Advances in Drinking Water Treatment: Coagulation, Flocculants, and Membrane Separation
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2027 | Viewed by 58
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Access to safe drinking water remains a global priority, driving continuous innovation in treatment technologies. This Special Issue focuses on the synergistic and individual advancements in two core purification pillars: coagulation/flocculation and membrane separation. We invite contributions exploring novel inorganic, organic, and bio-based flocculants that enhance contaminant aggregation while reducing sludge volume and chemical footprint. Equally, we seek studies on low-fouling, energy-efficient membrane systems—including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and hybrid processes—for the removal of pathogens, microplastics, and emerging organic micropollutants. A key theme is the integration of optimized coagulation pre-treatment with membrane filtration to mitigate fouling, lower operational costs, and improve overall water quality. Submissions addressing mechanistic modeling, pilot-scale validation, and green chemistry approaches are particularly welcome. By bridging recent developments in flocculant chemistry and membrane separation science, this issue aims to present scalable, sustainable solutions for drinking water treatment plants facing increasingly complex source water challenges.
This Special Issue welcome original research and review articles covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Development and evaluation of bio-based flocculants for enhanced contaminant aggregation with reduced sludge production
- Hybrid coagulation–ultrafiltration systems for simultaneous microplastic and pathogen removal from surface water
- Mechanistic modeling of fouling behavior in low-energy membrane processes integrated with coagulation pre-treatment
- Pilot-scale validation of inorganic–organic hybrid flocculants for drinking water treatment under variable source water quality
- Green chemistry approaches to synthesizing sustainable flocculants with minimal chemical footprint
- Low-fouling microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes for the removal of emerging organic micropollutants
- Optimization of coagulation pre-treatment conditions to mitigate membrane fouling and reduce operational costs in drinking water plants
- Synergistic effects of combined coagulation–flocculation and membrane separation on overall water quality improvement and energy efficiency
- Novel adsorbent-enhanced membrane hybrid processes for the removal of trace organic contaminants and heavy metals
- Life cycle assessment and scalability analysis of integrated coagulation–membrane systems for challenging source waters.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Shuang Zhao
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- drinking water treatment
- coagulation
- flocculant
- membrane separation
- membrane fouling
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