REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbiotechnology
This article is part of the Research TopicMonitoring and Biodegradation of Emerging ContaminantsView all articles
Sustainable Strategies for Hospital Wastewater Treatment: Bioremediation, Phytoremediation, and Hybrid Approaches for Emerging Pollutants
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shobhit University, Meerut, India
- 2Hogskolan i Boras Akademin for textil teknik och ekonomi, Borås, Sweden
- 3Hogskolan i Boras, Borås, Sweden
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Hospital wastewater (HWW) is a complex matrix of pharmaceutical residues, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), pathogens, and emerging contaminants that threaten public health and ecosystems. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) often fail to eliminate persistent compounds like carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole, contributing to antimicrobial resistance and environmental toxicity. This review explores advanced treatment strategies with a focus on bioremediation and phytoremediation. Microbial approaches using bacteria, fungi, algae such as Labrys portucalensis, Trametes versicolor, and Chlorella vulgaris demonstrate degradation of pharmaceuticals and ARGs. Similarly, phytoremediation with species like Typha angustifolia and Vetiveria zizanioides supports on-site through rhizospheric uptake. Integrated systems combining membrane bioreactors (MBRs), advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), constructed wetlands (CWs), and microbial consortia offer enhanced removal efficiency and ARG reduction. While hybrid systems show strong potential, they face challenges such as high costs, difficulties in large-scale application, and limited regulation. Overall, this review highlights how integrating biological and technological methods provides a practical and sustainable path forward for treating hospital wastewater (HWW) and reducing its environmental and health impacts. A multidisciplinary, globally coordinated approach is essential for sustainable HWW management.
Keywords: Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), bioremediation, emerging pollutants, Hospital wastewater (HWW), microbial degradation, Pharmaceutical contaminants, Phytoremediation
Received: 22 Sep 2025; Accepted: 19 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sharma, Prakash and Agnihotri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Divya Prakash
Swarnima Agnihotri
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