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Advances in Organic Solid Waste Management and Wastewater Pollution and Prevention

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 7422

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba, Orizaba 94320, Mexico
Interests: anaerobic digestion; wastewater; urban solid waste; biological processes; chemical engineering
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The overexploitation of natural resources, the accelerated population growth, as well as the waste of food or biomass sources throughout the supply chain, generate considerable impacts on the environment that are reflected in the increase in organic solid waste and wastewater from many different sources, such as households, agriculture, agro-industries or processing industries, which ultimately have an impact on public health.

Although efforts are being made around the world to define strategies and technologies to solve these problems, there are still many fronts where innovative solutions involving the scientific community, governments at all levels and the private sector are needed.

The following include some topics that can be addressed in this Special Issue:

Organic Solid Waste Management:

  • Agro-industrial and industrial solid waste management and revalorization;
  • Urban solid waste management and public health;
  • Biorefineries using organic waste;
  • Biotransformation of solid organic waste;
  • Compost;
  • Bioenergy production;
  • Fertilizers;
  • Anaerobic digestion. 

Wastewater pollution and prevention:

  • Anaerobic digestion;
  • Wetlands and constructed wetlands;
  • Eco-friendly green technologies for wastewater;
  • High-rate reactors;
  • Nutrient removal;
  • Industrial effluents;
  • Pharmaceuticals residues and recalcitrant compounds in wastewater;
  • Impact of water pollution on receiving water bodies;
  • Public health implications of wastewater quality.

Prof. Dr. Alejandro Alvarado-Lassman
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2226 KiB  
Article
Medical Household Waste as a Potential Environmental Hazard: An Ecological and Epidemiological Approach
by Adriana Benítez-Rico, Arizbeth Pérez-Martínez, Bryan Isaac Muñóz-López, Laura Martino-Roaro, Jorge Adan Alegría-Baños, Arely Vergara-Castañeda and Alejandro Islas-García
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5366; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075366 - 3 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1660
Abstract
Nowadays, the contamination caused by emerging pollutants is a global concern due to the lack of scientific evidence to demonstrate the risk or toxicity to humans due to the presence of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. This study aimed to identify and describe [...] Read more.
Nowadays, the contamination caused by emerging pollutants is a global concern due to the lack of scientific evidence to demonstrate the risk or toxicity to humans due to the presence of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. This study aimed to identify and describe the disposal practices of unused and unwanted medications, as well as to analyze and identify the most frequent drugs determined on water bodies adjacent to the biggest urban population in Mexico. A two-phase study with an epidemiological and an ecological assessment was performed. The epidemiological phase was carried out with a descriptive cross-sectional study among citizens from Mexico City and the metropolitan area using an electronic survey applied to 719 subjects aimed to assess practices in which pharmaceutical products are disposed. The ecological phase included a review of scientific reports. The results show that nearly 83.5% of those surveyed use inappropriate practices for disposal medicines, the main ones are through the municipal dump or directly in the drain. The ecological approach was carried out by a systematic literature review of original reports published between 2013 to 2023; information about the class of drugs, active substance, environmental compartments, location, and concentration was extracted and presented. Fifty-one different types of pharmaceutical residues were detected in wastewater in Mexico City in the last decade. The results of this study can contribute to the application of public policies for waste management authorities to mitigate the socio-environmental risks due to the inappropriate disposal of medicines. Full article
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12 pages, 2566 KiB  
Article
Impact of Fulvic Acid and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidan Inoculum Amount on the Formation of Secondary Iron Minerals
by Haitao Huang, Kanghui Geng, Chong Wang, Xianhui Wu and Caichun Wei
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4736; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064736 - 8 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1221
Abstract
The catalytic oxidation of Fe2+ by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidan (A. ferrooxidans) and the synthesis of iron sulfate-based secondary minerals is considered to be of great significance to the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). Along these lines, in this work, the [...] Read more.
The catalytic oxidation of Fe2+ by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidan (A. ferrooxidans) and the synthesis of iron sulfate-based secondary minerals is considered to be of great significance to the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). Along these lines, in this work, the shaker experiment was carried out to study the underlying mechanism of the inoculation amount of fulvic acid (FA) and A. ferrooxidans on the synthesis process of secondary minerals. From the acquired results, it was demonstrated that the oxidation rate of Fe2+ increased with the increase in the concentration of fulvic acid in the range of 0.1–0.2 g/L. On top of that, the concentration of fulvic acid in the range of 0.3–0.5 g/L inhibited the activity of A. ferrooxidans. However, A. ferrooxidans retained its activity, and the complete oxidation time of Fe2+ was delayed. When the concentration of fulvic acid was 0.3 g/L, the TFe (total iron) precipitation efficiency was 30.2%. Interestingly, when 0.2 g/L fulvic acid was added to different inoculum systems, the incorporation of a higher inoculum amount of A. ferrooxidans led to an increased oxidation rate. On the contrary, the lower inoculum amount yielded a more obvious effect of the fulvic acid. From the mineralogical characteristics, it was also revealed that a fulvic acid concentration of 0.2 g/L and different inoculation amounts of A. ferrooxidans did not change the mineral facies, whereas pure schwertmannite was obtained. Full article
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13 pages, 1474 KiB  
Article
Methane Production of Sargassum spp. Biomass from the Mexican Caribbean: Solid–Liquid Separation and Component Distribution
by Enrique Salgado-Hernández, Ángel Isauro Ortiz-Ceballos, Sergio Martínez-Hernández, Erik Samuel Rosas-Mendoza, Ana Elena Dorantes-Acosta, Andrea Alvarado-Vallejo and Alejandro Alvarado-Lassman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010219 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2176
Abstract
In the last decade, Sargassum spp. seaweed species have caused massive flooding on the Caribbean Sea coasts. These seaweed species have a high content of recalcitrant compounds, such as insoluble fibers and polyphenols, which generate low methane yields in anaerobic digestion (AD). This [...] Read more.
In the last decade, Sargassum spp. seaweed species have caused massive flooding on the Caribbean Sea coasts. These seaweed species have a high content of recalcitrant compounds, such as insoluble fibers and polyphenols, which generate low methane yields in anaerobic digestion (AD). This study investigated the effect of solid–liquid separation of Sargassum biomass on biodegradability and methane yield. A biochemical methane potential (BMP) test was conducted with both fractions and raw biomass (RB). A mass balance was developed to assess the distribution of the components. The obtained liquid fraction (LF) showed high biodegradability and a high methane production rate, and it generated a methane yield of 159.7 ± 7.1 N L kg VS−1, a value that corresponds to approximately twice that achieved with RB and the solid fraction (SF). The component distribution analysis showed that about 90% of total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), ash, carbon, and cellulose were retained in the SF. In conclusion, the LF had high biodegradability and methane yield. This suggests the potential for LFs of Sargassum biomass to be treated in large-scale high-load reactors; however, studies applied to SFs are needed because they retain a large amount of organic matter with low biodegradability. Full article
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Review

