Quorum sensing for carbon-neutral wastewater treatment: Mechanisms, challenges, technological pathways, and future prospects

IF 14.3 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-04-24 DOI:10.1016/j.ese.2026.100701

Wen-Qian Wang , Yong-Mei Wang , Xiao-Chi Feng , How Yong Ng , Nan-Qi Ren

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Abstract

Global climate targets demand a rapid transition to carbon neutrality across all industrial sectors, including wastewater management. Wastewater treatment plants are historically energy-intensive and remain significant sources of potent greenhouse gases, primarily nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄). Recent biological interventions have targeted quorum sensing (QS)—a microbial communication mechanism regulating gene expression and community behavior—to optimize biological treatment efficiency. However, the highly context-dependent and sometimes paradoxical effects of QS on simultaneous greenhouse gas mitigation and energy recovery remain poorly resolved. Here we synthesize recent advancements to show that QS operates as a master biological regulator of both direct emissions and energy consumption in wastewater ecosystems. Evidence indicates that QS distinctly modulates N₂O production through concentration- and signal-dependent pathways, while actively suppressing CH₄ escape and enhancing aerobic granulation to cut aeration energy demands. Furthermore, targeted QS deployment in anaerobic digestion accelerates direct interspecies electron transfer, substantially boosting methane recovery to offset operational energy use. These insights reveal that manipulating microbial social networks presents a viable, albeit complex, biological lever for balancing emission reductions with energy optimization. Ultimately, precision control of QS systems offers a transformative technological pathway for achieving carbon-positive wastewater infrastructure.

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碳中性废水处理的群体感应：机制、挑战、技术途径和未来展望

全球气候目标要求包括废水管理在内的所有工业部门迅速过渡到碳中和。废水处理厂历来是能源密集型的，并且仍然是强效温室气体的重要来源，主要是一氧化二氮（N2O）和甲烷（CH4）。最近的生物干预针对群体感应（quorum sensing， QS）——一种调节基因表达和群落行为的微生物通讯机制——来优化生物处理效率。然而，QS对温室气体减排和能源回收的影响高度依赖于环境，有时是矛盾的，但仍然没有得到很好的解决。在这里，我们综合了最近的进展，表明QS是废水生态系统中直接排放和能源消耗的主要生物调节剂。有证据表明，QS通过浓度依赖性和信号依赖性途径明显调节N2O的产生，同时积极抑制CH4逸出并促进好氧颗粒化以减少曝气能量需求。此外，定向QS在厌氧消化中的部署加速了物种间的直接电子转移，大大提高了甲烷的回收率，以抵消操作能耗。这些见解表明，操纵微生物社会网络提供了一种可行的，尽管复杂的，平衡减排与能源优化的生物杠杆。最终，QS系统的精确控制为实现碳正的废水基础设施提供了一种变革性的技术途径。

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来源期刊

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology Multiple-

CiteScore

20.40

自引率

6.30%

发文量

审稿时长

18 days

期刊介绍： Environmental Science & Ecotechnology (ESE) is an international, open-access journal publishing original research in environmental science, engineering, ecotechnology, and related fields. Authors publishing in ESE can immediately, permanently, and freely share their work. They have license options and retain copyright. Published by Elsevier, ESE is co-organized by the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, and the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, under the supervision of the China Association for Science and Technology.