Microbial Community in a Wastewater System

Wastewater is a chemical cocktail, with pollutants varying in terms of their class, structure, biodegradability, toxicity, and effects on humans and the environment. Significant concern is raised by the recalcitrant pollutants found in wastewater. Wastewater can be used as a potentially effective, easily accessible, and affordable method for growing microbial species. As, the microbial populations present in the wastewater, such as bacteria and cyanobacteria, can remediate these hazardous contaminants. Wastewater contains xenobiotics, microplastics, heavy metals, nutrients like nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus which are needed by the microbial communities in order to proliferate. Further, the generation of biomass and biofuels at a reasonable cost while simultaneously absorbing nutrients is one benefit of combining modern wastewater treatment with growth of microbial communities. In this chapter, the diversity of microbial communities will discussed along with the photosynthetic mechanism of bacterial and cyanobacterial cells, followed by the role of bacteria and cyanobacteria in the removal of recalcitrant pollutants from wastewater.