Impact of pathogenic bacterial communities present in wastewater on aquatic organisms: Application of nanomaterials for the removal of these pathogens

Abstract

Contaminated wastewater (WW) can cause severe hazards to numerous delicate ecosystems and associated life forms. In addition, human health is negatively impacted by the presence of microorganisms in water. Multiple pathogenic microorganisms in contaminated water, including bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses, are vectors for several contagious diseases. To avoid the negative impact of these pathogens, WW must be free from pathogens before being released into stream water or used for other reasons. In this review article, we have focused on pathogenic bacteria in WW and summarized the impact of the different types of pathogenic bacteria on marine organisms. Moreover, we presented a variety of physical and chemical techniques that have been developed to provide a pathogen-free aquatic environment. Among the techniques, membrane-based techniques for trapping hazardous biological contaminants are gaining popularity around the world. Besides, novel and recent advancements in nanotechnological science and engineering suggest that many waterborne pathogens could be inactivated using nano catalysts, bioactive nanoparticles, nanostructured catalytic membranes, nanosized photocatalytic structures, and electrospun nanofibers and processes have been thoroughly examined.