Towards the Circular Economy—Membrane Processes for the Recovery of Water and Nutrients from Wastewater (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the sequel to a previous Special Issue entitled ”Towards the Circular Economy—Membrane Processes for the Recovery of Water and Nutrients from Wastewater”.

Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface. Unfortunately, only about 1% of this resource is freshwater, our source of drinking water.

To meet the needs of the world’s growing population, there should be sufficient water available. Moreover, the current generation should take responsibility for ensuring the future needs of society are met, which constitutes the basis of sustainable development. This requires taking further steps to protect water resources, as well as to recover clean water from wastewater. One of the most promising methods used for recovering water from wastewater are membrane processes. Membranes with different separation properties enable the recovery of high-quality water suitable for consumption and for use in many industries. In addition, membrane processes can be used to recover raw materials (e.g., nutrients, phosphorus), generating a circular economy (CE). Compared to conventional water treatment methods, membrane techniques allow for the production of water of a consistent quality; do not require the use of additional chemicals; and also enable energy savings, continuous separation, and the enlargement of the technological scale of modular systems. The widespread interest in the use of membrane techniques for wastewater treatment has led to the development of methods and materials that can create membranes with improved functional properties, enabling fouling control. When designing modern technological solutions, it is also necessary to manage wastes, including used membranes and the concentrates of filtered liquid components. Thus, circular management and the disposal of waste are strongly recommended in this area.

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the latest advances in the strategies of action for sustainable development within the field of membrane solutions, such as saving water resources and minimizing the release of industrial pollutant emissions into the natural environment.

Potential topics in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Circular economy;
• Water reclamation;
• Nutrient recovery;
• Wastewater treatment;
• Membrane processes;
• New types of membranes;
• Membrane manufacturing;
• Membrane fouling control.

Dr. Anna Kowalik-Klimczak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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