Advances in Nanomaterial-microbe Coupling System for Removal of Emerging Contaminants

Emerging contaminants are characterized by toxicity, environmental durability, and bioaccumulation. How to effectively remove them has attracted tremendous attention in the field of environmental science and engineering. Nanomaterial-microbe coupling systems driven by photo-electrochemistry have high degradation efficiency and low cost by combining the advantages of nanomaterials and microorganisms in pollutant treatment. This review summarizes the recent development of the nanomaterial-microbe system for the removal of emerging contaminants, which is divided into exogenous nanomaterial-microbe and endogenous nanomaterial-microbe. The interaction mechanism of materials and microorganisms is addressed from the particular perspective of extracellular electron transfer and redox reactions, and the advantages and challenges of the pollutants treatment are analyzed. Furthermore, future applications in the degradation of emerging contaminants in environmental fields have been prospected.