Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Sustainable Wastewater: Solutions, Treatment & Opportunities

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 8796

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nuruol Syuhadaa Mohd

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Interests: wastewater and water treatment; environmental forensics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the emerging growth of research emphasizing water sustainability issues, there has been a crucial need for studies involving the development of sustainable wastewater treatment processes. The sustainable wastewater treatment process is interpreted as a combination of different types of treatment used to minimize the volume and toxicity of the final residue while at the same time maximizing its sustainability elements. The elements may include resource recovery, greener treatment processes as well as saving energy usage, all these at an economically valuable cost.

This Special Issue is devoted to being the premier platform for the publication of world-leading and high-impact research in the field of sustainable wastewater treatment and processes. Our scope focuses on the sustainable solutions of wastewater treatment, focusing on issues related to its treatment and practices as well as opportunities that lay ahead as the field progressively moves forward. The submission of outstanding research articles and state-of-the-art reviews is actively encouraged from researchers in the following areas of interest:

Sustainable wastewater treatment processes
Green-material-based treatment
Nanotechnology-based treatment
Microbe-based treatment
Nature-based treatment
Wastewater treatment with resource recovery
Wastewater treatment with water reuse, reclamation and recycling
Wastewater treatment with less carbon footprint
Renewable-energy-powered wastewater treatment
Energy-saving wastewater treatment
Decentralized wastewater treatment

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Nuruol Syuhadaa Mohd
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

sustainable wastewater treatment
green material
nanotechnology
microbe based
nature based
resource recovery
energy saving

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 1034 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Numerical Investigation Concerning the Effect of Step-Feeding on Performance of Constructed Wetlands Operating under Mediterranean Conditions

by Konstantinos A. Liolios

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16675; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416675 - 8 Dec 2023

Viewed by 577

Abstract

The effects of wastewater step-feeding (SF) on the performance of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSF CWs) are numerically investigated. The purpose is to check if this alternative feeding technique increases the ability of HSF CWs to remove pollutants. Two methodologies are used: Initially, the tanks-in-series (TIS) methodology, based on the finite volume method (FVM), is analyzed using the volumetric degradation coefficient λ. In this case, the operation of a CW is similar to a series of continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTRs) operating under steady conditions. Then, the step-feeding (SF) procedure is presented, in which the CW is operated like a plug flow reactor (PFR). For the numerical investigation, the available experimental data for five existing HSF CWs are used. The results show that SF does not improve the performance of HSF CWs in removing biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) operating under Mediterranean conditions. When the HSF CWs operate without the SF procedure, the performance is between 55 and 81% for the TIS method and 60 and 89% for the PFR method, while the ability of the CW tank to remove the BOD decreases and varies from 48 to 79% (TIS) and from 54 to 86% (PFR), respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater: Solutions, Treatment & Opportunities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Usage and Microbial Safety of Shared and Unshared Excreta Disposal Facilities in Developing Countries: The Case of a Ghanaian Rural District

by Peter Appiah Obeng, Eric Awere, Panin Asirifua Obeng, Michael Oteng-Peprah, Albert Kaabieredomo Mwinsuubo, Alessandra Bonoli and Sharon Amanda Quaye

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10282; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310282 - 29 Jun 2023

Viewed by 783

Abstract

Sharing facilities with other households offers the most realistic opportunity for access to sanitation for many households in low-income settings. However, questions remain about the safety of shared toilets, including those shared at the household level. This study sought to compare the usage and microbial safety of household-level shared and unshared toilets in a Ghanaian rural district to investigate any association between their microbial safety and sharing status. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the user characteristics of the sampled toilets, while common contact surfaces (door handles and toilet seats) were assessed for faecal contamination following standard swab sampling and analytical protocols. The results of the study indicate that sharing toilets affords about 90% more household-level access to sanitation as compared to single-household toilets. Toilet sharing mostly occurred between two households, with a maximum user population of 14 per toilet. Generally, there was a high prevalence of faecal contamination on the door handles and seats of both shared and unshared toilets, but this had no association with the sharing status of the toilets. The median concentration of Escherichia coli (E. coli) on the door handles and seats of shared toilets was 34.3 × 10⁵ and 103.2 × 10⁵ CFU/mL, respectively, as compared to 54.7 × 10⁵ and 125.0 × 10⁵ CFU/mL, respectively, on unshared toilets. In conclusion, the sharing of toilets at the household level nearly doubles access to sanitation at home without necessarily exposing the users to a higher risk of faecal–oral disease transmission. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater: Solutions, Treatment & Opportunities)

