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Separations
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Electrochemical Separation and Recovery Technology in Wastewater Treatment
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Electrochemical Separation and Recovery Technology in Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Separations".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2026 | Viewed by 1671

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ran Mao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Interests: electrocatalysis; electroreduction; nitrate reduction; advanced oxidation processes; electrochemical water treatment; resource recovery; removal of heavy metal complexes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the pace of industrialization accelerates, the treatment and resource recovery of industrial wastewater have become critical issues for environmental protection and sustainable development. Electrochemical technology, as an efficient and environmentally friendly treatment method, has shown tremendous potential and unique advantages in the field of wastewater management. To further advance the development of electrochemical wastewater treatment technologies, we cordially invite you to participate in the upcoming "Electrochemical Separation and Recovery Technology in Wastewater Treatment" Special Issue. This Special Issue aims to showcase the latest research findings, innovative technologies, and practical applications in this dynamic area.

We invite you to contribute your original research articles and review papers that address topics including, but not limited to, the following: (1) Innovative electrochemical technologies: novel approaches and advancements in electrochemical separation and resource recovery for wastewater treatment, including electrocoagulation, electrodialysis, electrooxidation, and electroreduction. (2) Resource recovery from wastewater: studies on the recovery of valuable materials, energy, and water from industrial and municipal wastewater using electrochemical methods. (3) Environmental impact and sustainability: assessments of the environmental benefits and sustainability of electrochemical wastewater treatment, including life cycle analysis and cost–benefit analysis. (4) Integration with other treatment processes: research on the integration of electrochemical separation processes with other wastewater treatment technologies for enhanced performance and efficiency.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and to featuring cutting-edge research that will drive progress in this important field.

Dr. Ran Mao
Guest Editor

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. Separations is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • electrochemical wastewater treatment
  • resource recovery
  • electrooxidation
  • electroreduction
  • heavy metal complexes
  • nitrate
  • phosphorus
  • electro-Fenton

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 11231 KB  
Article
Resource Recovery from High-Salinity Rare Earth Metallurgy Wastewater by Coupling Electrolysis and Membrane Processes
by Yanxin Xie, Jiuyang Lin, Yinhua Wan, Chao Wang, Kaibo Hu, Wenjing Yuan, Ning Li and Xuewei Li
Separations 2026, 13(5), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13050140 - 2 May 2026
Viewed by 611
Abstract
The treatment of high-salinity wastewater generated from the use of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in rare-earth metallurgy poses significant environmental and resource-recovery challenges. Conventional methods are often economically unfeasible due to their high energy consumption and limited value recovery. To address these limitations, this [...] Read more.
The treatment of high-salinity wastewater generated from the use of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in rare-earth metallurgy poses significant environmental and resource-recovery challenges. Conventional methods are often economically unfeasible due to their high energy consumption and limited value recovery. To address these limitations, this study proposes an innovative integrated electrochemical process designed not only to desalinate the wastewater efficiently but also to valorize it through the simultaneous co-production of NaOH, chlorine (Cl2), and hydrogen (H2). Systematic optimization reveals a critical trade-off between ion transport efficiency and side reactions, with optimal performance achieved at 2 mol L−1 NaCl, 80 mA cm−2 current density, 2 mm electrode spacing, 30 mL min−1 flow rate, and 5000 mg L−1 initial NaOH concentration. The system maintains exceptional long-term stability, sustaining 97.5% Cl− removal over 4410 min of continuous operation without membrane fouling, a key advantage over conventional processes. Validation with authentic rare earth wastewater achieves 90.3% desalination within 5 h. Techno-economic analysis shows that the market value of recovered NaOH nearly offsets the energy cost, achieving near-cost-neutrality. This work establishes electrolysis–membrane coupling as a technically viable and economically attractive strategy for transforming high-salinity industrial waste streams into valuable resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Separation and Recovery Technology in Wastewater Treatment)
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15 pages, 3376 KB  
Article
Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Capacitive Deionization Enabled Through Upcycled Wheat Straw Biochar via Ammonium Ferric Citrate Modification
by Jie Lu, Ping Wen, Jiong Wang, Pin Zhang, Shengyong Liu, Chunyao Qing, Hongge Tao, Yifeng Wu, Sihan Ma and Binglin Chen
Separations 2026, 13(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13010038 - 20 Jan 2026
Viewed by 548
Abstract
Capacitive deionization (CDI) technology represents an emerging and energy-efficient solution for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. To further enhance its sustainability and economic viability, it is very important to develop high-performance electrodes made from low-cost and renewable raw materials. Herein, a new electrode [...] Read more.
Capacitive deionization (CDI) technology represents an emerging and energy-efficient solution for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. To further enhance its sustainability and economic viability, it is very important to develop high-performance electrodes made from low-cost and renewable raw materials. Herein, a new electrode material is introduced; the material was derived from wheat straw and modified via a simple and green process using ammonium ferric citrate (AFC) as a synergistic activator and modifier. The modification of AFC significantly enhanced the physicochemical properties of biochar. At the optimal AFC concentration of 1 mol·L−1, the specific surface area reached 321.27 m2·g−1, with a specific capacitance of 208.19 F·g−1. In the NaCl desalination experiment, the MWC-1.0 electrode exhibited a desalination capacity of 13.62 mg g−1 under the conditions of 1.2 V voltage and 2 mm electrode spacing in an initial solution concentration of 500 mg L−1. After 20 cycles of adsorption/desorption, the deionization capacity of the material was still retained at 90.5% of its initial capacity, demonstrating excellent regeneration performance. This work provides a sustainable method for preparing efficient and stable biochar electrodes, further highlighting its potential application in energy-saving seawater desalination technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrochemical Separation and Recovery Technology in Wastewater Treatment)
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