Present and future environmental challenges require sustainable solutions to better protect our natural resources. In this context, the contamination of groundwater by organic pollutants is a major concern. Halogenated compounds, in particular, are problematic because of their recalcitrance and toxicity.

This collection of articles aims to highlight recent progress in practical research on the treatment of groundwater contaminated with halogenated organic compounds. Advanced anaerobic biological processes, photosynthetic microorganisms, or bioelectrochemical methods, represent concrete strategies for addressing these challenges. Despite the significant environmental and socio-economic impacts, these innovative biotechnologies require further optimization and validation in close-to-real scenarios.

The development of new biological, bioelectrochemical, physico-chemical, and integrated remediation processes offer several advantages for more efficient and sustainable groundwater treatment. Despite the good expertise reached by the MNA (Monitored Natural Attenuation) remediation technique, the treatment of residual contamination affects most of the remediation interventions. Indeed, residuals of halogenated compounds at very low concentrations in groundwaters require innovative integrated solutions to increase the efficiency and sustainability of the remediation action while ensuring groundwater quality standards. Understanding the dynamics of microbial communities, optimizing reactor designs for enhanced performance, and mitigating the impact of fluctuating environmental conditions are crucial aspects to consider. Furthermore, harnessing biological processes for the bioremediation of polluted sites demands overcoming hurdles such as substrate availability and microbial adaptability.

The Research Topic aims to collect contributions about innovative biological, bioelectrochemical, physico-chemical, and integrated processes for degrading halogenated organic compounds from wastewater and groundwater. We welcome the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:

- Biological processes for persistent halogenated compounds degradation in water

- Bioelectrochemical processes for persistent halogenated compounds degradation in water

- Physico-chemical processes for persistent halogenated compound degradation in water

- Integrated processes for persistent halogenated compound degradation in water

- Modelling

- Life Cycle Assessment studies

- Real case scenarios

Our efforts will be addressed to collect research spanning last advances and novel perspectives contributing to the knowledge implementation in the field of bioengineering applied to the remediation of contaminated sites.

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Chemical Engineering

Submit your idea

Impact