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Innovations in the Degradation and Remediation of Emerging Organic Pollutants

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 675

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: microbial/chemical degradation and remediation of emerging organic pollutants; development of microbe-material hybrid technologies for environmental applications; environmental microbiology and biotechnology

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Interests: anaerobic reductive dehalogenation; organohalide-respiring prokaryotes; environmental microbiology; anaerobes; geomicrobiology; bioremediation

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Guest Editor
School of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Interests: development of environmentally functional materials and their applications in soil and groundwater remediation, including material-microbe coupling technology and advanced oxidation/reduction processe

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Guest Editor
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: theory and applications of water pollution control; environmental functional materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging organic pollutants, including microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and antibiotics, are prevalent in nearly all ecosystems on Earth. These emerging organic pollutants have been proven to be toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative, posing significant risks to ecosystems and human health. This pollution crisis necessitates the investigation of the degradation mechanisms of emerging organic pollutants and development of efficient remediation strategies.

This Special Issue invites original research and reviews focusing on the following topics:

  1. Novel Degradation Mechanisms: This involves uncovering new biotic and abiotic pathways for breaking down recalcitrant pollutants.
  2. Predictive science: This involves leveraging AI and machine learning to forecast the environmental fate and risks of new chemicals.
  3. Green Remediation Technologies: This involves showcasing sustainable and innovative solutions, from advanced materials to novel bioremediation strategies, that are ready for real-world application.

By bridging fundamental science and practical solutions, this Special Issue aims to foster interdisciplinary research that addresses one of the most pressing challenges threatening environmental sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Guofang Xu
Prof. Dr. Yi Yang
Dr. Feilong Gao
Dr. Zhihao Chen
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

  • emerging contaminants
  • per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)
  • microplastics
  • environmental remediation
  • degradation mechanisms
  • advanced oxidation processes
  • green technologies
  • artificial intelligence
  • environmental fate and transport
  • circular economy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2209 KB  
Article
Effects of Aged Biodegradable Plastics and Antibiotics on the Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes Between Bacteria
by Xiaomei Liu, Songyu Shi, Mengzhen Yin, Xinyue Xu, Shuwen He and Shakeel Ahmad
Sustainability 2025, 17(22), 9981; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17229981 - 8 Nov 2025
Viewed by 246
Abstract
The widespread use of plastics has caused severe environmental pollution, driving interest in biodegradable alternatives like polylactic acid (PLA). However, incomplete degradation of biodegradable plastics under natural conditions may generate micro/nanoplastics that could exacerbate ecological risks. This study investigated the combined effects of [...] Read more.
The widespread use of plastics has caused severe environmental pollution, driving interest in biodegradable alternatives like polylactic acid (PLA). However, incomplete degradation of biodegradable plastics under natural conditions may generate micro/nanoplastics that could exacerbate ecological risks. This study investigated the combined effects of UV-aged microplastics from biodegradable PLA and conventional PET, along with sulfamethoxazole (SMX), on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) between bacteria. Using UV aging to simulate environmental weathering, the microplastic morphology, adsorption behavior, and interaction with SMX were characterized. The study further evaluated the bacterial viability, ROS level, membrane permeability, and the expression of conjugative transfer-related genes to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Results showed that aged PLA released significantly more nanoplastics and exhibited higher adsorption affinity for SMX than PET. Combined exposure to aged PLA and SMX significantly enhanced ARG transfer frequency by approximately 14.5-fold compared to the control. Mechanistic studies revealed that this promotion was associated with increased intracellular ROS levels, elevated membrane permeability, and upregulation of conjugative related genes. These findings underscore that biodegradable plastics, after environmental aging, may pose greater ecological risks than conventional plastics, and highlight the importance of considering environmental aging in the risk assessment of plastics. Full article
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