Progress in Biosorption, Membrane Separation, and Advanced Oxidation Processes for Sustainable Water and Wastewater Treatment

Dear Colleagues,

The growing complexity of environmental pollution, caused by a wide range of organic and inorganic contaminants, is a major challenge on the road to achieving sustainable water treatment and efficient resource recovery. This Special Issue, “Progress in Biosorption, Membrane Separation, and Advanced Oxidation Processes for Sustainable Water and Wastewater Treatment”, offers a platform for recent advances in the areas of adsorption/biosorption, membrane separation, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and hybrid processes targeting both traditional and emerging pollutants. In this Special Issue, we invite contributions in the form of studies that deepen our understanding of adsorption, separation, and oxidation mechanisms, introduce cutting-edge materials, or present treatment strategies that contribute to the circular economy and resource recovery goals.

Key topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• Development and characterization of novel adsorbents/biosorbents, including functionalized biopolymers, agricultural waste-derived biochars and hydrochars, engineered nanomaterials, waste sludge and other biosolids as sustainable precursors for sorbent production; mechanistic studies on the adsorption/biosorption of organic micropollutants, dyes, and heavy metals, with an emphasis on kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics.
• Membrane technologies, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration for wastewater treatment; emphasis is placed on the development of novel membrane materials, surface modifications to enhance selectivity, permeability, and fouling resistance; studies addressing membrane fouling mechanisms, cleaning strategies, energy efficiency, and process optimization are also highly relevant.
• Contributions addressing novel activation strategies (photo-, electro-, sono-, or persulfate-based systems), green and low-cost catalyst development, and integrated or hybrid AOP configurations that enhance pollutant removal efficiency and energy performance. Studies exploring mechanistic insights, process optimization, and toxicity reduction are also among the topics of interest.
• Studies on hybrid and integrated treatment approaches that combine adsorption, biosorption, membrane separation, and advanced oxidation processes.
• Life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis, and environmental impact studies to bridge knowledge gaps and guide real-world implementation.

This Special Issue welcomes interdisciplinary research, including original research and review articles that connect basic science with engineering applications. Manuscripts offering novel insights into material design, process optimization, or innovative combinations of adsorption, biosorption, and advanced oxidation technologies are highly encouraged.

Dr. Dragana Lukić
Dr. Vesna M. Vasić
Dr. Sanja Panić
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. Processes 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 2400 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.