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Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Wastewater Treatment—Recent Developments in Hazardous Pollutants...
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Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Wastewater Treatment—Recent Developments in Hazardous Pollutants Removal

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1068

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anna Wołowicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Science, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Maria Curie-Sklodowska Square 2, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
Interests: emerging micropollutions; heavy metals; noble metals; dyes; phenols; adsorption; ion exchange; photochemistry; wastewater treatment; removal of inorganic and organic pollution from wastewaters; adsorbents for wastewater treatment; ion exchangers; synthesis and characterization of hybrid adsorbents and composites; environmental protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Monika Wawrzkiewicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Science, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Maria Curie-Sklodowska Square 2, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
Interests: sorption; separation of inorganic and organic compounds; heavy metal ions; dyes; phenols; textile wastewater treatment; chemical modification of synthetic and natural polymers; adsorbents for water treatment; photochemistry; synthesis and characterization of hybrid adsorbents containing biocomponents and composites; environmental protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Industries are significant water consumers and consume about one quarter of the total water produced, resulting in the generation of huge amounts of wastewater, which subsequently affects the environment. As forecasts show, water consumption will continue to increase until 2050, which will cause serious problems regarding access to clean and high-quality drinking water. Industrial wastewater released to the environment may contain various compositions and numerous suspended or dissolved contaminants; therefore, the development of innovative and extremely efficient removal methods is of particular concern.

This Special Issue is dedicated to the discussion and exchange of information pertaining to new, innovative and sustainable wastewater treatment technologies, with particular consideration for textile and metallurgy wastewaters. Therefore, we are pleased to invite you to submit experimental scientific articles, review articles and short communications discussing the latest developments in wastewater treatment technologies for emerging micropollutants. Topics of the papers to be submitted to this Special Issue are defined, but not limited, by the keywords presented.

In this Special Issue, we particularly welcome papers related to the following topics:

- Innovative approaches to industrial wastewater treatment technologies;

- New approaches for treatment methodology;

- Research on various (bio)sorbents for dye and heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions and wastewater;

- Solutions in the field of sustainable development in the context of reducing pollution in wastewater;

- Literature reviews and comparative analyses of available treatment methods.

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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • wastewater treatment
  • industrial wastewater
  • physical methods
  • chemical methods
  • biological methods
  • emerging micropollution
  • dyes
  • heavy metals
  • removal
  • (bio)sorbent
  • ion exchange resin

