Critical Review on Nanomaterials for Enhancing Bioconversion and Bioremediation of Agricultural Wastes and Wastewater

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD), microalgae cultivation, and microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are the major biological processes to convert organic solid wastes and wastewater in the agricultural industry into biofuels, biopower, various biochemical and fertilizer products, and meanwhile, recycle water. Various nanomaterials including nano zero valent irons (nZVIs), metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), carbon-based and multicompound nanomaterials have been studied to improve the economics and environmental sustainability of those biological processes by increasing their conversion efficiency and the quality of products, and minimizing the negative impacts of hazardous materials in the wastes. This review article presented the structures, functionalities and applications of various nanomaterials that have been studied to improve the performance of AD, microalgae cultivation, and MFCs for recycling and valorizing agricultural solid wastes and wastewater. The review also discussed the methods that have been studied to improve the performance of those nanomaterials for their applications in those biological processes.

Can bacteria and carbon-based nanomaterials revolutionize nanoremediation strategies for industrial effluents?

“…The synergistic interactions observed in nanobioremediation processes, as demonstrated by Chen et al (2024), lead to efficient pollutant elimination. Reusing waste from these technologies is crucial for CE sustainability, (Salehi and Wang, 2022;Chen, Liu, and Liu, 2024).…”

“…Shows a cyclical method for treating industrial wastewater using bacteria and carbon nanomaterials. This approach promotes the circular economy by eliminating pollutants, converting waste into biomass, and minimizing environmental damage (Blažina et al 2022;Salehi and Wang 2022;Kumar et al 2023;Zhang et al 2023;Chen et al, 2024;Ezeorba et al 2024;Kaur et al 2024) Frontiers in Nanotechnology frontiersin.org…”

Biosynthesis of high antibacterial silver chloride nanoparticles against Ralstonia solanacearum using spent mushroom substrate extract

“…Agricultural wastes with low cost and renewable characteristics include farm residues, livestock and poultry manure, agricultural processing waste, human manure, household waste, etc. [17]. Agricultural wastes could be extensively used as resource materials in many engineering applications, such as feedstocks for cement production, composting, and raw materials for developing low-dielectric glass ceramics [18][19][20].…”

Algae Derived Carbon from Hydrothermal Liquefaction as Sustainable Carbon Electrode Material for Supercapacitor

“…Along with the bio-crude oil product, it is noteworthy that the HTL processing of biomass also generates a significant amount of solid carbon residue (2-70 wt.% of the total product depending on feedstock) [8]. Up to date, these carbon residue byproducts are mostly being utilized for the purpose of carbon sequestering and wastewater treatment [9][10][11]. In a recent report, Shell et al (2021) utilized the HTL process to develop carbon electrode materials from corn stover and obtained a specific capacitance of 242 F/g at 5 mV/s in the cyclic voltammetry test and an energy density of 9.9 W h/kg in 2 M KOH [12].…”