Wastewater Treatment, Water Pollution, and Sustainable Water Resources
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2026 | Viewed by 27
Special Issue Editors
Interests: wastewater treatment; protection of the water ecological environment; restoration of aquatic environments; water sustainability; the impact of human activities; innovative technologies; water management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: adsorption; modeling; mass transfer; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue of Sustainability is dedicated to wastewater treatment, water pollution control, and sustainable water resource management, with a particular focus on the transition towards circular, resilient, and integrated systems. The primary objective is to gather together high-quality scientific research and case studies that demonstrate technological innovations, systemic management practices, and coherent public policy instruments designed to promote water sustainability across urban, industrial, agricultural, and natural environments.
The thematic and technical scope of this Special Issue encompasses a broad range of topics, including advanced treatment technologies addressing emerging contaminants–such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and persistent organic pollutants–as well as decentralized, energy-efficient systems and biotechnology-based methods like bioremediation and phytoremediation. Contributions that seek to strengthen the connections between environmental sustainability, engineering solutions, and effective water governance by exploring the integration of artificial intelligence into process optimization and the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies are particularly welcome.
Moving beyond traditional pollutant mitigation, this Special Issue encourages research into the recovery and valorization of resources–including nutrients, bioenergy, and reclaimed water–within a circular economy framework because such strategies support the development of integrated approaches that enhance water, energy, and food security while fostering ecological resilience in the face of accelerating climate change.
In scholarly terms, this Special Issue seeks to transcend conventional reductionist approaches by advancing the integration of sustainability principles, technological innovation, and policy coherence, and it aims to expand the current body of knowledge by offering interdisciplinary, transformative solutions to pressing global challenges that include water scarcity, environmental degradation, and climate-related risks. All contributions should align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
We invite submissions of high-quality, scientific, and interdisciplinary work that will contribute to shaping a new paradigm for water that is circular, intelligent, and sustainable.
Prof. Dr. Claudete Gindri
Prof. Dr. Dison S. P. Franco
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
- circular water management
- wastewater treatment
- emerging contaminants
- water–energy–food nexus
- bioremediation
- artificial intelligence
- life cycle assessment
- water governance
- resource recovery
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
