Narrative review synthesizes microbial nature-based solutions for contaminant control
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Key Takeaway
Consider the variable performance and trade-offs of microbial nature-based solutions for contaminant control.
This is a narrative systematic synthesis review focused on microbial-driven nature-based solutions (NbS) for contaminant control in soil, water, and wastewater systems. The authors synthesize that the performance of these solutions for contaminant degradation, transformation, immobilization, or elimination is variable and influenced by microbial diversity, redox processes, and system design. They also note a potential trade-off, where microbial biofilms can act as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes.
The review proposes a decision framework linking environmental sources, microbial mechanisms, platform design, and monitoring indicators to support sustainable and risk-aware implementation. The authors acknowledge several limitations, including challenges related to scalability, long-term performance, ecological risks, and regulatory acceptance.
Practice relevance is restrained, with the framework intended to guide implementation rather than prescribe specific actions. The synthesis does not report specific effect sizes, p-values, or confidence intervals, and the evidence is qualitative. The authors do not report a study population, sample size, or adverse events.
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IntroductionAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) and emerging contaminants (ECs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, microplastics, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pose interconnected threats to environmental and human health. Nature-based solutions (NbS) have emerged as sustainable and cost-effective approaches for mitigating these challenges through ecosystem-driven processes.MethodsThis review follows a PRISMA-guided narrative-systematic synthesis of literature published between 2000 and 2024, using data sources including Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. The analysis integrates evidence on microbial mechanisms, NbS platform performance, and environmental AMR-EC interactions.ResultsThe synthesis highlights that microbial-driven NbS exploit metabolic diversity, functional plasticity, and plant-microbe interactions to degrade, transform, immobilize, or eliminate contaminants in soil, water, and wastewater systems. Advances in microbial ecology, synthetic biology, and omics approaches have enabled the design of functional microbial consortia capable of targeting antibiotic residues, resistance genes, and recalcitrant pollutants. NbS platforms such as constructed wetlands, rhizosphere-based systems, biofilters, and microbial electrochemical technologies demonstrate variable performance influenced by microbial diversity, redox processes, and system design. However, trade-offs exist, including the potential for microbial biofilms to act as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes.DiscussionDespite their potential, microbial-driven NbS face challenges related to scalability, long-term performance, ecological risks, and regulatory acceptance. This review proposes a microbial NbS decision framework linking environmental sources, microbial mechanisms, platform design, and monitoring indicators to support sustainable and risk-aware implementation. Overall, the effectiveness of NbS depends on optimizing microbial functional diversity, system design, and resistance suppression strategies to ensure long-term environmental and public health benefits.
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