Emerging Biological Treatment Technologies Providing Sustainable Water Treatment

The speed of technology quickens every year. The inventions and emerging technological breakthroughs of yesterday are now today's standard and serve as the foundation for tomorrow's innovations. The development of advanced biological treatment approaches has led to rapid growth of research interests in this particular field of water treatment. Among various water treatment and recycle technologies, the use of biological agents is quick, cost effective and inherently sustainable when compared with traditional methods. Treatment approaches to be presented include algae based systems, microorganisms for invasive mussel control, and biological based enhanced nutrient removal. In this review, applications of the respective treatment technology will be analyzed with both treatment performance and operational cost data presented providing a basis for estimating the sustainability of each.