Advanced Membrane Technologies for Recovery of Bio-Based Chemicals from Aqueous Systems
A Special Issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441) belonging to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 1581
Editors
Interests: electrochemical process; life cycle assessment; membrane fabrication; membrane hybrid system; real-time membrane fouling; resource recovery
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The growing demand for sustainable production and circular resource utilization has accelerated the search for innovative technologies that enable efficient recovery of valuable compounds from aqueous systems. Waste streams such as wastewater, fermentation broths and industrial effluents were traditionally regarded as disposal targets; however, they are increasingly recognized as rich reservoirs of bio-based chemicals, including organic acids, alcohols, nutrients and other value-added biogenic compounds. Recovering these resources not only reduces environmental burdens but also contributes to the development of a circular bioeconomy and sustainable industrial systems. Conventional separation and purification processes for bio-based chemicals often rely on resource-intensive techniques, such as distillation, solvent extraction, or chemical precipitation. These approaches may involve high operational costs, large energy inputs and limited selectivity, particularly when dealing with dilute or complex aqueous matrices. In recent years, advanced membrane technologies have emerged as a promising alternative due to their inherent advantages, including high separation efficiency, modular scalability, reduced energy consumption and the ability to operate under mild conditions. Innovations in membrane materials, surface functionalization and process configurations are enabling highly selective and energy-efficient recovery of target compounds from complex aqueous environments.
This Special Issue, entitled “Advanced Membrane Technologies for Recovery of Bio-Based Chemicals from Aqueous Systems,” aims to highlight recent scientific advances and technological developments in membrane-based separation processes that enable the selective recovery, concentration and purification of bio-based chemicals. We welcome the submission of original research articles and comprehensive review papers that present innovative membrane materials, novel separation mechanisms, integrated process designs and practical applications related to resource recovery from aqueous streams.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Advanced membrane separation technologies for bio-based chemical recovery
- Membrane fabrication and surface engineering for resource recovery from wastewater
- Selective separation and purification of bio-derived chemicals
- Integrated membrane processes for the sustainable water-energy-resource nexus
- Membrane applications in fermentation broth separation and bioprocessing
Dr. Sung-Ju Im
Guest Editor
Dr. Hongrae Im
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- bio-based chemicals
- nutrient recovery
- membrane technology
- resource management
- resource recovery
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