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Microbiology of Environmental Waste Management

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2023) | Viewed by 2382

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 28, Luhuitou Road, Sanya 572000, China
Interests: environmental microbiology; metagenomics; metabolomics; bioremediation
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Guest Editor
School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, P Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
Interests: bioethanol and biogas; bioconversion of waste food into compost; microorganisms; sustainable agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Port Harcourt, P. M. B. 5323, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
2. Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES), University of South Africa (UNISA), Johannesburg 1709, South Africa
Interests: environmental microbiology; bioremediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most pressing issues today is ensuring the long-term health of the planet’s ecosystems. The continuous release of harmful waste and contaminants as a result of industrialization and urbanization poses the greatest threat to humanity directly in the short and long term, and places incredible pressure on natural resources. Waste generation correlates positively with economic development in both developed and developing countries. It is imperative that we take action now to restore our polluted ecosystem to a healthy and habitable state for future generations. The potential role of microorganisms in pollution control is promising, but largely overlooked. Due to their distinct characteristics, microorganisms can be effectively harnessed for environmental rehabilitation. The bioremediation of contaminated sites and biodegradation are two processes that microorganisms can aid tremendously. For instance, microorganisms are used in tandem with nanotechnology to efficiently treat contaminated radioactive wastes. In addition, microorganisms can be genetically modified to increase their efficiency in bioremediation efforts. Environmental waste management is thus an exciting and challenging area of science and engineering. The goal of microbiological approaches to environmental pollution management is to address a wide range of issues related to environmental pollution that impact people all over the world. When it comes to microbiology, environmental pollution management has two main focal points: human health and safety from potentially harmful microorganisms, and the bioremediation of extremely polluted environments. The prevention of pollution within the environment requires contributions from both the science and engineering communities.

Dr. Ramganesh Selvarajan
Dr. Timothy Sibanda
Prof. Dr. Chioma Blaise Chikere
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • microorganisms
  • pollution
  • bioremediation
  • biotechnology
  • waste management

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 3475 KiB  
Article
Bacterial Communities in Informal Dump Sites: A Rich Source of Unique Diversity and Functional Potential for Bioremediation Applications
by Ramganesh Selvarajan, Henry Ogola, Chimdi M. Kalu, Timothy Sibanda and Chinedu Obize
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12862; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412862 - 14 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1546
Abstract
In this study, high-throughput metagenomic amplicon sequencing and physicochemical analyses were used to evaluate the structural composition and functional diversity of the soil bacterial communities at different illegal waste dump sites. Results showed that while the litter-free soil was dominated by the phylum [...] Read more.
In this study, high-throughput metagenomic amplicon sequencing and physicochemical analyses were used to evaluate the structural composition and functional diversity of the soil bacterial communities at different illegal waste dump sites. Results showed that while the litter-free soil was dominated by the phylum Proteobacteria, dumpsite soils were enriched with phylum Actinobacteria, followed by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, Bacteroidetes, and Gemmatimonadetes. Bacterial diversity differed significantly (p > 0.05) between the litter-free and contaminated sites, with each dumpsite having distinct genera that demonstrate the impact of waste type on the bacterial community composition. Genus Nocardioides, a versatile organic and inorganic pollutant-degrading bacteria in the class Actinomycetia, was dominant in the dump site soils, raising the possibility that this genus could serve as a potential biomarker for dump site soil pollution. PICRUSt functional profiling also showed the presence of genes involved in putative degradative pathways in the dump site soils. Furthermore, community-level physiological profile (CLPP) analyses revealed that the dump site soils are habitats to active bacterial communities with significant catabolic and carbon utilization capacity. Overall, this study provides a theoretical insight into the diversity and unique soil bacterial assemblages in illegal dump sites that could encode biotechnologically significant genes for biosynthesis and biodegradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiology of Environmental Waste Management)
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