Phage bioaugmentation reveals the potential of lysogeny for soil bioremediation

Pollution of natural ecosystems is a global concern, with industrialisation contaminating millions of soil and water sites. These contaminants threaten human health, agricultural productivity, and ecological balance. Traditional bioaugmentation strategies, while cost-effective and sustainable, face challenges including slow degradation rates and environmental constraints on microbial efficacy. This mini review examines phage bioaugmentation, which uses bacteriophages to enhance microbial pollutant degradation and support a circular economy. We focus on lysogenic phages that integrate auxiliary metabolic genes into bacterial hosts to improve degradation capacity, synthesise current knowledge, identify challenges, and propose a conceptual workflow for implementation.