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1. Contribution of wastewater- versus non-wastewater-derived sources to haloacetonitriles formation potential in a wastewater-impacted river

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148355  

   Khorasani, Hamed; Xu, Jiale; Nguyen, Thuy; Kralles, Zachary; Westerhoff, Paul; Dai, Ning; Zhu, Zhenduo (October 2021, Science of The Total Environment)

   null (Ed.)
2. Concentrating Ammonia from Wastewater with Electrodialysis

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00721  

   Choi, Hyuck Joo; Tahmid, Mohammed; Mondal, Spandan; Hatzell, Marta C (September 2025, ACS ES&T Water)
3. Wastewater surveillance for infectious disease preparedness

   https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-040-10923  

   Gaardbo_Kuhn, Katrin (January 2023, Open Access Government)

   Wastewater surveillance for infectious disease preparednessThe University of Oklahoma Wastewater Based Epidemiology (OU WBE) team highlights successes from their three years of wastewater surveillance in Oklahoma & how this surveillance approach can be used as next-level monitoring for infectious disease preparedness. The OU WBE team, founded by Bradley Stevenson, Jason Vogel, and Katrin Gaardbo Kuhn in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Summer 2020, has expanded to one of the most extensive wastewater monitoring networks in the world with a team that has included over 50 faculty, students and staff. In a paper published in 1942, Drs. James Trask and John Paul described a study to detect poliovirus in wastewater samples collected in New York and New Haven. They concluded, “It is likely that the periodic sampling of sewage for pathogenic viruses or bacteria may be a method of epidemiological value”. (1) Since then, wastewater surveillance has been used to detect sporadic outbreaks or clusters of various infectious pathogens, reaching new levels of routine utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic.(2) 

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4. Extremophilic Exopolysaccharides: Biotechnologies and Wastewater Remediation

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.721365  

   Banerjee, Aparna; Sarkar, Shrabana; Govil, Tanvi; González-Faune, Patricio; Cabrera-Barjas, Gustavo; Bandopadhyay, Rajib; Salem, David R.; Sani, Rajesh K. (August 2021, Frontiers in Microbiology)

   Various microorganisms thrive under extreme environments, like hot springs, hydrothermal vents, deep marine ecosystems, hyperacid lakes, acid mine drainage, high UV exposure, and more. To survive against the deleterious effect of these extreme circumstances, they form a network of biofilm where exopolysaccharides (EPSs) comprise a substantial part. The EPSs are often polyanionic due to different functional groups in their structural backbone, including uronic acids, sulfated units, and phosphate groups. Altogether, these chemical groups provide EPSs with a negative charge allowing them to (a) act as ligands toward dissolved cations as well as trace, and toxic metals; (b) be tolerant to the presence of salts, surfactants, and alpha-hydroxyl acids; and (c) interface the solubilization of hydrocarbons. Owing to their unique structural and functional characteristics, EPSs are anticipated to be utilized industrially to remediation of metals, crude oil, and hydrocarbons from contaminated wastewaters, mines, and oil spills. The biotechnological advantages of extremophilic EPSs are more diverse than traditional biopolymers. The present review aims at discussing the mechanisms and strategies for using EPSs from extremophiles in industries and environment bioremediation. Additionally, the potential of EPSs as fascinating biomaterials to mediate biogenic nanoparticles synthesis and treat multicomponent water contaminants is discussed. 

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5. Algal Biomaterials From Recycled Wastewater Biomass

   https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20250915  

   Wexler, Helen E; Dunitz, Madison I; Kellersztein, Israel; Stephen, Anthony R; Li, Kai; Brechtl, Jamieson M; Blackwell, Shelley; Lundquist, Tryg; Orphan, Victoria; Saigal, Anil; et al (April 2026, Journal of Polymer Science)

   ABSTRACT Fabricating high‐performance, binder‐free biomaterials from microalgae grown during wastewater treatment is an opportunity in sustainable materials. However, the impact of strain morphology and mechanical preprocessing on material properties remains largely uncharacterized. This study investigates binder‐free biomaterials fabricated from wastewater‐grown, filamentousTribonema minusand food‐grade, unicellularChlorella vulgaris. The impact of three mechanical comminution methods (ball mill, mortar‐and‐pestle, and speed mixer) on the mechanical properties is evaluated. The results demonstrate that feedstock morphology and processing are critical, interacting factors. Under gentle comminution (mortar‐and‐pestle), filamentousTribonemabiomaterials exhibit significantly higher flexural modulus and strength than unicellularChlorella. Conversely, high‐shear speed mixing diminishesTribonema's structural advantage while enhancingChlorella's particle packing, leading to a convergence in mechanical properties. All final biomaterials exhibit near‐hydrophobic surfaces (contact angles > 85°). This research validates that non‐food‐competing wastewater algae can be transformed into high‐performance biomaterials, yielding materials with densities of ≈1.0–1.1 g/cm³and flexural moduli ranging from ≈0.3 to 1.0 GPa. 

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