Olga Sánchez received her PhD degree in biological sciences from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) in 1996. Her research began with the study of the physiology of photosynthetic bacteria and went on to the utilization of complex microbial biofilms in packed reactors for the treatment of contaminated effluents. In 2007 she became an aggregate teacher at the Department of Genetics and Microbiology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and presently, her investigation focuses on the application of molecular techniques for the characterization of the diversity of different natural microbial communities, including marine environments or wastewater treatment systems. These methodologies include clone libraries, FISH (Fluorescence In Situ hybridization), fingerprinting techniques such as DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis), and next-generation sequencing technologies.
This book constitutes an excellent compendium of high-quality scientific articles from various biological treatment processes in wastewater microbiology. Different methodologies, from classical culture methods to diverse molecular technologies including high-throughput sequencing widely used nowadays, are included within the book to give broad information about the diversity and environmental factors affecting microbial communities in different conventional and non-conventional engineered systems. The book represents a definitive and well-selected overview of studies ranging from activated sludge to wastewater treatment plants, zero discharge systems, constructed wetlands or biofilters, providing a clear knowledge of the latest advances in wastewater bioremediation. --Dr. Silvia G. Acinas, Institute of Marine Science (ICM), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain