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Journal of Environmental Engineering >
Volume 136, Issue 4 (April 2010) >
10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000140
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Environmental Biotechnology in Water and Wastewater Treatment: Journ... http://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000140
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Journal of Environmental Engineering
<Previous Article Volume 136, Issue 4 (April 2010) Next Article >
Abstract
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Cited By
Rittmann, B. (2010). Environmental Biotechnology in Water and Wastewater Treatment. J. Environ. Eng.,
136(4), 348353.
INVITED PAPER
Environmental Biotechnology in Water and
Wastewater Treatment
Article History
Submitted: 15 May 2009
Accepted: 23 July 2009
Published: 15 August 2009
Publication Data
ISSN (print): 0733-9372
ISSN (online): 1943-7870
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
Bruce E. Rittmann, M.ASCE
1
1
Regents' Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Center for Environmental
Biotechnology, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State Univ., P.O. Box 875701, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701. E-mail:
rittmann@asu.edu
Abstract
Environmental biotechnology manages microbial communities to provide services to society. The key
services today include detoxifying contaminated water and soil to reclaim lost resources and converting
diffuse energy in biomass to forms easily used by society. Two timely examples are the reduction of oxidized
water contaminants (e.g., nitrate, perchlorate, selenate, and chlorinated solvents) and the production of
methane, hydrogen, and electricity. The key science underlying environmental biotechnology is microbial
ecology, which has advanced rapidly in the past 20 or so years through the proliferation of new
genomics-based techniques to characterize the communities structure and function. The genomic methods
provide detailed information that helps us understand what aspects of the microbial community need to be
managed to ensure that it provides the desired service. Often, we achieve the management goals through
partnering the microorganisms with modern materials and physical/chemical processes. The membrane
biofilm reactor and microbial fuel cells offer excellent examples of exciting new technologies that come
directly from this kind of partnering.
Permalink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000140
ASCE Subject Headings: Biological processes, Ecosystems, Water treatment, Wastewater management
Author keywords: Bioreduction, Bioenergy, Biotechnology, Genomics, Microbial ecology
Introduction
I define environmental biotechnology as managing microbial communities to provide services to society.
Most of the services can be broken into two major categories (Rittmann 2006a):
1.
Microbial communities can detoxify contaminants in water, soils, sediment, and sludge. This allows
society to reclaim their resource value.
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Environmental Biotechnology in Water and Wastewater Treatment: Journ... http://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000140
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