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Emerging Pollutants in Environment: Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Governance

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 6903

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Masoom Raza Siddiqui

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Guest Editor

Advanced Materials Research Chair, Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Interests: environmental pollutants, their determination and removal; instrumental analysis of environmental and food samples; preparation of low-cost adsorbents and their application in the preparation of solid-phase extraction columns; waste water treatment and adsorption studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Mohd Rafatullah

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Guest Editor

School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Interests: environmental water pollutants and their safe removal; preparation of various nano-materials to protect the environment; water and wastewater treatment; adsorption and ion exchange; microbial fuel cells; advance oxidation process; activated carbons and their electrochemical properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The whole world affected by pollution issues in which different class of pollutants affect human health in different ways. Some pollutants have been studied intensively and have proper guidelines for their risk assessment, monitoring and proper disposal. However, pollutants are not limited to chemical pollutants, personal care products and pathogens, and there is limited information regarding certain biotoxins. Such pollutants are categorized as emerging pollutants. The more studies that are carried out regarding such pollutants, the more information that will be available for their governance.

This Special Issue's main objective is to highlight the most cutting-edge water and wastewater treatment methods, as well as current and future technology for water value enhancement and protection against established and novel contaminants.

Recent advancements in all areas of the analysis of contaminants in the environment in terms of their risk assessment, monitoring and governance are covered in this Special Issue. All environmentalist and scientific researchers are cordially welcome to submit cutting-edge reviews, viewpoints, and research publications. The topics of the papers to be submitted to this Special Issue are defined by the keywords presented below.

Prof. Dr. Masoom Raza Siddiqui
Dr. Mohd Rafatullah
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

emerging pollutants
pharmaceutical pollutants
personal care products
biotoxins
nanomaterials
pathogens
pollutants removal
adsorption
analytical methods

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4002 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Hydraulics–Water Quality–Bloom–Aquatic Habitat Using an Integrated Chain Modeling and Artificial Intelligence Technique in the Yeongsan River

by Byungwoong Choi, Jonghwan Park, Tae-Woo Kang, Don-Woo Ha, Seong-Yun Hwang, Won-Seok Lee, Eunhye Na and Jiyeon Choi

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16355; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316355 - 28 Nov 2023

Viewed by 723

Abstract

This study utilized the Delft3D and HABITAT models to investigate the impact of environmental changes resulting from various weir operation scenarios on aquatic habitats and ecosystem health. The weirs were configured to operate with their sluice gates either fully or partially open. The Delft3D model effectively predicted the dominance of diatoms and green algae due to physicochemical changes in weir operation, replicating adaptive processes such as algal growth, competition, and succession. The model indicated a transition to diatom dominance when weirs were fully open and green algae became abundant. The analysis of aquatic ecosystem health in this study, focusing on habitat changes using the HABITAT model, revealed an improvement in aquatic ecosystem health by one level, even with a single weir sluice gate fully open. Furthermore, the utilization of all input variables in the prediction of algae, through the application of artificial intelligence technology, considerably improved prediction accuracy when compared with selectively employing variables with high correlations to changes in chlorophyll-a concentration. These findings underscore the significance of considering various weir operation scenarios and employing advanced modeling techniques to effectively manage and maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems in the face of environmental changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pollutants in Environment: Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Governance)

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16 pages, 2955 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vermicompost: An Eco-Friendly and Cost-Effective Alternative for Sustainable Agriculture

by Rajesh Babu Katiyar, Suresh Sundaramurthy, Anil Kumar Sharma, Suresh Arisutha, Anubhav Pratap-Singh, Satyam Mishra, Rashid Ayub, Byong-Hun Jeon and Moonis Ali Khan

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14701; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014701 - 10 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2444

