We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Editorial: Green and sustainable remediation: advances in microbial technologies for legacy and emerging contaminants
Summary
This collection of studies rounds up new ways scientists are using bacteria and other microbes to clean up polluted soil and water — including breaking down harmful industrial chemicals, cleaning wastewater contaminated with microplastics, and removing toxic heavy metals. This matters because these "green" cleanup methods use nature's own tools instead of harsh chemicals, offering a more affordable and eco-friendly way to reduce the pollutants and microplastics that end up in our environment, food, and water supply. The research is still moving from lab testing toward real-world use, so more field testing is needed before these methods become widely available.
Ecosystems face mounting pressure from the accelerated release of persistent and toxic legacy and emerging contaminants, challenging environmental sustainability (Hou et al., 2025;Zhang et al., 2024). Green and sustainable remediation (GSR) strategies that harness natural processes, especially microbial technologies, have become a primary focus of research (Hassard and Castro-Gutierrez, 2024). However, the transition from laboratory research into practical application is impeded by the complexity of microbial mechanisms and environmental variability, necessitating integrated advances in both basic and applied sciences (Albright et al., 2022). This Research Topic links microbial transformation mechanisms, stress-resilient process enhancement, and material-assisted ecological remediation, providing integrated insights for more efficient and environmentally friendly GSR strategies.Understanding how microorganisms transform persistent and emerging contaminants constitutes an essential foundation for developing green remediation technologies. This Research Topic first highlights recent advances in microbial degradation pathways and contaminant biotransformation mechanisms.For the typical high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (HMW-PAH), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), Zhang et al. (2025) Beyond contaminant transformation, efficient GSR requires stable microbial performance under complex environmental stressors. Liu et al. (2026) found that the plastisphere-derived Stutzerimonas balearica SP-H maintained stable sulfur-autotrophic denitrification under microplastic stress through coordinated nitrogen-sulfur metabolism, c-di-GMP signaling, and energy regulation. This work identifies habitat-adapted microorganisms as promising bioaugmentation agents for microplastic-impacted wastewater systems.For complex coking-contaminated soil, Wang et al. ( 2025) developed a KMnO4 pre-oxidation-Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria-nitrogen stimulation process to enhance high-molecular-weight PAH degradation. The study revealed that biogenic manganese oxides sustained oxidative capacity and coupled manganese transformation, nitrogen cycling, and PAH degradation, introducing a microbial-geochemical strategy for improving remediation efficiency.At a broader scale, Musa et al. ( 2026) reviewed microbial technologies as tools for environmental sustainability, emphasizing their roles not only in pollutant bioremediation, but also in bioplastics, biofuels, biomaterials, and biological carbon utilization. This perspective extends microbial technologies beyond site-specific remediation to broader ecological and industrial sustainability.Material-assisted and ecological strategies represent another important direction for GSR, particularly for non-degradable heavy metal contamination. Zhao et al. ( 2026 This Research Topic outlines a coherent trajectory in GSR from microbial contaminant transformation to functional stabilization, material-assisted immobilization, and ecological restoration. Collectively, these studies show that effective remediation increasingly depends on integrating microbial metabolism with habitat-adapted functional strains, microbial-geochemical coupling, engineered biochars, and rhizosphere regulation. This shift from single technologies toward system-level strategies is essential for addressing legacy and emerging contaminants in complex environments.Future research should emphasize: (i) coupling multi-omics, process engineering, and material design to build controllable remediation systems; (ii) long-term field validation of remediation efficiency, ecological safety, and functional stability; and (iii) evaluation frameworks that integrate transformation products, metal bioavailability, ecosystem recovery, and carbon footprints.