Advances in Microbial Treatment of Emerging Contaminants

The modern and fast lifestyle of the human society has introduced a lot of new substances into the environment. Among these elements, many have long life duration as parent/transformed products and cause negative health impact in single form or in compound forms with other elements. However, due to poor care, identification, or due to the presence in very low quantities, many of these contaminants are often ignored, though their presence can result in serious health issues to humans and to the environment. The scientific community regard these emerging contaminants (EC) as mostly coming from seven categories of origin, namely, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, disinfection byproducts, algal toxins, biocides and their metabolites, and bioterrorism and disruption devices. The complexity of ECs, such as their availability at very low concentrations and high hazardous potential to health, demand accurate technology for their treatment. Bioremediation is a highly recognized tool for the protection of the environment where tiny microbes play a significant role. The current article discusses the adverse effects of ECs, the treatment options, and the mechanisms of EC bioremediation for securing and increasing the good health of the environment. A system biology approach for the recognition of numerous potential microbes for the treatment of ECs, with the help of literature and omics tools, is summarized.