Bacteriophage as Biotechnological Tools to Improve the Effectiveness of Anaerobic Digestion Process

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serve as habitats for diverse and densely populated bacterial communities, fostering intricate microbial interactions. Conventional treatment methods employed often fail to completely eliminate pathogens. Consequently, inadequate chemical treatments lead to the eventual release of waterborne bacterial pathogens into the environment through effluent water. Anaerobic digestion represents a biological treatment approach for organic waste and wastewater, providing cost-reduction benefits and enabling energy generation through biogas production from organic waste. However, the role of viruses-host interactions in anaerobic digestion and their effects on biological wastewater treatment (WWT) has been lacking and requires further research and attention. Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that target specific bacteria, are abundant within WWTPs and engage in diverse interactions with their host organisms. Also, there are reports indicating the presence of archaeal viruses capable of impacting crucial methanogenic organisms in anaerobic digestion, alongside phages. Despite their apparent lack of discernible metabolic functions, viral community have significant potential to influence WWT by shaping the structure of microbial communities, thereby impacting the efficiency of the processes. This chapter aims to explore the influence of reported viral communities, especially phages on shaping microbial communities; elucidate the dynamics and limitations of phage-host relationships; and evaluate their potential as biological tools for enhancing the anaerobic digestion process in WWT.