Emerging Micropollutants in Water and Wastewater: Recent Tendencies, Treatment Options and Perspectives

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2024 | Viewed by 167

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Science, Faculty of Chemistry, Marie Curie-Sklodowska University, Maria Curie-Sklodowska Square 2, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
Interests: sorption; separation; removal; recovery; heavy and noble metals; dyes; phenols; textile wastewaters treatment; ion-exchange resins; synthetic oxide materials; hybrid materials; low-cost adsorbents; environmental protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Science, Faculty of Chemistry, Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
Interests: sorption; separation of inorganic and organic compounds; heavy metal ions; dyes; phenols; textile wastewaters treatment; chemical modification of synthetic and natural polymers; adsorbents for water treatment; hybrid materials; low-cost adsorbents; ion-exchange resins; synthetic oxide materials; photochemistry; environmental protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging micropollutants (EMPs) also called as contaminants of emerging concern are discharged into the environment from a diverse range of sources and are of special concern to scientific researchers around the world. EMPs are synthetic or natural compounds derived from point and nonpoint resources and are characterized by trace amounts usually ranging from μg/L to less than ng/L among different environmental matrices and living organisms. Commonly known groups of EMPs are pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, detergents, stimulants, steroid hormones, trace metals, micro- and nanoplastics, industrial chemicals, pesticides and many other contaminants that might pose possible threats to ecological environments. Although the effects of EMPs in the aquatic environments are not very yet well known, there are clear indications considering their negative impacts on the ecosystem. Toxicity, ability to bioaccumulation and resistance to degradation are the main reasons for their potential risks.

Novel and emerging micropollutants in water or wastewater have made traditional treatment strategies ineffective in meeting environmental standards. The treatment processes of EMPs comprise several approaches such as physico-chemical, biological and advanced oxidation processes. Most of the conventional known wastewater treatment methods are not designed to completely remove EMPs but employ a combination of different treatment methods that can enhance the removal efficiency of emerging micropollutants. The selection of a suitable treatment method depends, among others, on the type of emerging micropollutants present, the contaminated water or wastewater source and the requirements of environment standards. 

This Special Issue aims to encourage researchers working with the questions of emerging micropollutants to publish their scientific articles, reviews or short communications in this area to make progress in the field and in the implementation of practical solutions. Therefore, we are pleased to invite specialists and researchers closely related to this area to cooperate and encourage them to share their knowledge and experience not only in the removal of EMPs but also in their toxicity impacts and migration in the aquatic environments.

This Special Issue of Water will collect the results of the newest research trends, technologies and perspectives in the field of emerging micropollutants removal and will provide the current state of the art in the area.

Dr. Anna Wołowicz
Dr. Monika Wawrzkiewicz
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. Water 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 2600 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 micropollutants (heavy metals; dyes; surfactants; pharmaceuticals; pesticides; hormones; organic compounds; detergents etc.)
  • advanced water treatment
  • membrane processes
  • advanced oxidation processes
  • pollution control
  • wastewater treatment
  • removal strategies
  • adsorption
  • health risk

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

16 pages, 8964 KiB  
Review
Comprehensive Review of Global Perspectives on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Compounds: Occurrence, Fate, and Remediation in Groundwater Systems
by Mohammed Benaafi and Abdullah Bafaqeer
Water 2024, 16(11), 1583; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111583 - 31 May 2024
Abstract
Groundwater contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFASs) has become a growing worldwide environmental issue. The current review comprehensively evaluates the global perspective of PFAS pollution in groundwater. Data from 224 recent research articles covering various land use and source types were reviewed, [...] Read more.
Groundwater contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFASs) has become a growing worldwide environmental issue. The current review comprehensively evaluates the global perspective of PFAS pollution in groundwater. Data from 224 recent research articles covering various land use and source types were reviewed, including industrial facilities, landfills, biosolids applications, and firefighting training sites. The bibliographic analysis shows an exponential increase in publications on PFAS pollution in groundwater in the last five years, with more than 50% coming from the USA, followed by Australia, Canada, China, and Sweden. The recent groundwater PFAS pollution research provides insight into the analytical techniques, absorbing materials, treatment strategies, field tests, and enhanced natural attenuation. Nevertheless, the current review identified significant research gaps in the areas of precursor characterization, subsurface behavior, model validation with field data, and long-term and sustainable solutions. Moreover, a global cross-disciplinary approach is required to reduce and regulate PFASs’ risks to humans and the ecological system. This review presents a case study of PFASs in Saudi Arabian groundwater, revealing elevated levels of PFOA and PFOS and highlighting the need for region-specific studies and remediation strategies. The review results will guide global efforts to protect drinking water supplies from life-threatening contaminants. Full article
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