long-term impacts on public health, ecosystems, and AD performance. On the other hand, full-scale digesters rarely operate under optimal conditions. Inhibitory levels of ammonia, sulfite, heavy metals, and toxic organics frequently induce systems into an “inhibited steady-state”, characterized by reduced biogas production and microbial activity, but without complete system failure. This review explores current knowledge on the fate, transformation, and removal of antibiotics, PFAS, and plastic particles (MPs and NPs) in AD, with a specific focus on these inhibited steady-state regimes. The impact of inhibition on microbial community structure and function, alterations in contaminant sorption and degradation pathways, and its influence on process stability are comprehensively discussed. Particular attention is given to prevention and mitigation strategies, including process optimization, pretreatment, the addition of sorbents and conductive materials, and combined treatment options. By explicitly accounting for realistic, non-ideal operating conditions, this work provides a framework for more accurate risk assessment and for designing robust, economically viable AD systems that can simultaneously manage complex contaminant mixtures while maintaining high treatment performance.

Critical elements underpin clean-energy, electronics and catalysis, yet conventional extraction from mine waste is chemically intensive, poorly selective, and increasingly infeasible as ore/waste grades decline. Bioleaching is gaining traction, but purification from leachates remains difficult, especially for chemically similar ions such as rare-earth elements (REE) and platinum group elements (PGE). Proteins offer an alternative: they recognise metals via programmable binding pockets and can be engineered for affinity, selectivity, and process compatibility. This review outlines coordination principles relevant to separation; compiles case studies for REE, gallium (Ga), rhodium (Rh) and arsenic (As); surveys discovery and engineering pipelines; compares protein deployment formats; and assesses challenges and routes to scale. Progress varies widely across elements. REE binding is comparatively mature: lanmodulin (LanM) and derivatives deliver high affinity and have enabled separation prototypes. Ga lags, with few binders reported to date. Rh remains poorly grounded in biology, with most evidence coming from interactions of synthetic organorhodium complexes with proteins rather than direct Rh-binders. The exception is As, where binding is well mapped, but mainly in the context of remediation rather than resource recovery. Scale is the main bottleneck: kilogram-scale production at acceptable cost is difficult, capacities often lag synthetic resins, and performance can decline in liquors with high ionic strength, competing ions, low pH, fouling, and repeated regeneration. Progress will require higher-capacity, longer-lived formats and expanded binder repertoires for underexamined elements such as Ga, Ge, Rh, Nb/Ta, In and Pd/Pt via speciation-aware discovery, engineering, and de novo or machine-learning design under mine-relevant conditions.

Concrete infrastructures function as anthropogenic biogeochemical ecosystems in which microbial communities interact with hydrated cement matrices across complex physicochemical gradients. While physical and chemical degradation pathways have been widely investigated, the contribution of environmentally derived microorganisms to long-term concrete performance remains comparatively under-integrated within durability frameworks. Microbial colonization, biofilm development, and metabolically driven transformations can substantially modify local pH, redox conditions, and mineral stability. In aggressive environments, such processes may accelerate deterioration through mechanisms such as microbially induced concrete corrosion (MICC), leading to matrix destabilization, reinforcement corrosion, and reduced service life. Conversely, controlled microbial activity offers emerging environmental biotechnological opportunities, including microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), bio-based self-healing, and microstructural refinement through biomineralization pathways. Recent advances in modelling highlight the potential to integrate microbial, chemical, and transport processes, although biological contributions remain poorly represented. This review synthesizes current knowledge on microbial-concrete interactions across diverse anthropogenic environments, including sewer networks, marine infrastructures, buildings and bridges, nuclear power plants, and deep geological repositories (DGR). Particular emphasis is placed on ecological selection processes, biogeochemical mechanisms driving material transformation, and biotechnological strategies aimed at monitoring, mitigating, or harnessing microbial activity within cementitious systems. By integrating environmental microbiology, geochemistry, materials science, and biotechnology, this work identifies unifying metabolic pathways, critical knowledge gaps, and future research directions for the development of more resilient and environmentally sustainable cement-based infrastructures.