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18 pages, 432 KiB  
Review
Enzymatic Treatments for Biosolids: An Outlook and Recent Trends
by Omar J. Quintero-García, Heilyn Pérez-Soler and Myriam A. Amezcua-Allieri
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4804; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064804 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1502
Abstract
Wastewaters are nutrient-rich organic materials containing significant concentrations of different nutrients, dissolved and particulate matter, microorganisms, solids, heavy metals, and organic pollutants, including aromatic xenobiotics. This variety makes wastewater treatment a technological challenge. As a result of wastewater treatment, biosolids are generated. Biosolids, [...] Read more.
Wastewaters are nutrient-rich organic materials containing significant concentrations of different nutrients, dissolved and particulate matter, microorganisms, solids, heavy metals, and organic pollutants, including aromatic xenobiotics. This variety makes wastewater treatment a technological challenge. As a result of wastewater treatment, biosolids are generated. Biosolids, commonly called sewage sludge, result from treating and processing wastewater residuals. Increased biosolids, or activated sludge, from wastewater treatment is a major environmental and social problem. Therefore, sustainable and energy-efficient wastewater treatment systems must address the water crisis and environmental deterioration. Although research on wastewater has received increasing attention worldwide, the significance of biosolids treatments and valorization is still poorly understood in terms of obtaining value-added products. Hence, in this review, we established some leading technologies (physical, chemical, and biological) for biosolids pretreatment. Later, the research focuses on natural treatment by fungal enzymes to end with lignocellulosic materials and xenobiotic compounds (polyaromatic hydrocarbons) as a carbon source to obtain biobased chemicals. Finally, this review discussed some recent trends and promising renewable resources within the biorefinery approach for bio-waste conversion to value-added by-products. Full article
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