Advanced Physicochemical Processes for Urban Wastewater Treatment and Pollution Control

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urbanization, industrial growth, and population expansion have significantly increased the generation of urban wastewater containing a wide range of organic, inorganic, and emerging contaminants. Conventional wastewater treatment technologies are often insufficient for the complete removal of persistent pollutants, pharmaceuticals, dyes, nutrients, pathogens, heavy metals, and microcontaminants. In this context, advanced physicochemical treatment processes have emerged as highly promising and sustainable alternatives for improving water quality and protecting aquatic ecosystems.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances, innovative developments, and practical applications of advanced physicochemical technologies for urban wastewater treatment and pollution control. The issue will provide a multidisciplinary platform for researchers, engineers, and environmental scientists working on cutting-edge treatment strategies capable of addressing current and future challenges in urban water management.

The overall focus of this Special Issue is centered on the development, optimization, integration, and environmental assessment of advanced physicochemical processes for the remediation of complex urban wastewaters. Particular attention will be given to advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), photocatalysis, photo-Fenton and electro-Fenton systems, electrocoagulation, adsorption technologies, membrane-based processes, hybrid treatment systems, nanomaterials, and emerging sustainable technologies for contaminant degradation and resource recovery.

The scope of the issue includes both fundamental and applied research related to the following:

• Removal of organic and inorganic pollutants from urban and industrial wastewaters;
• Treatment of emerging contaminants and micropollutants;
• Advanced oxidation and photocatalytic processes;
• Electrochemical and hybrid physicochemical systems;
• Adsorption and membrane technologies;
• Process optimization and kinetic modeling;
• Water reuse and circular economy approaches;
• Pilot-scale and industrial-scale applications;
• Environmental sustainability and energy-efficient treatment technologies.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to gather high-quality original research articles, reviews, and case studies that contribute to advancing the scientific understanding and technological implementation of physicochemical wastewater treatment processes. The issue seeks to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale innovation and real-world environmental applications while promoting sustainable and cost-effective treatment solutions for urban water systems.

This Special Issue will usefully supplement the existing literature by providing an updated and integrated overview of emerging physicochemical technologies and hybrid treatment strategies that are rapidly evolving in the field of environmental engineering. Unlike previous thematic collections that often focus on a single treatment technology, this issue aims to provide a broader perspective combining multiple advanced processes, comparative assessments, mechanistic insights, and interdisciplinary approaches for urban wastewater remediation. Furthermore, the issue will emphasize recent trends in sustainability, energy efficiency, process intensification, and the treatment of newly recognized contaminants, which remain insufficiently explored in many existing publications.

We warmly invite researchers and practitioners to contribute original and high-impact studies that will support the advancement of sustainable urban wastewater treatment technologies and environmental pollution mitigation.

Prof. Dr. Mhamed Ahari
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 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. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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.

• urban wastewater treatment
• physicochemical processes
• advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
• photocatalysis
• photo-fenton process
• electrocoagulation
• adsorption technologies
• emerging contaminants
• water pollution control