17 pages, 4966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intensification of Lead, Copper and Antimony Removal Using Brown Algae Adsorption Coupled to Hydrodynamic Cavitation

by Juan Taumaturgo Medina-Collana, Wilfredo David Sejje Suárez, Noemí Anyosa Cáceres, Luis Americo Carrasco Venegas, Pablo Belizario Diaz Bravo, Jorge Amador Lopez Herrera, Juan Herber Grados Gamarra and Jacob Astocondor Villar

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3453; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043453 - 14 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2043

Abstract

In the present study, a calcium alginate bead adsorbent was prepared from brown algae (Macrosystis pyrifera) and was used for removal of Pb⁺², Cu⁺², and Sb⁺³ ions from aqueous solutions, using a fixed bed column. The initial concentration of metal ions, mass of adsorbent, recirculation flow, hydrodynamic cavitation, and contact time were examined, and the adsorption kinetics and isotherms were systematically studied. The Taguchi five-factor methodology was used for the development at three levels of experimentation. Experiment N° 24 (concentration, 10 mg/L; flow rate, 10 mL/s; adsorbent mass, 10 g; hydrodynamic cavitation with maximum air flow, and treatment time 240 min) resulted in the maximum removal of 92%, 78%, and 16% of lead, copper, and antimony ions, respectively. The average rate constants corresponding to pseudo-second-order kinetics for lead, copper, and antimony ions were 5.3 × 10⁻³, 1.4 × 10⁻³, and 7 × 10⁻⁵ g.mg⁻¹min⁻¹, respectively. In the adsorption process, they closely approximate to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, with adsorption capacities for Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Sb³⁺ of 7.60, 2.07, and 0.37 mg/g, respectively, with good bioadsorption affinity of Pb > Cu > Sb. It was demonstrated that the bioadsorption equipment, with proper control of the factors, achieves concentration values of lead and copper ions below the current environmental regulations. The results of these studies indicated that calcium alginate is a promising adsorbent for separating and recovering heavy metal ions from contaminated water, although further research is needed for antimony ions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater: Solutions, Treatment & Opportunities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

39 pages, 6484 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Critical Review on PFAS Removal from Water: Removal Mechanism and Future Challenges

by Rabia Amen, Alhassan Ibrahim, Waqar Shafqat and El Barbary Hassan

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16173; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316173 - 21 Nov 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4749

Abstract

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been extensively employed in a broad range of manufacturing and consumer goods due to their highly persistent nature. PFAS exposure is recognized to pose serious health hazards; therefore, addressing PFAS pollution in water has become a top priority for public health and environmental protection organizations. This review article focuses on the efficiency of different removal techniques (activated carbon, biochar, ion exchange resin, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, metal-organic frameworks, foam fractionation, ozone fractionation, and destruction techniques) for eliminating different types of short- and long-chain PFAS from water. Hydrophobicity and electrostatic interactions are revealed to be the primary mechanisms for the elimination of PFAS. The efficiency of all techniques to eradicate short-chain PFAS is comparatively lower compared to long-chain PFAS. The destruction techniques are the most efficient but have some drawbacks, including the formation of PFAS precursors and high operational costs. According to the findings from the study, it is anticipated that combined methods will be required to effectively remediate PFAS-contaminated water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater: Solutions, Treatment & Opportunities)

► Show Figures