Innovative Biological Approaches for Contaminants of Emerging Concern Removal from Wastewater: A Mini-Review

Over the last few decades, the presence of a group of contaminants, termed as Emerging Contaminants (ECs) in the wastewater stream is imposing a serious concern worldwide. Conventional treatment processes are not capable of removing these micropollutants resulting in their discharge to receiving surface waters, i.e. rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Various alternative approaches have been proposed and developed to remove and/or degrade organic pollutants from contaminated water bodies, including chemical, physical, and biological technologies. The latter offer potential advantages over other methods due to their less expensive cost and their environmentally friendlier nature. The aim of the present paper was to review the state-of-the-art biological processes for ECs removal and to determine future research directions. This mini-review focuses on the type of ECs being removed, the biological treatment applied, and the outcomes achieved. A critical look at current challenges was also provided along with critical comments and perceptive recommendations for further improvement of the performance of the developed methods.