Application of metagenomics to biological wastewater treatment

Biological wastewater treatment is a process in which the microbial metabolism of complex communities transforms pollutants into low-or non-toxic products. Due to the absence of an in-depth understanding of the diversity and complexity of microbial communities, it is very likely to ignore the potential mechanisms of microbial community in wastewater treatment. Metagenomics is a technology based on molecular biology, in which massive gene sequences are obtained from environmental samples and analyzed by bioinformatics to determine the composition and function of a microbial community. Metagenomics can identify the state of microbes in their native environments more effectively than traditional molecular methods. This review summarizes the application of metagenomics to assess microbial communities in biological wastewater treatment, such as the biological removal of phosphorus and nitrogen by bacteria, the study of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and the reduction of heavy metals by microbial communities, with an emphasis on the contribution of microbial diversity and metabolic diversity. Technical bottlenecks in the application of metagenomics to biological wastewater treatment are elucidated, and future research directions for metagenomics are proposed, among which the application of multiomics will be an important research method for future biological wastewater treatment. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Metagenomics is a powerful tool for assessing microbial communities in biological wastewater treatment by revealing the composition and function of microbial communities more effectively than traditional molecular methods. It can provide insights into the contribution of microbial diversity and metabolic diversity to processes such as biological removal of phosphorus and nitrogen, study of antibiotic resistance genes, and reduction of heavy metals by microbial communities.