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Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Recycling
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Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Recycling

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 5497

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cristina-Gabriela Grigoraș

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacău, Calea Mărășești 157, 600115 Bacău, Romania
Interests: adsorbent materials preparation; characterization; gels formulation; water pollutants adsorption; food waste valorization; bioactive compounds extraction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Andrei Ionut Simion

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food and Chemical Engineering, “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacau, 600115 Bacau, Romania
Interests: wastewater treatment; water pollutants adsorption; design of food and chemical engineering processes; mathematical modeling and optimization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As human activities, industrialization, pick-up speed, and water contamination with a whole panoply of persistent compounds (e.g., pharmaceuticals, dyes, pesticides, heavy metals, etc.) are becoming a foremost concern. Even at a reduced concentration, due to their severe toxicity to biological amplification and accumulation, these contaminants are considered serious hazards. Prevalent methods for eliminating pollutants from water continue to require excessive energy and chemical consumption, simultaneously leading to secondary contamination, while the treatment often remains incomplete. Many environmental scientists are now primarily focused on making wastewater management both safe and effective in order to successfully treat and recycle the wastewater, mitigate the harmful effects of water pollutants, and assist in preserving freshwater resources.

This Special Issue aims to make available the opportunity to share the most recent investigations and results from the field of safe and effective wastewater management. Outcomes successfully applicable to the treatment and recycling of wastewater, mitigating the harmful effects of water pollutants and preserving freshwater resources, are expected.

We kindly invite willing authors to submit research articles, reviews, case studies, etc., with ground-breaking approaches focusing on (but not limited to) the following areas:

  • industrial waste recycling in view of the use of wastewater treatment;
  • preparation of cutting-edge materials and their application for water decontamination;
  • development of new and affordable technologies capable of removing water pollutants;
  • implementation of eco-friendly practices and methodologies in wastewater depollution;
  • design, optimization, and evaluation of sustainable wastewater treatment processes.

Contributions that are innovative and respectful of the environmental paradigm, particularly those highlighting chemical, biological, or physical processes (advanced oxidation processes, ozonation, electrochemical methods, coagulation, flocculation, adsorption, bioremediation, etc.), are also welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Cristina-Gabriela Grigoraș
Dr. Andrei Ionut Simion
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. Sustainability 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.

Keywords

  • emerging persistent water pollutants
  • wastewater decontamination
  • sustainable water management
  • industrial waste revalorization
  • added value products
  • process optimization
  • sustainable environmental applications

