Prof. Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira is an Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB), Brazil. Since 2023, he has been a Permanent Professor in the Graduate Program in Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology at UCB, and since 2014, a collaborator in the Graduate Program in Process Engineering at Tiradentes University (UNIT). He serves on the editorial boards of international journals and advisory boards for various research foundations in Brazil and internationally, including the International Foundation for Science (Sweden) and the National Science Centre (Poland). He has authored over 170 peer-reviewed journal papers, five books, 50 book chapters, and holds 9 patent applications. His current research interests are anaerobic digestion, biocatalysis, nanoparticles, biofuels, ecotoxicology, microbial biotechnology, bioprocess, and drug delivery. He collaborates on research projects with national and international institutions.Ajay Kumar is currently an Assistant Professor at the Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India. He previously served as a Visiting Scientist at the Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel (2018–2022), and completed his doctoral research at the Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, focusing on plant–microbe interactions. Dr. Kumar’s research expertise spans plant–microbe interactions, microbial biocontrol, postharvest fruit disease management, microbial endophytes of medicinal plants, and cyanobacteria–pesticide interactions. He is a prolific author in leading international journals and is also actively engaged in academic editing with major publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, CRC Press, and Wiley. Dr. Kumar currently serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology and BMC Microbiology, a Guest Editor for Microorganisms and Plants (MDPI), and a Series Editor for Plant and Soil Microbiome (Elsevier). Muhammad Bilal is working as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Poland. Previously, he served as an assistant/associate Professor at Poznan University of Technology, Poland, and the School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian, China. He earned his Ph.D. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, specializing in bioengineering and applied biotechnology. His main research activities are oriented to Environmental biotechnology, nanotechnology, enzyme engineering, immobilization, chemical modifications, and industrial applications of microbial enzymes, liquid, and solid waste management. He has authored over 700 peer-reviewed articles, 150 book chapters, 25 edited books. Dr. Bilal is the associate editor of Frontiers in Chemical Engineering and Frontiers in Environmental Science (Frontiers), and an editorial board member for several journals. He was listed as a highly cited researcher (Clarivate) in 2021 and holds several "highly cited papers" in WOS.

• PrefaceLuiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira, Ajay Kumar and Muhammad Bilal1. Antibiotics and hormone residues in wastewater: Occurrence, risks, and its biological, physical and chemical treatmentsRoberta Anjos de Jesus, Gabriela Pereira Barros, Ram Naresh Bharagava, Jiayang Liu, Sikandar I. Mulla, Muhammad Bilal, Lucas Carvalho Basilio Azevedo and Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira2. Occurrence of pesticides in wastewater: Bioremediation approach for environmental safety and its toxicityRoberta Anjos de Jesus, Gabriela Pereira Barros, Ram Naresh Bharagava, Jiayang Liu, Sikandar I. Mulla, Muhammad Bilal, Lucas Carvalho Basilio Azevedo and Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira3. Removal of pharmaceutical compounds from waterMateen Hedar, Iqra Zaman, Muhammad Imran Din, Nazim Hussain, Muhammad Bilal, Azeem Intisar, Adeel Afzal and Muhammad Amin Abid4. Biological solutions for the removal of microplastics from waterMahnoor Amjad, Azeem Intisar, Adeel Afzal, Nazim Hussain and Muhammad Bilal5. Impact of wastewater irrigation on soil attributesVipin Kumar Singh, Rishikesh Singh and Ajay Kumar6. Factors influencing the wastewater treatment process from agro-industrial effluents through microalgae and advanced oxidative processesClara Dourado Fenandes, Gabriela Pereira Barros, Ram Naresh Bharagava, Ajay Kumar, Sikandar I. Mulla, Muhammad Bilal, Lucas Carvalho Basilio Azevedo and Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira7. Contamination of soil and food chain through wastewater applicationPriya Yadav, Rahul Prasad Singh, Rajan Kumar Gupta, Twinkle Pradhan, Amit Raj, Sandeep Kumar Singh, Kaushalendra, Kapil D Pandey and Ajay Kumar8. Advanced biomaterials for the removal of pesticides from waterHafiz Adnan, Adeel Afzal, Azeem Intisar, Mateen Hedar, Nazim Hussain and Muhammad Bilal9. Microalgae mediated wastewater treatment and its production for biofuels and bioproductsSandeep Kumar Singh, Livleen Shukla, Rahul Prasad Singh, Priya Yadav and Ajay Kumar10. Beneficial and negative impacts of wastewater for sustainable agricultural irrigation: Current knowledge and future perspectivesPriya Yadav, Rahul Prasad Singh, Rajan Kumar Gupta, Sandeep Kumar Singh, Hariom Verma, Prashant Kumar Singh, Kaushalendra, Kapil D. Pandey and Ajay Kumar11. Immobilized enzyme systems for wastewater treatmentMateen Hedar, Azeem Intisar, Nazim Hussain and Muhammad Bilal12. Microbial remediation of emerging pollutants from wastewaterArooj Ramzan, Vaneeza Aiman, Azeem Intisar, Adeel Afzal, Tajamal Hussain, Muhammad Amin Abid, Nazim Hussain and Muhammad Bilal13. Utilization of constructed wetlands for dye removal: A concise reviewFidelis Odedishemi Ajibade, Oluwaseyi Aderemi Ajala, Hailu Demissie, Kayode Hassan Lasisi, Temitope Fausat Ajibade, Adelodun Bashir, Pankaj Kumar, Nathaniel Azubuike Nwogwu, Adedamola Oluwafemi Ojo, Olawale Olugbenga Olanrewaju and James Rotimi Adewumi14. Pathogenic microbes in wastewater: Identification and characterizationRahul Prasad Singh, Priya Yadav, Rajan Kumar Gupta, Sandeep Kumar Singh, Hariom Verma, Prashant Kumar Singh, Kaushalendra, Kapil D. Pandey and Ajay Kumar15. Tidal coastal wetlands for wastewater managementKayode Hassan Lasisi, Fidelis Odedishemi Ajibade, Temitope Ezekiel Idowu, Temitope Fausat Ajibade, Adelodun Bashir, Adedamola Oluwafemi Ojo, Olaolu George Fadugba, Olawale Olugbenga Olanrewaju and James Rotimi Adewumi16. Mechanistic approaches and factors regulating microalgae mediated heavy metal remediation from the aquatic ecosystemKapil D. Pandey, Sandeep Kumar Singh, Livleen Shukla, Vineet Kumar Rai, Rahul Prasad Singh, Priya Yadav, Rajan Kumar Gupta, Prashant Kumar Singh, Kaushalendra and Ajay Kumar17. Metal organic frameworks-carbon based nanocomposites for environmental sensing and catalytic applicationsMuhammad Tuoqeer Anwar, Muhammad Rehman Asghar, Arslan Ahmed, Shagufta Fareed and Hasan Izhar Khan