Iron (Fe) oxides and natural organic matter (NOM) are ubiquitous and reactive components in various environmental systems, significantly influencing the fate and transport of contaminants. While Fe oxides typically sequester these contaminants, their reductive dissolution is a critical process that leads to remobilization, posing renewed environmental risks. This review synthesizes the current understanding of how NOM influences the reductive dissolution of Fe oxides. We summarize the mechanisms by which NOM drives this process: (1) acting as an electron donor and electron shuttle to accelerate reduction, (2) altering the morphology and size of Fe oxides, and (3) complexing with Fe(II) and Fe(III) to facilitate reduction. We further examine the biogeochemical dynamics of critical toxic oxyanions, specifically arsenic (As) and chromium (Cr), during the interaction of Fe oxides and NOM under reducing conditions. We highlight that NOM drives Fe oxide reduction and the concurrent reductive release of As, while directly reducing Cr, a process amplified by Fe oxides. Furthermore, NOM regulates the subsequent immobilization of As and Cr into secondary phases by retarding Fe oxide transformations. Together with competitive adsorption and complexation within the ternary system, these interconnected processes intricately control the biogeochemical cycling of As and Cr. Overall, this review provides a more profound understanding of Fe cycling and the associated fate of typical oxyanion contaminants in response to NOM, offering a theoretical basis for effective environmental remediation and management.

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Wastewater treatment allows for water reuse and recycling yet produces waste by-products such as biosolids which require sustainable management. Biosolids have been repurposed for soil nutrient amendment in agricultural and land rehabilitation settings. However, biosolids contain microplastics and other micropollutants which negatively affect soil, animal, and human health and contaminate surrounding environments. The most prevalent microplastics in biosolids are synthetic microfibres made from polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and nylon that are released during clothes laundering and become concentrated in sewage sludges and biosolids during wastewater treatment. Microbes isolated from various environments, including plastic waste dumping sites, garbage dumps, soils, bodies of water, and marine environments, have demonstrated the ability to degrade polyester, PET and nylon, making them promising candidates for the biodegradation of these materials. This review discusses current literature on the microplastics and microbes present in biosolids, along with microbes documented to degrade plastics that are used in microfibre production. Additionally, recommendations are made to explore biosolids-associated microbes for microplastics biodegradation, aiming to minimise soil microplastic contamination to ensure the sustainable application of biosolids as well as alternative uses for biosolids.

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Phosphite is a reduced inorganic phosphorus species increasingly reported in aquatic environments but often overlooked in conventional dissolved reactive phosphorus monitoring. Owing to its high solubility and redox lability, Phi can function as a transient, speciation-sensitive P pool and a substrate for microbial metabolism, thereby linking phosphorus availability to redox dynamics and potentially influencing eutrophication-relevant nutrient fluxes. Here, we synthesize current evidence on the occurrence, environmental partitioning, and transformation of Phi across various aquatic environments, and waters impacted by industrial wastewater and agricultural inputs. We first summarize recent methodological advances facilitating robust quantification of Phi at environmentally relevant concentrations. We then synthesize current knowledge of Phi biogeochemical cycling across freshwater systems, sediment and soil matrices, and marine environments, collating reported distribution patterns and disentangling the key environmental drivers governing Phi persistence and turnover dynamics. Furthermore, we delineate the core chemical and microbial transformation pathways of Phi in aquatic environments, encompassing anabolic phosphite oxidation, dissimilatory phosphite oxidation, and abiotic/engineered oxidation processes (e.g., UV/H₂O₂, Fenton-like reactions, PMS-based oxidation, and electrochemical methods). Additionally, we address the ecological and biogeochemical implications of Phi cycling for eutrophication mitigation, microbial community assembly, and aquatic ecosystem stability. Finally, we emphasized and elaborate on the priorities of future research endeavors. This work provides an in-depth and holistic understanding of the intricate phosphorus cycling processes, laying a robust scientific foundation for the design and implementation of efficient and sustainable phosphorus management strategies tailored to diverse aquatic environments.

