Advances in Wastewater and Solid Waste Treatment Processes

Dear Colleagues,

Mankind is currently facing urgent challenges in meeting rising demands for clean water as the available supplies of freshwater are decreasing due to population growth and extended water pollution. This also includes inadequate water treatment infrastructure due to global climate change and increasing consumption of ultrahigh-quality water from various modern and sophisticated industrial branches. The protection of water treatment systems against potential chemical and biological contamination, in the time of increasing diversity, is also becoming a critical issue in water resources planning. Environmental requirements are becoming of great importance in today´s society, since there is an increased interest in the industrial use of renewable resources. Biomimetics and bioinspiration is one of the most progressive, recently developed sciences, which deals with nature and living systems in order to provide sustainable life for future generations. With a more complex insight into living  organisms and an understanding of their functions, the ability to mimic nature has increased dramatically over several decades and, thus, nature-driven solutions have  brought technological progress to a higher level. Nevertheless, the above-mentioned discipline offers then a substantial scientific portfolio for the development of current material chemistry, specifically for novel nanoscale adsorbent synthesis. It is supposed that basic constructional processes of matter like biomineralisation, biomimetics, supramolecular preorganisation or interfacial molecular recognition (templating), and other recent techniques and new advanced nanomaterials contribute to a certain portfolio for potential Green Synthesis or Processing of the future. Moreover, there is a gradual insistence that clean industrial production, water reuse and solid waste recycling can provide sustainable living for the next generations.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management can be defined as the discipline associated with the generation, storage, collection, transfer, processing, and disposal of MSW, in a way which is governed by the best principles of public health, economics, engineering, aesthetics, and other environmental considerations. Waste utilization management is explored in the context of the dominant principle of the circular economy: waste should be processed into secondary resources, reducing environmental risks. It is emphasized that separate waste collection is an important condition for creating a responsible "garbage culture" in society. Secondary methods (recycling) are the next stage, with mechanical, chemical, and thermal techniques used on the waste for processing in order to obtain an usable end result.

The main objective of the contributions for this Special Issue of Processes is to provide a view of the state of the art and the future prospects of Green Synthesis (Processing), with special emphasis on environmentally friendly, biocompatible nanoadsorbents and using natural renewable products or resources in order to support their valorization in environmental protection and sustainable development.

Prof. Dr. Eva Chmielewská
Prof. Dr. Craig Williams
Guest Editors

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• bioinspiration and biomimetics
• sustainable life
• reuse and recycling of water and human goods
• green processing
• nanomaterials
• circular economy