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5449 KB  
Article
Ferrate(VI) as a Greener Alternative to Conventional Advanced Oxidation Processes for Acetaminophen Removal in Wastewater
by Alicia Checa-Fernandez, Giovanni Scaggiante, Daniela Zingaretti and Renato Baciocchi
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 4729; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104729 - 9 May 2026
Viewed by 963
Abstract
Ferrate(VI) has increasingly been proposed as an environmentally friendly oxidant due to its high reactivity and the relatively low toxicity of its by-products. However, its performance in degrading emerging pollutants (EPs) has not been systematically compared with conventional systems. This study presents a [...] Read more.
Ferrate(VI) has increasingly been proposed as an environmentally friendly oxidant due to its high reactivity and the relatively low toxicity of its by-products. However, its performance in degrading emerging pollutants (EPs) has not been systematically compared with conventional systems. This study presents a novel comparative assessment of three oxidation systems for the degradation of acetaminophen (APAP): (i) Fe0-activated hydrogen peroxide (HP), (ii) Fe0-activated persulfate (PS), and (iii) a commercial ferrate(VI)-based product, Envifer® (Fe(VI)). Optimal conditions were determined based on degradation kinetics, pH dependence, and oxidant stability. Oxidant systems were then evaluated in realistic matrices, including tap water and synthetic wastewater. When UP water was used, the HP/Fe0 system achieved the highest APAP mineralization (i.e., 66%) with 1 mM of oxidant dosage, and PS/Fe0 was shown to be effective without pH adjustment. Nevertheless, these heterogeneous systems presented serious limitations when applied in more complex matrices. Fe(VI) instead achieved a rapid APAP degradation even in the presence of carbonates and natural organic matter without pH adjustment. This represents a key advantage over HP- and PS-based systems, enabling simpler implementation and lower chemical demand. Furthermore, Fe(VI) resulted in lower dissolved iron concentrations, potentially enabling less intensive post-treatment requirements. Overall, the results identify Fe(VI)-based AOPs as a potentially green alternative to conventional systems for wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Recycling)
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24 pages, 5865 KB  
Article
Comparative Carbon Footprint Analysis of Sludge Management Pathways in Isolated Regions
by Oliver Díaz, Enrique González and Elisabet Segredo-Morales
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 4726; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104726 - 9 May 2026
Viewed by 221
Abstract
In isolated areas, wastewater reuse is a key solution to water scarcity, enabling the completion of the integral water cycle. However, managing sludge from treatment plants in these regions poses significant environmental and economic challenges, particularly due to limited land availability. This study [...] Read more.
In isolated areas, wastewater reuse is a key solution to water scarcity, enabling the completion of the integral water cycle. However, managing sludge from treatment plants in these regions poses significant environmental and economic challenges, particularly due to limited land availability. This study presents a cradle-to-gate comparative carbon footprint analysis of various sludge management pathways, ranging from traditional systems to advanced thermochemical conversion processes. The regional assessment reveals a significantly higher carbon footprint in Fuerteventura (23.0 kg CO2,eq/capita · year) compared to Tenerife (13.2 kg CO2,eq/capita · year). Centralized thermochemical processing shows the greatest decarbonization potential under the studied conditions; specifically, pyrolysis maximizes the reduction to 54% and 40% for Tenerife and Fuerteventura, respectively. This behavior is due to the carbon footprint recovery associated with pyrolysis byproducts. However, these findings are based solely on carbon footprint considerations and are subject to the technical and operational feasibility of thermochemical processing. These results provide a strategic framework for decarbonizing wastewater treatment plants in similar regions, identifying the most efficient pathways toward achieving carbon neutrality in the sludge line. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Recycling)
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15 pages, 848 KB  
Article
Removal of Phenolic Compounds from Wastewater Through an Alternative Process with Zero-Valent Magnesium as Reactive Material
by Giulia Maria Curcio, Jose Luis Cayambe Guaman, Elvis Gribaldo Aucancela Rivera, Tiziana Andreoli, Rosaria Bruno, Carlo Limonti and Alessio Siciliano
Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020631 - 8 Jan 2026
Viewed by 560
Abstract
Phenolic compounds are widespread environmental contaminants whose removal from water and wastewater is essential for ecosystem protection. Among the several purification technologies, the use of zero-valent metals has gained increasing interest in recent years. The identification of effective and environmentally friendly materials is [...] Read more.
