Chapter 15
Biotechnologies for Water Treatment
Dietmar Schlosser
Abstract Too low concentrations of organic pollutants as well as too high loads of
toxic contaminants and/or other extreme conditions of (waste)waters may impede
their efficient treatment by conventional biological technologies. Micropollutants
typically occur in only minute amounts in the aquatic environment, which is not in
favor of their productive biodegradation and may lead to infinitely low degradation
rates. Conventional bioprocesses could even collapse in response to too toxic or
otherwise extreme conditions of the waters to be treated. Advanced biological water
treatment processes aim to overcome the performance limits of conventional biological processes, and make use of isolated enzymes and whole organisms. Current
approaches involve enzyme immobilization to yield biocatalytically active
nanomaterials, and bioelectrochemical systems employing immobilized microorganisms for wastewater treatment along with energy production. Such applications are
mostly still at the experimental stage, and issues related to process upscaling, longterm stability, and cost efficiency still need to be solved. Membrane bioreactors
(MBRs) retain the biocatalytically active sludge in the system. They can be augmented with additional degrader organisms or used in combination with physicochemical processes such as activated carbon adsorption and ozonation. MBRs have
already successfully been tested at the pilot and sometimes even at full scale.
Constructed wetlands also have also the potential to remove micropollutants from
urban wastewater. They may be considered as an alternative for wastewater treatment in small and scattered communities, and for the final step in the treatment of
special wastewaters.
Keywords Constructed wetlands · Bioelectrochemical systems · Immobilized
enzymes · Membrane bioreactors · Micropollutants · Wastewater treatment
D. Schlosser (*)
Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research –
UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
e-mail: dietmar.schlosser@ufz.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Filip et al. (eds.), Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment,
Applied Environmental Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29840-1_15
335
Biotechnologies for Water Treatment
Dietmar Schlosser
Abstract Too low concentrations of organic pollutants as well as too high loads of
toxic contaminants and/or other extreme conditions of (waste)waters may impede
their efficient treatment by conventional biological technologies. Micropollutants
typically occur in only minute amounts in the aquatic environment, which is not in
favor of their productive biodegradation and may lead to infinitely low degradation
rates. Conventional bioprocesses could even collapse in response to too toxic or
otherwise extreme conditions of the waters to be treated. Advanced biological water
treatment processes aim to overcome the performance limits of conventional biological processes, and make use of isolated enzymes and whole organisms. Current
approaches involve enzyme immobilization to yield biocatalytically active
nanomaterials, and bioelectrochemical systems employing immobilized microorganisms for wastewater treatment along with energy production. Such applications are
mostly still at the experimental stage, and issues related to process upscaling, longterm stability, and cost efficiency still need to be solved. Membrane bioreactors
(MBRs) retain the biocatalytically active sludge in the system. They can be augmented with additional degrader organisms or used in combination with physicochemical processes such as activated carbon adsorption and ozonation. MBRs have
already successfully been tested at the pilot and sometimes even at full scale.
Constructed wetlands also have also the potential to remove micropollutants from
urban wastewater. They may be considered as an alternative for wastewater treatment in small and scattered communities, and for the final step in the treatment of
special wastewaters.
Keywords Constructed wetlands · Bioelectrochemical systems · Immobilized
enzymes · Membrane bioreactors · Micropollutants · Wastewater treatment
D. Schlosser (*)
Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research –
UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
e-mail: dietmar.schlosser@ufz.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Filip et al. (eds.), Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment,
Applied Environmental Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29840-1_15
335