Recent Advances in Coagulant Technologies and Applications for Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental and Green Processes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2425

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
Interests: coagulation; wastewater treatment; bio-based materials; environmental technologies; water purification

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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Engineering, Electrochemistry, Modeling and Environment, Faculty of Science Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30050, Morocco
Interests: electrochemistry; corrosion inhibition; nanomaterials; catalysis; wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water—the cradle of life—now faces unprecedented pressures from rapid industrialization, urbanization, and climate change. As a cornerstone of modern wastewater treatment, coagulation technologies must evolve beyond conventional approaches to meet the rising demands for water quality, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.

This Special Issue, entitled "Recent Advances in Coagulant Technologies and Applications for Wastewater Treatment", seeks to compile high-quality contributions that address recent progress and emerging trends in the field. We invite original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and case studies covering, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Design and Characterization of Novel Coagulants: Development of new organic, inorganic, hybrid, or bio-based coagulants with improved efficiency, selectivity, and environmental compatibility.
  • Mechanisms and Kinetics of Coagulation–Flocculation: Advances in the fundamental understanding of particle destabilization, floc formation, and settling dynamics under different operational conditions.
  • Process Optimization and Scale-Up: Investigations into operational parameters such as pH, coagulant dosage, mixing intensity, and temperature, aiming to enhance the effectiveness and reliability of coagulation processes.
  • Coupling with Advanced Technologies: Integration of coagulation with membrane processes, electrochemical methods, adsorption, or advanced oxidation for enhanced treatment of complex wastewaters.
  • Environmental and Economic Assessments: Life cycle analysis, environmental impact studies, and techno-economic evaluations of innovative coagulant technologies.
  • Industrial and Municipal Applications: Practical applications and challenges of coagulation in diverse sectors, including textile, food and beverage, mining, and municipal wastewater treatment.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to provide a platform for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to disseminate recent scientific achievements and to foster the development of more sustainable, efficient, and adaptable wastewater treatment systems.

We invite you to submit your contributions and share your valuable insights with the international scientific community.

Dr. Faiçal El Ouadrhiri
Dr. Amal Lahkimi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • coagulation
  • wastewater treatment
  • coagulant technologies
  • novel materials
  • organic coagulants
  • inorganic coagulants
  • bio-based coagulants
  • industrial wastewater
  • environmental impact
  • Design of Experiments (DoE) 
  • Machine Learning (ML) Applications

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

38 pages, 1493 KB  
Review
From Mineral Salts to Smart Hybrids: Coagulation–Flocculation at the Nexus of Water, Energy, and Resources—A Critical Review
by Faiçal El Ouadrhiri, Ebraheem Abdu Musad Saleh and Amal Lahkimi
Processes 2025, 13(11), 3405; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13113405 - 23 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1766
Abstract
Coagulation–flocculation, historically reliant on simple inorganic salts, has evolved into a technically sophisticated process that is central to the removal of turbidity, suspended solids, organic matter, and an expanding array of micropollutants from complex wastewaters. This review synthesizes six decades of research, charting [...] Read more.
Coagulation–flocculation, historically reliant on simple inorganic salts, has evolved into a technically sophisticated process that is central to the removal of turbidity, suspended solids, organic matter, and an expanding array of micropollutants from complex wastewaters. This review synthesizes six decades of research, charting the transition from classical aluminum and iron salts to high-performance polymeric, biosourced, and hybrid coagulants, and examines their comparative efficiency across multiple performance indicators—turbidity removal (>95%), COD/BOD reduction (up to 90%), and heavy metal abatement (>90%). Emphasis is placed on recent innovations, including magnetic composites, bio–mineral hybrids, and functionalized nanostructures, which integrate multiple mechanisms—charge neutralization, sweep flocculation, polymer bridging, and targeted adsorption—within a single formulation. Beyond performance, the review highlights persistent scientific gaps: incomplete understanding of molecular-scale interactions between coagulants and emerging contaminants such as microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and engineered nanoparticles; limited real-time analysis of flocculation kinetics and floc structural evolution; and the absence of predictive, mechanistically grounded models linking influent chemistry, coagulant properties, and operational parameters. Addressing these knowledge gaps is essential for transitioning from empirical dosing strategies to fully optimized, data-driven control. The integration of advanced coagulation into modular treatment trains, coupled with IoT-enabled sensors, zeta potential monitoring, and AI-based control algorithms, offers the potential to create “Coagulation 4.0” systems—adaptive, efficient, and embedded within circular economy frameworks. In this paradigm, treatment objectives extend beyond regulatory compliance to include resource recovery from coagulation sludge (nutrients, rare metals, construction materials) and substantial reductions in chemical and energy footprints. By uniting advances in material science, process engineering, and real-time control, coagulation–flocculation can retain its central role in water treatment while redefining its contribution to sustainability. In the systems envisioned here, every floc becomes both a vehicle for contaminant removal and a functional carrier in the broader water–energy–resource nexus. Full article
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