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Water Environmental Control of Pollutants and Environmental Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 6001

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of the Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
Interests: biogeochemistry of mercury; environmental behaviour of natural organic matter; lake eutrophication and climate change
State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technology, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, China
Interests: preparation and application of green environment catalytic and adsorption materials; treatment of refractory textile/dye wastewater with 3D printing materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: analysis environmental behaviour and control of new pollutants and organic matter

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Eco-civilisation is the advanced civilisation beyond modern industrial civilisation. To understand and build an ecological civilisation, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of the generation, migration and transformation of pollutants and their ecological risks. On this basis, we can adopt more effective governance means and management measures to realise the sustainable development of the ecological environment. Here, we are pleased to announce the launch of a Special Issue focusing on the topic of "Water Environmental Control of Pollutants and Environmental Sustainability". Topics of the Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Environmental distribution or pollution

Of interest are studies on the distribution or contamination of nutrients, metals and emerging contaminants in aquatic systems (e.g., lakes, rivers, reservoirs or wetlands). Both case studies and large-scale investigations are welcome.

(2) Theory and technology of pollution control

The Editors welcome manuscripts on innovative removal technology or theory relating to typical pollutants of environmental interest. Manuscripts that simply repeat the use of traditional methods with a different substrate will not be considered.

(3) Environmental management or sustainability

Development for environmental management and social, economic or political aspects of environmental sustainability is strongly encouraged.

We welcome manuscripts presenting original research studies and reviews. Manuscripts should be prepared according to the Guide for Authors.

Dr. Pei Lei
Dr. Sheng Guo
Dr. Zhineng Hao
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 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