Natural cable bacteria and engineered bio-electrochemical snorkels enable centimeter-scale long-distance electron transfer (LDET) and have been shown to markedly enhance attenuation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in freshwater sediment. While the mechanisms of cable bacteria are well understood, those by which snorkel enhances attenuation of PAHs remain poorly defined. Because dissolved organic matter (DOM) binds the majority of PAHs in freshwater sediment, the transformation and eventual attenuation of PAHs is theoretically governed by DOM dynamics. Our previous studies preliminarily indicate that the snorkel alters DOM in its photo-chemical and electro-chemical characteristics. Inspired by those findings, this manuscript further reviews current knowledge on how DOM influences transformation of PAHs, summarizes the key DOM attributes involved in transformation of PAHs, analyzes how snorkel modulates these critical DOM attributes, and finally outlines four pathways by which snorkel enhances attenuation of PAHs. Although substantial work is required to validate these proposed pathways and to quantify their respective contributions, this mini-review significantly extends current limited studies including our own and provides the first in-depth analysis of how bacterial LDET enhances attenuation of PAHs, which can guide future sediment remediation strategies that leverage snorkel or other emerging electroactive bacteria-based technologies.

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Improved sewage sludge dewaterability saves costs in biosolids transport and disposal, making reliable dewaterability assessment essential for both research and full-scale process evaluation. However, laboratory-based indexes commonly used to predict dewatering performance often show limited correspondence with full-scale results. Nonetheless, indexes such as capillary suction time (CST), sedimentation and centrifugation methods, specific resistance to filtration (SRF), and mixed dead-end techniques show biases when trying to resemble full-scale results. In our present article, we pose that lack of predictability originates from overlooking all the phenomena involved in the dewatering process. Four critical phenomena are identified to occur during dewaterability: (1) mixing of sludge and conditioner; (2) suspension destabilisation; (3) flocs formation, and (4) compression and expression. By systematically evaluating widely used laboratory indexes this review shows that these methods capture only part of the dewatering process and generally fail to represent the compression and expression stages that ultimately determine the ultimate achievable solids concentration. The analysis highlights sludge compressibility as a critical factor limiting the predictive capacity of conventional indexes. Based on this synthesis, centrifugation, dead-end filtration, and combined centrifugation–filtration approaches are identified as more suitable methods for laboratory-scale assessment because they better represent the compression behaviour of sludge. The review provides a conceptual framework linking dewatering phenomena with experimental assessment methods, supporting the development of improved evaluation strategies and facilitating the testing of emerging, environmentally friendly conditioning technologies.

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Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable carbon source that could help replacing fossil carbon feedstocks which cause many ecological concerns. However, to improve its bioconversion, the complex microstructure and chemistry of biomass needs thorough characterization. Emerging techniques like Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy are particularly promising and this review aims to cover all aspects related to the use of lifetime microscopy for lignocellulosic biomass analysis. First, the mechanisms involved in fluorescence emission and atomistic properties influencing fluorescence lifetime are detailed. Then the three main instrumentations of lifetime microscopy are compared and the decay fitting function of fluorescence lifetime is presented. Numerous examples exposing the relevance of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy for biomass analysis are provided. Lifetime microscopy allows for cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignins differential localization and syringyl / guaiacyl lignin ratio mapping. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy can also provide insights on the effects of pretreatment and hydrolysis on the microstructure and chemistry of lignocellulosic biomass. Additionally, lifetime microscopy can inform on growth conditions like geographical origin or reaction wood formation as a response to gravitropic perturbations. Also, Förster Resonance Energy Transfer, being able to explore lignocellulosic biomass’s interactions with molecular probes, can be based on fluorescence imaging as well. Finally, other fluorescence-lifetime-related techniques having the potential to be implemented on lignocellulosic biomass are discussed.