Microbial Interactions with Nanomaterials in the Environment and their Application

The extensive use of manufactured nanoparticles for a variety of industrial, commercial, medical and agricultural products leads to their inevitable release into the environment. With the mounting evidence, nanoparticles exhibit both the negative and positive influences on the environment. Some nanoparticles have been found to be toxic to soil microorganisms and influence soil microbial species diversity. On the other hand, nanoparticles have many positive implications. For example, as an electron shuttle, nanoparticles can reinforce the microbial interspecies interactions for degradation of complex polymer organic components, such as straw, as well as the mitigation of eutrophication. Taken together, such uncertain nature of nanoparticles has attracted researchers’ attention. However, the impact of nanoparticles on the environment is still unclear.

In this Research Topic, we would like to highlight the recent advances in the response of environmental microorganisms to different nanomaterials, elucidate the ecotoxicity of nanomaterials and the possible mechanisms involved, and examine the roles of nanomaterials-microorganisms interactions in bioremediation of pollutants.

We welcome the following but not limited to:
• Effect of nanomaterials on microbial growth, activities and functions in different environments (soil, water or sediments)
• Nanoparticles-microbial interactions
• Effects of nanomaterials on biogeochemical cycling
• Applications of nanomaterials in bioremediation