Membrane Technology in a Circular Economy

Dear Colleagues,

In our current linear economy, which follows a “take‒make‒use‒dispose” model, raw materials are collected and produced into products and are then thrown away after use as waste. This model prioritizes profitabitability and is unsustainable. A more sustainable alternative approach is the circular economy model, where the cycles for raw materials are closed, leaving as little an ecological footprint and environmental impact as possible. Thus, a shift from the conventional linear economy into a circular economy is of urgent necessity. The role of membrane technology has grown in importance in the last few decades for many applications such as in water and wastewater treatment, desalination, gas and particle separation, pollution remediation, resource recovery, biomedical field, water‒energy nexus, etc. This is mainly due to its more efficient process and cost-effectiveness over conventional techniques. The increasing use of membrane processes in many areas has catapulted membrane technology as an important driver toward a more sustainable society. Thus, membrane technology will play a critical role in achieving a circular economy.

This Special Issue aims to provide the latest advances in the use and development of membrane technology for separation, purification, and resource recovery processes from various sources toward sustainable production, value preservation, and eco-effectiveness of the system in a circular economy way. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics related to the role and use of membranes in:

• Resource and nutrient recovery from waste;
• Environmental pollution (water, wastewater, air);
• Water and wastewater treatment;
• Desalination;
• Membrane fabrication;
• Urine treatment;
• Gas and CO₂ separation;
• Climate change: impacts mitigation and adaptation;
• Water‒energy‒food nexus;
• Membrane processes.

Prof. Dr. Leonard Tijing
Dr. Youngwoo Choo
Dr. Sherub Phuntsho
Prof. Dr. Hokyong Shon
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Membranes 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 2200 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.