About this Research Topic
The motivation for this article collection stems from the growing global concern over the limited availability of freshwater and other essential resources, and the need for sustainable solutions to wastewater management. As the world's population continues to grow, the demand for freshwater sources is increasing, while at the same time, there is a growing need to reduce pollution and waste. Wastewater treatment has traditionally been viewed as a process for removing contaminants from water before discharging it into the environment. However, recent developments in wastewater treatment technologies have enabled the recovery and reuse of valuable resources from wastewater, such as water, energy, and nutrients, leading to the concept of Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRF). This change in thinking towards wastewater valorization is a key strategy in a circular economy, reducing waste, promoting resource efficiency, and generating new revenue streams, such as, biofuels, biopolymers, and platform chemicals.
More than a decade of innovation in the field of wastewater resource recovery, the underlying biotechnologies and bioprocesses still face multiple challenges and opportunities, including energy efficiency and emerging contaminants. Additionally, several early-stage wastewater valorization biotechnologies are currently under study, and some innovative products are being identified. Thus, the purpose of this article collection is to highlight the fast-developing wastewater valorization field, providing a platform for researchers and practitioners to share their latest biotechnological findings and innovations in wastewater resource recovery, contributing to the development of a circular economy.
This Research Topic will highlight the potential of wastewater as a valuable resource and highlight the latest biotechnologies and bioprocesses for recovering and reusing the resources present in wastewater, including their major challenges. Original research articles and critical reviews are envisaged. Potential topics of this research topic include, but are not limited to:
• Wastewater reclamation
• Nutrient recovery - nitrogen and phosphorus
• Energy recovery - anaerobic digestion, biogas production, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
• Biopolymer production and recovery - polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), cellulose, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)
• Platform chemicals (volatile organic compounds for example)
• Bioelectrochemical systems such as Microbial Fuel Cells
• Nature based or passive systems.
• Photosynthetic systems and consortia
• Single cell proteins
More than a decade of innovation in the field of wastewater resource recovery, the underlying biotechnologies and bioprocesses still face multiple challenges and opportunities, including energy efficiency and emerging contaminants. Additionally, several early-stage wastewater valorization biotechnologies are currently under study, and some innovative products are being identified. Thus, the purpose of this article collection is to highlight the fast-developing wastewater valorization field, providing a platform for researchers and practitioners to share their latest biotechnological findings and innovations in wastewater resource recovery, contributing to the development of a circular economy.
This Research Topic will highlight the potential of wastewater as a valuable resource and highlight the latest biotechnologies and bioprocesses for recovering and reusing the resources present in wastewater, including their major challenges. Original research articles and critical reviews are envisaged. Potential topics of this research topic include, but are not limited to:
• Wastewater reclamation
• Nutrient recovery - nitrogen and phosphorus
• Energy recovery - anaerobic digestion, biogas production, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
• Biopolymer production and recovery - polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), cellulose, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)
• Platform chemicals (volatile organic compounds for example)
• Bioelectrochemical systems such as Microbial Fuel Cells
• Nature based or passive systems.
• Photosynthetic systems and consortia
• Single cell proteins
Keywords: Wastewater value, resource recovery, water resource recovery facilities, biological nutrient removal, biopolymers, bioeconomy, phosphorus recovery, bioenergy, bioelectrochemistry
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
