Engineering the Loop: Advancing Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Valorization Through Innovative Separation Materials
A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Separation Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editors
Interests: water/wastewater treatment; sewage sludge valorization; physico-chemical characterization of pollutant behavior onto different sorbents
Interests: advanced wastewater treatment; water processes; risk assessment; wastewater resource reclamation; circular economy framework of wastewater
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Wastewater and sludge treatment technologies have advanced significantly as a result of the adoption of the circular economy framework by environmental engineers. One of the most exciting advancements is the use of waste-derived products as innovative, sustainable alternatives to traditional treatment agents. A growing variety of materials are being recovered from industrial, agricultural, and municipal waste streams and used for environmental purposes. These materials include bio-based adsorbents, hydrogels, alginate, extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), etc., and are perfect for eliminating pollutants from wastewater as well as stabilizing sewage sludge due to their exceptional physicochemical qualities, which include high adsorption capabilities, biodegradability, and adjustable structure. These waste-derived products have enormous potential for secondary uses beyond their primary treatment roles. For example, EPSs and PHAs have the potential to be used in the production of biodegradable composites for packaging and in civil engineering sectors, while treated sludge enhanced with functional biopolymers can be used as soil amendments in agriculture. These materials can also help create reactive barriers and sophisticated filtration systems for industrial water treatment. In addition to improving the effectiveness of sludge and water treatment procedures, this all-encompassing strategy aids in sustainable resource recovery, lessens environmental impacts, and fosters the growth of a truly circular economy across a number of industries.
Dr. Anita Leovac Maćerak
Dr. Djurdja V. Kerkez
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- wastewater
- sludge
- circular economy
- anaerobic digestion
- resource recovery
- advanced oxidation processes
- adsorption
- pollutants
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