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2358 KiB  
Article
Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) in Sanitary Landfills in the High Andean Zones of Peru
by Liliana Rodriguez-Cardenas, Yudith Choque-Quispe, Aydeé M. Solano-Reynoso, Diego E. Peralta-Guevara, Yakov F. Carhuarupay-Molleda, Henrry W. Agreda-Cerna, Odilon Correa-Cuba, Ybar G. Palomino-Malpartida, Yovana Flores-Ccorisapra, Delma D. Reynoso-Canicani, Jorge W. Elias-Silupu, Luis H. Tolentino-Geldres and David Choque-Quispe
Molecules 2025, 30(16), 3325; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30163325 - 8 Aug 2025
Viewed by 166
Abstract
Cultural customs often condition solid waste management, especially in developing countries. The decomposition of solid waste depends on climatic conditions and is related to geomorphology and anthropogenic practices. Leachate generated in landfills can migrate superficially and underground, contaminating soils and aquifers. Knowing the [...] Read more.
Cultural customs often condition solid waste management, especially in developing countries. The decomposition of solid waste depends on climatic conditions and is related to geomorphology and anthropogenic practices. Leachate generated in landfills can migrate superficially and underground, contaminating soils and aquifers. Knowing the level of contaminant load in leachate is important for proper solid waste management. However, in the Andean regions of Peru, there is scarce data on the polluting potential of leachates. This research aimed to determine the Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) according to the sub-indexes of organic, inorganic, and heavy metals from landfills in the high Andean regions of Peru. Physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters were evaluated in fresh and retained leachate samples, in both dry and rainy seasons, from two landfills located at around 3000 m of altitude. The results showed high contamination levels, particularly in BOD5, COD, NH3-N, and total coliforms, with high organic and inorganic sub-indexes that affect the LPI, indicating high levels of contamination and posing a potential risk to surrounding ecosystems. It was also found that the high Andean landfills studied have a good-to-high biodegradability. This research contributes essential baseline information for environmental monitoring and supports the need for improved leachate management in high-altitude landfills in Peru and similar Andean contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Wastewater Treatment—Recent Developments in Hazardous Pollutants Removal)
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40 pages, 4663 KiB  
Article
Hetero-Disubstituted Sugarcane Bagasse as an Efficient Bioadsorbent for Cationic Dyes
by Megg Madonyk Cota Elias Carvalho, Liliane Catone Soares, Oscar Fernando Herrera Adarme, Gabriel Max Dias Ferreira, Ranylson Marcello Leal Savedra, Melissa Fabíola Siqueira, Eduardo Ribeiro de Azevedo and Leandro Vinícius Alves Gurgel
Molecules 2025, 30(15), 3163; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30153163 - 29 Jul 2025
Viewed by 343
Abstract
A hetero-disubstituted sugarcane bagasse (HDSB) was prepared by simultaneous one-pot chemical modification of sugarcane bagasse with succinic and phthalic anhydrides. HDSB was used in batch mode for the removal of the cationic dyes auramine-O (AO) and safranin-T (ST) from spiked aqueous solutions. Adsorption [...] Read more.
A hetero-disubstituted sugarcane bagasse (HDSB) was prepared by simultaneous one-pot chemical modification of sugarcane bagasse with succinic and phthalic anhydrides. HDSB was used in batch mode for the removal of the cationic dyes auramine-O (AO) and safranin-T (ST) from spiked aqueous solutions. Adsorption of the dyes in mono- and bicomponent systems was investigated as a function of HDSB dosage, pH, contact time, and initial dye concentration. Maximum adsorption capacities for AO and ST on HDSB, at pH 7.0, were 1.37 mmol g−1 (367.7 mg g−1) and 0.93 mmol g−1 (293.3 mg g−1), respectively. In the bicomponent system, ST was preferentially adsorbed on HDSB, revealing an antagonistic effect of ST on AO adsorption. Changes in the enthalpy of the adsorption as a function of HDSB surface coverage were determined by isothermal titration calorimetry, with ΔadsH° values for AO and ST equal to −22.1 ± 0.3 kJ mol−1 and −23.44 ± 0.01 kJ mol−1, respectively. Under standard conditions, the adsorption of the dyes on HDSB was exergonic and enthalpically driven. Desorption removed ~50% of the adsorbed dyes, and subsequent re-adsorption showed that HDSB could be reused, with non-desorbed dye molecules acting as new binding sites. The interaction between AO and ST with HDSB was elucidated by molecular dynamics simulations with atomistic modeling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Wastewater Treatment—Recent Developments in Hazardous Pollutants Removal)
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28 pages, 4509 KiB  
Article
Activated Biocarbons Based on Salvia officinalis L. Processing Residue as Adsorbents of Pollutants from Drinking Water
by Joanna Koczenasz, Piotr Nowicki, Karina Tokarska and Małgorzata Wiśniewska
Molecules 2025, 30(14), 3037; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30143037 - 19 Jul 2025
Viewed by 347
Abstract
This study presents research on the production of activated biocarbons derived from herbal waste. Sage stems were chemically activated with two activating agents of different chemical natures—H3PO4 and K2CO3—and subjected to two thermal treatment methods: conventional [...] Read more.
This study presents research on the production of activated biocarbons derived from herbal waste. Sage stems were chemically activated with two activating agents of different chemical natures—H3PO4 and K2CO3—and subjected to two thermal treatment methods: conventional and microwave heating. The effect of the activating agent type and heating method on the basic physicochemical properties of the resulting activated biocarbons was investigated. These properties included surface morphology, elemental composition, ash content, pH of aqueous extracts, the content and nature of surface functional groups, points of zero charge, and isoelectric points, as well as the type of porous structure formed. In addition, the potential of the prepared carbonaceous materials as adsorbents of model organic (represented by Triton X-100 and methylene blue) and inorganic (represented by iodine) pollutants was assessed. The influence of the initial adsorbate concentration (5–150 (dye) and 10–800 mg/dm3 (surfactant)), temperature (20–40 °C), and pH (2–10) of the system on the efficiency of contaminant removal from aqueous solutions was evaluated. The adsorption kinetics were also investigated to better understand the rate and mechanism of contaminant uptake by the prepared activated biocarbons. The results showed that materials activated with orthophosphoric acid exhibited a significantly higher sorption capacity for all tested adsorbates compared to their potassium carbonate-activated counterparts. Microwave heating was found to be more effective in promoting the formation of a well-developed specific surface area (471–1151 m2/g) and porous structure (mean pore size 2.17–3.84 nm), which directly enhanced the sorption capacity of both organic and inorganic contaminants. The maximum adsorption capacities for iodine, methylene blue, and Triton X-100 reached the levels of 927.0, 298.4, and 644.3 mg/g, respectively, on the surface of the H3PO4-activated sample obtained by microwave heating. It was confirmed that the heating method used during the activation step plays a key role in determining the physicochemical properties and sorption efficiency of activated biocarbons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Wastewater Treatment—Recent Developments in Hazardous Pollutants Removal)
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