Microbial Ecosystems in Water and Wastewater Treatment 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue, “Microbial Ecosystems in Water and Wastewater Treatment (https://www.mdpi.com/si/117406)”.

Water treatment plants are intended to remove organic, inorganic, and microbiological contaminants from influent/source waters using physical, chemical, and biological processes. In the case of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), treated water can be directly dispatched in final acceptor water bodies for possible reuse when a very low environmental impact level is shown. In general, water treatment facilities produce water for a wide range of specific purposes, including industrial processes, irrigation, water-based recreation, and direct human consumption.

Notably, all water reclamation processes are fundamentally supported by the microbial consortia hosted within water and wastewater treatment plants. The composition and functionality of these metacommunities (including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and metazoans) can differ depending on the characteristics of either the source water or the operative conditions of each plant.

Recently, the recurring detection of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs, including antibiotics and pesticides), microplastics, and many other water pollutants, has given impetus to the further exploring the microbe-driven degradation processes. This Special Issue offers a broad view of the microbiome, functional activity, and microbial relationships in the ecosystems found along treatment paths, with particular emphasis on community profiling, performed using advanced characterization techniques in different plant schemes and operative conditions.

Dr. Carlo Salerno
Dr. Stefano Amalfitano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• microbial community
• wastewater treatment plant
• water reuse
• biodegradation processes
• water supply systems
• water resource management