Recent Advances in Bioremediation of Emerging Contaminants and Endocrine Disruptors

Emerging contaminants can be defined as synthetic or natural chemicals that are not commonly monitored but can potentially enter the environment and cause adverse ecological and human health effects. Many medicines, detergents, pesticides, personal care products, microplastics, natural & synthetic hormones, or transformation products are examples of emerging contaminants. Since the removal of these contaminants may be incomplete during the wastewater treatment process, treated effluents may be sources of environmental release. These emerging contaminants may be toxic, acting as endocrine disruptors, retaining their pharmacological activities, or having unintended adverse consequences for the ecosystems, wildlife and humans exposed to them. Recently, scientists have been working to understand and improve available removal treatment processes for environmental sustainability.

Bioremediation, which uses living organisms to transform hazardous substances into lesser or non-toxic compounds, effectively removes emerging contaminants or other organic pollutants. Although there have been many types of research concerning the use of microorganisms for bioremediation, our knowledge of the microbial mechanisms involved is limited, particularly the degradation mechanisms and integration of degradation technologies. In addition, the survival dynamics of degrading strains in the environments, the relationship between microbial diversity and contaminant bioremediation remain poorly understood. As the metabolic pathways and microbial diversity involved in degradation are elucidated, such information can be used to design innovative remediation technologies and predict the potential fate of emerging contaminants in specific environmental settings.

In this Research Topic, we intend to gather recent research work and critical reviews on the bioremediation of emerging contaminants, especially on the metabolic and physiological interactions between degrading strains and emerging contaminants. The presented work should feature a phrased hypothesis then tested and investigated for predicted underlying degradation mechanisms. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Innovative bioremediation approach to emerging contaminants or endocrine disruptors.
• Newly screened strains with degradation potential.
• Newly discovered metabolic pathways of contaminants.
• Enzymatic bioremediation approach to contaminants.
• Relationship between microbial diversity changes and contaminant bioremediation processes.
• Metabolic and physiological interactions between degrading strains and contaminants.
• Systems biology approach to bioremediation.