Abstract

Vermicomposting emerges as an eco-friendly solution to manage a blend of agricultural residues and digested biogas slurry (DBS). This research probes the influence of two specific earthworm species, Eisenia fetida and Eugilius euganiae, on the composting dynamics of agro-residues and DBS. Moreover, it gauges their consequential impact on the growth of chili and brinjal plants. The research was conducted at the Sharda Vihar Campus in Bhopal. Several process variables, such as pH, salinity, moisture levels, temperature, carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), presence of pathogens, and monoculture trends, were assessed for their influence on vermicompost yield and its effect on chili and brinjal growth. Intriguingly, reactors employing E. fetida exhibited a vermicast recovery rate of 89.7%, whereas those utilizing E. eugeniae achieved 68.2% recovery, especially with an earthworm density of 125 individuals per liter. Notably, the derived NPK values from various composted and vermicomposted materials ranged from 1.5 to 1.7% for N, 0.98 to 1.19% for P, and 1.1 to 1.49% for K. This suggests its viability as both a fertilizer and soil enhancer. The E. fetida vermicompost-enriched soil notably boosted the yield of chili and brinjal. Overall, these insights highlight vermicomposting’s dual utility in waste management and augmenting bioresources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pollutants in Environment: Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Governance)

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18 pages, 8418 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterizations of Fe-Doped NiO Nanoparticles and Their Potential Photocatalytic Dye Degradation Activities

by S. Minisha, J. Johnson, Saikh Mohammad Wabaidur, Jeetendra Kumar Gupta, Sikandar Aftab, Masoom Raza Siddiqui and Wen-Cheng Lai

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14552; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914552 - 7 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1543

Abstract

Recently, the preparation of smart multifunctional hybrid nanoparticles has captured significant interest in versatile areas, including medicine, environment, and food, due to their enhanced physicochemical properties. The present study focuses on the synthesis of Fe-doped NiO nanoparticles by the coprecipitation method using the sources of nickel (II) acetate tetrahydrate and iron (III) nitrate nonahydrate. The prepared Fe-doped NiO nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photon spectroscopic analysis. The XRD results clearly confirm the face-centered cubic structure and polycrystalline nature of the synthesized Fe-NiO nanoparticles. The Tauc plot analysis revealed that the bandgap energy of the Fe-doped NiO nanoparticles decreased with the increasing concentration of the Fe dopant from 2% to 8%. The XPS analysis of the samples exhibited the existence of elements, including Fe, Ni, and O, with the absence of any surplus compounds. The FE-SEM and TEM analyses proved the formation of nanostructured Fe-NiO with few spherical and mostly unevenly shaped particles. Further, the photocatalytic efficiency of the prepared Fe-doped NiO nanoparticles were identified by using the cationic dye rhodamine B (Rh-B). The photocatalytic results proved the 8% of Fe doped with NiO nanoparticles achieved 99% of Rh-B degradation within 40 min of visible-light irradiation. Hence, the results of the present study exemplified the Fe-doped NiO nanoparticles have acted as a noticeable photocatalyst to degrade the Rh-B dye. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pollutants in Environment: Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Governance)

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24 pages, 2412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Engineering and Process Parameters for Vermicomposting

by Rajesh Babu Katiyar, Suresh Sundaramurthy, Anil Kumar Sharma, Suresh Arisutha, Moonis Ali Khan and Mika Sillanpää

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8090; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108090 - 16 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1492

Abstract

Urbanization and population rise considerably increase the generation of solid wastes. The recycling of solid wastes through vermicomposting is a sustainable approach. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of earthworm (Eisenia fetida and Eugilius euganiae)-processed/mixed solid waste manure (vermicompost) on the development, productivity, and chemical characteristics of chili and brinjal in different wooden reactors (R). A mixture of palash leaf litter, biogas slurry, food wastes from a hostel kitchen and households, and municipal solid waste (MSW) were used during the study. The effects of different reactors; process parameters; earthworm cultures, such as R1–R9 with different widths and lengths at a constant height (30 cm); pH, salt, and moisture content; temperature; C:N ratios; N, P, K, and pathogen content; and the type of mono/-polyculture on vermicompost were tested with respect to chili and brinjal production. The average net increase in the worms’ zoomass in reactor R1 at different mixed worm densities (E. fetida + E. eugeniae) under optimum conditions was observed. Compared to a monoculture reactor, the yield of both chili and brinjal were significantly greater in the polyculture reactor with vermicompost soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pollutants in Environment: Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Governance)

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