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Sustainability
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Critical Nexus Between Climate Change, Wastewater Management, and Sustainable Development
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Critical Nexus Between Climate Change, Wastewater Management, and Sustainable Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 897

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xin Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environment and Ecology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Interests: sustainable wastewater treatment
Dr. Xiao Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Interests: sustainable wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, global climate change and environmental sustainability are significantly driving the transformation and upgrading of the water treatment industry. The development of sustainable and environmentally friendly water treatment policies, technologies and solutions to adapt to climate change and mitigate greenhouse effect is urgently needed. Based on this background, we are pleased to announce a new Special Issue in the Sustainability journal (ISSN: [2071-1050], Impact Factor: [3.3]) focusing on the critical nexus between climate change, wastewater management, and sustainable development. This Special Issue will explore the following:

- The impact of climate change on wastewater treatment infrastructure and processes;

- The contribution of sustainable wastewater technologies to climate mitigation/adaptation;

- How circular economy principles in water management can enhance resilience;

- Nature-based solutions that address both water security and climate challenges.

This Special Issue seeks cutting-edge research addressing the multifaceted challenges and innovative solutions at this intersection.

We invite contributions that advance understanding of these interconnected systems including (but not limited to) the following:

  1. Climate–Water–Greenhouse Gas Nexus: effects of extreme weather on wastewater treatment; carbon footprint assessment of wastewater systems
  2. Sustainable Technologies: energy recovery; nutrient removal and recycling; low-energy treatment processes
  3. AI for Water Treatment: smart water management; machine-learning models for process sustainability
  4. Policy and Planning: climate-resilient water infrastructure; decision frameworks for sustainable investment
  5. Emerging Contaminants: climate-dependent fate of micropollutants; treatment innovations for ECs under changing climates
  6. Ecosystem Integration: ecological remediation and wastewater reuse responding to climate change

Prof. Dr. Xin Zhou
Dr. Xiao Zhang
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

  • climate–water–greenhouse gas nexus
  • sustainable technologies
  • AI for water treatment
  • policy and planning
  • emerging contaminants
  • ecosystem integration

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 2584 KB  
Article
Sustainable Irrigation of Urban Turfgrass Systems with Treated Wastewater and Impacts on Weed Dynamics in the Arid Climate of Qatar
by Mohammed Al-Khoori, Fedae Alhaddad, Nabil Zouari, Mohammad A. Al-Ghouti, Farzin Shabani, Lama Soubra and Mohammed H. Abu-Dieyeh
Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 3992; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18083992 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 307
Abstract
Although treated wastewater (TWW) is increasingly being used to irrigate urban landscapes in arid regions like Qatar to preserve scarce freshwater resources, little is known about its long-term ecological impacts. The effects of extended irrigation with TWW on the composition of weed communities [...] Read more.
Although treated wastewater (TWW) is increasingly being used to irrigate urban landscapes in arid regions like Qatar to preserve scarce freshwater resources, little is known about its long-term ecological impacts. The effects of extended irrigation with TWW on the composition of weed communities and soil characteristics in urban turfgrass systems were assessed in this study for a full year period. Three turfgrass fields in public parks in Doha that are not distant and similar in turf species and type of management were chosen. One of them has received regular tap water, and the other two had received a period of two years or a period of seven years irrigation with TWW. Due to nutrient availability in TWW, long-term irrigation improved turfgrass performance but drastically changed the structure and composition of the weed communities. More weed diversity and abundance were observed under irrigation with TWW, coinciding with cumulative increases in soil salinity [from 265 µS/cm for soil irrigated with regular tap water to about 1799 µS/cm for soil long-term irrigated with treated wastewater] and nutrient levels. Dactyloctenium aristatum and Euphorbia prostrata were dominating the field under TWW irrigation, while Cyperus rotundus prevailed better under regular tap-water irrigation. Crucially, build-up of toxic elements was found in the turfgrass, but not harmful. Overall, the findings showed that although TWW is a useful source for maintaining urban green spaces in arid regions, its long-term use necessitates cautious management to reduce weed growth and adaptation. Maintaining sustainable and healthy urban landscapes may be aided by using salt-leaching irrigation techniques and seasonal blending with freshwater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Nexus Between Climate Change, Wastewater Management, and Sustainable Development)
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15 pages, 3652 KB  
Article
The Purification Efficiency and Synergistic Mechanism of the Algal-Bacteria System for Simulating Livestock Wastewater
by Yongxia Li, Fei Xie, Yifan Gao and Li Ji
Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2633; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052633 - 8 Mar 2026
Viewed by 312
Abstract
As a sustainable biological approach for polluted water management, algal-bacterial systems are increasingly being explored because of their synergistic physiological and metabolic interactions. This study established an algal-bacterial consortium composed of Escherichia coli and Chlorella vulgaris to evaluate treatment performance of simulated livestock [...] Read more.
As a sustainable biological approach for polluted water management, algal-bacterial systems are increasingly being explored because of their synergistic physiological and metabolic interactions. This study established an algal-bacterial consortium composed of Escherichia coli and Chlorella vulgaris to evaluate treatment performance of simulated livestock wastewater and elucidate the associated synergistic mechanisms. Compared with the pure algal system, the algal-bacterial consortium significantly enhanced algal growth, increasing chlorophyll concentration by 52.8% and achieving a maximum algal density of 16.46 × 106 cells mL−1. The biochemical composition of the biomass was improved, with total lipids, neutral lipids, and proteins increasing by 18.9%, 26.8%, and 16.4%, respectively. Pollutant removal efficiencies were markedly enhanced, as total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), and nitrite nitrogen (NO2−-N) increased by 19.1%, 9.5%, 26.0%, 13.5%, 17.2%, and 13.8%, respectively, compared with the monoculture. Mechanistic analysis was supported by monitoring chlorophyll content, algal density, dissolved oxygen, bacterial density, total inorganic carbon, and pH, which collectively suggested the involvement of a synergistic carbon–oxygen exchange process: oxygen produced by microalgae supported bacterial respiration, while carbon dioxide generated by bacteria enhanced algal photosynthesis and growth. Furthermore, the presence of E. coli markedly stimulated nitrogen metabolism-associated enzymatic functions in C. vulgaris, which may have facilitated their mutual growth. Overall, this study provides a conceptual and experimental basis for algal-bacterial consortium design for treating livestock wastewater, thereby enhancing pollutant removal efficiency and algal biomass accumulation, highlighting its potential as a sustainable and resource-efficient wastewater treatment strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Nexus Between Climate Change, Wastewater Management, and Sustainable Development)
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