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  • Review

Green Materials for Biological Wastewater Treatment: Roles, Applications, and Sustainability Challenges

  • Lijuan Deng 1,   
  • Wenshan Guo 1,   
  • Huiying Zhang 2,   
  • Soon Wong Chang 3,   
  • Dinh Duc Nguyen 3,   
  • Huu Hao Ngo 1,*

Received: 26 Jun 2026 | Revised: 11 Aug 2026 | Accepted: 14 Aug 2026 | Published: 01 Sep 2026

Abstract

Wastewater is produced around the world in amounts that need treatment methods which are both environmentally friendly and affordable. Despite the progress made in existing reviews, comprehensive assessments of biodegradable, non-toxic, widely available, and biocompatible materials for biological wastewater treatment are still lacking. This review focuses on the roles of green materials, such as bio-based, natural, and waste-derived materials, as support media, stimulants, and adsorbents in biological wastewater treatment. It also examines their contributions to pollutant removal efficiency and overall treatment performance. These materials have high porosity, many functional groups, and good surface properties (e.g., specific surface area of biochar, up to 350 m2/g). They can improve microbial or enzymatic immobilization, boost biological activity, and enhance pollutant adsorption and biodegradation. The review also points out the combined benefits of microalgae-bacteria groups for better pollutant removal, reaching approximately 100% removal of sulfamethoxazole. A significant part of this review is its overall assessment of the performance, reusability, and sustainability of various green materials across different biological treatment systems. While some materials, like alginate-based carriers and natural carriers, show good reusability (e.g., reusing light expanded clay aggregate for 19 cycles), others have issues related to stability, saturation, biomass detachment, or possible toxic risks. Overall, green materials have shown great promise for improving the removal of nutrients and micropollutants in biological treatment processes. However, more research is needed to improve the durability, scalability, cost effectiveness, and long-term sustainability of green materials for large-scale applications in pollutant removal and resource recovery. Further studies are also needed to evaluate their economic and environmental sustainability.

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Deng, L.; Guo, W.; Zhang, H.; Chang, S. W.; Nguyen, D. D.; Ngo, H. H. Green Materials for Biological Wastewater Treatment: Roles, Applications, and Sustainability Challenges. Materials for the Environment 2026, 1 (1), 3.
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