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 <i>Perspective</i> 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 <i>Perspective</i> 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.