Quorum sensing in water and wastewater treatment biofilms

Fixed film processes and activated sludge processes are two main families of wastewater treatment systems which all refer to the heterogeneous microbial communities. Meanwhile, biofilms in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) and biofouling in membrane systems are significant problems in the water and wastewater treatment which reduce the microbial quality of drinking water and limit the development of membrane system respectively. Since biofilms and quorum sensing (QS) as two microbial social behaviors have been inextricably linked, a number of studies have focused on the role of QS signaling and QS inhibition in the processes of water and wastewater treatment, which will help us engineer these biological treatment processes successfully and develop promising approaches for control of microbial adhesion, colonization and biofilm formation. This review gives a summary of recent known QS mechanisms and their role in biofilm formation for different species. Particular attentions are dedicated to the signaling molecules involved in some microbial granulation processes and the potential applications by some of their natural and synthetic analogues in the treatment of membrane biofouling.