  • pollutant
  • environmental management
  • sustainability
  • aquatic systems

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 7482 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity and Driving Factors of Mariculture Pollution in the Bohai Rim Region, China
by Hui Yuan, Haojie Zhai, Yongren Li, Shaoqiang Han, Ye Tian and Jiahong Liu
Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 4063; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094063 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 309
Abstract
The rapid expansion of mariculture in the Bohai Rim Region, a key marine economic zone in North China, has led to various environmental challenges. This study evaluated the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of emission fluxes and identified the primary influencing factors of mariculture in the [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of mariculture in the Bohai Rim Region, a key marine economic zone in North China, has led to various environmental challenges. This study evaluated the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of emission fluxes and identified the primary influencing factors of mariculture in the Bohai Rim Region during 2014–2023. The findings hold both theoretical and practical significance for promoting the sustainable development of the nearshore environment. On the basis of mariculture data, the pollution coefficient method (PCM) was applied to quantify emission fluxes, whereas the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) model and Spearman rank correlation were used to analyze influencing factors. The results indicate that (1) the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of mariculture pollution discharge was influenced primarily by mariculture taxa and policy regulations and that (2) the filtration capabilities of shellfish suggest that an integrated mariculture strategy involving shellfish and other taxa could significantly mitigate pollution. The optimization of breeding structures and advancements in technology play crucial roles in reducing mariculture-related pollution emissions. (3) A significant decline in pollutant levels was observed following the implementation of the Action Plan for Comprehensive Management of the Bohai Sea (CMAP-BS). These findings provide a scientific basis for transforming the environmental management of mariculture in coastal regions of China. Full article
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29 pages, 18050 KiB  
Article
Simulating Oil Spill Evolution and Environmental Impact with Specialized Software: A Case Study for the Black Sea
by Dinu Atodiresei, Catalin Popa and Vasile Dobref
Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 3770; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093770 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 732
Abstract
Oil spills represent a significant environmental hazard, particularly in marine ecosystems, where their impacts extend to coastal infrastructure, biodiversity, and economic activities. This study utilizes GNOME v.47.2 (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) and ADIOS2 v.2.10.2 (Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills) to simulate [...] Read more.
Oil spills represent a significant environmental hazard, particularly in marine ecosystems, where their impacts extend to coastal infrastructure, biodiversity, and economic activities. This study utilizes GNOME v.47.2 (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) and ADIOS2 v.2.10.2 (Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills) to simulate and analyze oil spill dynamics in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea, focusing on trajectory prediction, hydrocarbon weathering, and shoreline contamination risk assessment. The research explores multiple spill scenarios involving different hydrocarbon types (light vs. heavy oils), vessel dynamics, and real-time environmental variables (wind, currents, temperature). The findings reveal that lighter hydrocarbons (e.g., gasoline, aviation fuel) tend to evaporate quickly, while heavier fractions (e.g., crude oil, fuel oil #6) persist in the marine environment and pose a higher risk of coastal pollution. In the first case study, a spill of 10,000 metric tons of medium oil (Arabian Medium EXXON) was simulated using GNOME v.47.2, showing that after 22 h, the slick reached the shoreline. Under forecasted hydro-meteorological conditions, 27% evaporated, 1% dispersed, and 72% remained for mechanical or chemical intervention. In the second simulation, 10,000 metric tons of gasoline were released, and within 6 h, 98% evaporated, with only minor residues reaching the shore. A real-world validation case was also conducted using the December 2024 Kerch Strait oil spill incident, where the model accurately predicted the early arrival of light fractions and delayed coastal contamination by fuel oil carried by subsurface currents. These results emphasize the need for future research focused on the vertical dispersion dynamics of heavier hydrocarbon fractions. Full article
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18 pages, 1754 KiB  
Article
The Characteristics of ARMA (ARIMA) Model and Some Key Points to Be Noted in Application: A Case Study of Changtan Reservoir, Zhejiang Province, China
by Zhuang Liu, Yibin Cui, Chengcheng Ding, Yonghai Gan, Jun Luo, Xiao Luo and Yongguo Wang
Sustainability 2024, 16(18), 7955; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16187955 - 12 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2330
Abstract
Accurate water quality prediction is the basis for good water environment management and sustainable use of water resources. As an important time series forecasting model, the Autoregressive Moving Average Model (ARMA) plays a crucial role in environmental management and sustainability research. This study [...] Read more.
Accurate water quality prediction is the basis for good water environment management and sustainable use of water resources. As an important time series forecasting model, the Autoregressive Moving Average Model (ARMA) plays a crucial role in environmental management and sustainability research. This study addresses the factors that affect the ARMA model’s forecast accuracy and goodness of fit. The research results show that the sample size used for model parameters estimation is the main influencing factor for the goodness of fit of an ARMA model, and the prediction time is the main factor affecting the prediction error of the model. Constructing a stable and reliable ARMA model requires a certain number of samples for the estimation of model parameters. However, using an excessive number of samples will not further improve the ARMA model’s goodness of fit but rather increase the workload and difficulty of data collection. The ARMA model is not suitable for long-term forecasting because the prediction error of ARMA models increases with the increase of prediction time, and when the prediction time exceeds a certain limit, the fitted values of an ARMA model will almost no longer change with the time, which means the model has lost its significance of prediction. For time series with periodic components, introducing periodic adjustment factors into the ARMA model can reduce the prediction error. These findings enable environmental managers and researchers to apply the ARMA model more rationally, hence developing more precise pollution control and sustainable development plans. Full article
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15 pages, 2363 KiB  
Article
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Four Municipal Water Disinfection Methods
by Mehmet Zahid Demir, Huseyin Guven, Mustafa Evren Ersahin, Hale Ozgun, Mehmet Emin Pasaoglu and Ismail Koyuncu
Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 6104; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146104 - 17 Jul 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2036
Abstract
The disinfection of treated water is an important process to provide healthy water to the public. The chosen disinfection methods can vary depending on the water source, regulations, targeted microorganisms, operating conditions, capital costs and operation and maintenance costs. Another important factor for [...] Read more.
The disinfection of treated water is an important process to provide healthy water to the public. The chosen disinfection methods can vary depending on the water source, regulations, targeted microorganisms, operating conditions, capital costs and operation and maintenance costs. Another important factor for decision-makers is the environmental impacts caused by the disinfection process. This paper will reveal the life cycle assessment (LCA) of four different water disinfection scenarios at a municipal scale from the operational phase. A comparison is made between chlorination systems, two ultraviolet disinfection systems that use different types of lamps and an ozonation system. The results demonstrate that the UV disinfection system with low-pressure lamps had the lowest environmental impact across all categories, followed by chlorination. In contrast, the ozonation system and the UV disinfection system with LED lamps showed the highest impacts in all categories, primarily due to their high electricity consumption. Changes in the electricity mix had a substantial influence on the impact categories for all disinfection methods, but the gradation of the water disinfection methods was not that significant. Studies on the environmental impacts of the water disinfection process need to be carried out for larger flow rates to increase the information on this topic. Full article
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