Phenolic compounds are widespread environmental contaminants whose removal from water and wastewater is essential for ecosystem protection. Among the several purification technologies, the use of zero-valent metals has gained increasing interest in recent years. The identification of effective and environmentally friendly materials is a key issue for the development of this technology. In this study, zero-valent magnesium (ZVMg), a highly reactive non-toxic material, was used for the first time for the degradation of gallic acid (GA), chosen as a model phenolic compound, in an aqueous system. Several tests were conducted in order to identify the effect of pH, ZVMg amount, and temperature on the process performance. Moreover, the reusability of the reactive material in subsequent treatment cycles was assessed. Optimal operational conditions were achieved with a ZVMg amount of 0.3 g, corresponding to a ratio of 0.33 gGA/gMg, reaching a removal efficiency of almost 90% in about 180 min. The performance was clearly favored by an alkaline environment, and yields close to the maximum values were reached under uncontrolled pH conditions. The increase in temperature significantly accelerated the reaction rate, which followed pseudo-first-order kinetic law, achieving high abatement percentages with a reduced quantity of ZVMg. Finally, Mg0 demonstrated good reusability, maintaining high efficiency, close to 78%, for up to four cycles, with the possibility of restoring the material’s activity through acid washing. The detected results confirm that ZVMg is a promising and sustainable reactive material for environmental remediation processes, offering an effective alternative for the treatment of water contaminated by phenolic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Recycling)
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20 pages, 3419 KB  
Article
Anionic Azo Dyes: Wastewater Pollutants as Functionalizing Agents for Porous Polycarbonate Membranes Aiding in Water Decolorization
by Alan Jarrett Messinger, Isabella S. Mays, Brennon Craigo, Jeffrey Joering and Sean P. McBride
Sustainability 2025, 17(17), 7696; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17177696 - 26 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1379
Abstract
Efficient water decolorization techniques are vital for ensuring fresh water for future generations. Azo dyes are used heavily in the textile industry and are a challenge to remove from industrial wastewater. This research expands on recent innovative work where anionic azo dyes themselves [...] Read more.
Efficient water decolorization techniques are vital for ensuring fresh water for future generations. Azo dyes are used heavily in the textile industry and are a challenge to remove from industrial wastewater. This research expands on recent innovative work where anionic azo dyes themselves were used to functionalize track-etched porous polycarbonate filtration membranes with decolorized water obtained as a byproduct. The objective of this research is to determine whether the observed dye rejection is dependent on the magnitude of the intrinsic charge of the dye molecule or on its structure, using two selectively chosen anionic azo dye series during functionalization. The first group is a negative two intrinsic charge series with six dyes, each differing in structure, and the second group is a five-dye series that increases from −1 to −6 in intrinsic charge. Rejection measurements as a function of both time and concentration during functionalization are made using ultraviolet-visible light spectroscopy. For 100 µM aqueous dyes, comparing pre- and post-functionalization, a systematically increasing trend in the ability to functionalize porous polycarbonate based on the number of double 6-carbon ring structures in the dyes is illustrated and found to be independent of intrinsic charge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Recycling)
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22 pages, 2041 KB  
Article
Development of Sustainable Technology for Effective Reject Water Treatment
by Aleksandra Szaja, Maria Sawicka and Rafał Smagała
Sustainability 2025, 17(14), 6548; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146548 - 17 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1381
Abstract
This study examined a strategy for effective reject water treatment involving hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) combined with subsequent adsorption using natural zeolites. Two experiments were conducted: The first involved the selection of optimal pre-treatment conditions of HC for biodegradability and to reduce the ammonium [...] Read more.
This study examined a strategy for effective reject water treatment involving hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) combined with subsequent adsorption using natural zeolites. Two experiments were conducted: The first involved the selection of optimal pre-treatment conditions of HC for biodegradability and to reduce the ammonium nitrogen and phosphate content. Three inlet pressures of 3, 5, and 7 bar and two types of cavitation inducers, i.e., multiple- and single-hole orifice plates, were evaluated. Adsorption experiments were conducted in batch mode using natural zeolite, and three doses of zeolite (50, 100, and 200 g/L) and six contact times (4–24 h) were examined. In the HC experiments, the application of 3 bar pressure, a single-hole cavitation inducer, and a cavitation time of 30 min resulted in the removal of ammonia nitrogen and phosphates amounting to 26.5 and 23%, respectively. In this case, 3.6-fold enhancement in the biodegradability index was also found. In the second experiment, the use of zeolite led to a decrease in the remaining content of both ammonia nitrogen and phosphates, improving the chemical oxygen demand-to-total nitrogen ratio. The highest removal efficacy was found for the highest zeolite dose of 200 g/L and the longest cavitation time of 24 h. Under these conditions, the ammonia nitrogen and phosphate removal rates were 70 and 94%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Recycling)
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