Leveraging weak electrical stimulation and artificial intelligence for sustainable microbial dehalogenation in groundwater remediation

Halogenated organic contaminants (HOCs) in groundwater pose a substantial threat to both human health and the environment, necessitating effective remediation strategies. This chapter offers an in-depth exploration and discussion on the effective HOC removal from groundwater, emphasizing on the principles, recent advancements, and promising application prospects of electrode-enhanced microbial reductive dehalogenation (EMRD) technology. The transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in propelling the field of EMRD is also summarized, with an emphasis on its application in groundwater remediation. The chapter delves into the mechanism of weak electric energy intervention to stimulate microbial reductive dehalogenation, discussing electron donors in EMRD process, and elucidating the intricacies of extracellular electron transfer between organohalide-respiring bacteria and electrodes. The discussion extends to EMRD applications for in situ groundwater remediation, exploring biostimulation or bioaugmentation, influencing factors, potential environmental applications, and optimal characteristics. Furthermore, the integration of machine learning models with EMRD processes is explored, discussing the prediction of dehalogenation through quantitative structure-activity relationships and machine learning-based models. Challenges and perspectives in harnessing weak electrical stimulation and AI for sustainable microbial dehalogenation are comprehensively presented, offering insights into future research directions and potential solutions in groundwater remediation.