Quorum Sensing Energizing Wastewater Biotreatment: Bridging Laboratorial Insights to Full-Scale Engineering

Stricter treatment standards are
forcing traditional biological
wastewater treatment to adopt innovative regulatory strategies. Quorum
sensing (QS) represents the microbial communication mechanism that
coordinates population-level behaviors. It has emerged as a novel
strategy to enhance microbial performance. Currently, most studies
investigate the positive performances of exogenous quorum-sensing
molecules (QSMs) in lab-scale batch bioreactors. However, full-scale
engineering lacks sufficient operational guidance. This Perspective proposes a translational framework to bridge the gap between laboratory
insights and practical application. The following four points are
of great concern: standardized QSM quantification, targeted regulatory
design, operational optimization, and ecological risk assessment.
First, this Perspective elucidates the dose–response
relationship between QSM concentrations and activation thresholds,
subsequently proposing targeted intervention strategies. Then, high-efficiency
regulation requires the development of cost-efficient QSM analogues
and microbial consortia with productive QSM secretion capabilities.
Next, operational strategies must counter the short half-life of the
QSM through pulsed dosing or attenuation suppression. Finally, ecological
assessments should evaluate pathogenicity risks, ecosystem disruption
potential, and the probability of gene transfer. Advancing QS-based
regulatory strategies demands integrated efforts across microbiology,
chemical engineering, and environmental risk science to ensure safe
and effective deployment in wastewater biotreatment.