Bacteriophage-Based Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Biogas Production: Current Evidence and Technological...

Bacteriophages have an important role in shaping bacterial diversity in ecosystems. The same is true for biotechnological processes, where microbiological consortia are used. Cooperation between microorganisms within wastewater treatment or biogas production unquestionably impacts the success of these processes. Therefore, in this review, we discussed the possibilities of using bacteriophages in complex biotechnological setups and tried to answer how far phages can be used in bioprocess engineering and what possibilities are currently available. Potentially, bacteriophages can be applied to wastewater treatment and biogas production in different manners, including their addition at the beginning of the process, at its end, directly to the substrates or the residues. All of these inlet points have certain advantages and disadvantages, which should be considered when phages are involved in the process. Being led by that thought, we also discussed the methods for finding bacteriophages in complex biotechnological processes and describing their activity. We have also discussed the challenges and opportunities that should be addressed with the application of phages in wastewater treatment or biogas production.