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Green and Low Carbon Development of Water Treatment Technology, 2nd Edition

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 7157

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Weigao Zhao

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Guest Editor

School of Environmental Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Interests: water treatment theory and technology; pipe network water quality research; environmental micro interface process research; colloidal pollutants; pollutant migration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Peng Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Environment Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
Interests: research and application of smart water theory; simulation and planning of urban water supply and drainage systems; safe transmission and distribution of water supply networks; research and application of detection and diagnosis technology of drainage networks; theoretical research and technical development of water treatment
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Dr. Sen Peng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Interests: hydraulic and water quality modeling of water distribution systems; ecological conservation of water environment systems; study of water quality model and its uncertainty; water supply networks; environmental system optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Effective water treatment technology is the key to achieving water safety and human health. All people having access to safe drinking water and improved water quality and wastewater management by 2030 are two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Green and low-carbon technologies refer to technologies that achieve a satisfactory treatment effect under the condition of low carbon emissions and the generation of less pollutants. These technologies are considered to be essential to achieving the SDGs, so we propose focusing on these to follow the recent trends in water treatment technology. In this Special Issue, we seek submissions which focus on the interactions between green and low-carbon development and water treatment technology.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

New water and wastewater treatment technologies;
Green and low-carbon development strategies；
Water environment simulation models；
Environmental micro interface reactions.

By focusing on novel results regarding these above mentioned topics, this Special Issue will be able to provide a series of studies on water treatment technologies.

Dr. Weigao Zhao
Dr. Peng Zhao
Dr. Sen Peng
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. Water 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 2600 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

water treatment
green development
low-carbon development
drinking water
environmental micro interface

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Inorganic Coagulant and Dissolved Organic Matter on the Toxicity of Nano-Zinc Oxide to Phosphorus-Accumulating Organisms in Wastewater

by Sen Qu, Wen Zhao, Yushu Wang, Yuan Zhang, Jinyi Liu and Yongkui Yang

Water 2025, 17(11), 1563; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17111563 - 22 May 2025

Viewed by 77

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of coagulants and dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the biological toxicity of nano-zinc oxide (nZnO) to key microorganisms involved in biological phosphorus removal during sewage treatment. Polyaluminum chloride and polyferric chloride were selected as coagulants, whereas fulvic acid, glucose, and aspartic acid represented the DOM. The mechanisms through which these chemicals influence nZnO toxicity were also investigated. The results show that polyaluminum chloride and polyferric chloride effectively reduced nZnO toxicity in phosphorus-accumulating organisms, demonstrating their detoxification effects. Similarly, fulvic acid and glucose mitigated nZnO toxicity, whereas aspartic acid displayed dual effects: detoxification at low concentrations and enhanced toxicity at high concentrations. These findings highlight the dual role of sewage treatment additives in enhancing traditional pollutant removal and mitigating the nanoparticle-induced inhibition of microbial biochemical processes. This study clarified the interactions between coagulant chemicals, DOM, and nanoparticles in sewage treatment, offering insights into the regulatory mechanisms that improve treatment efficacy and reduce ecological risks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Low Carbon Development of Water Treatment Technology, 2nd Edition)

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14 pages, 2759 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Scale Inhibitor Addition Scheme and Control of Phosphorus Content in External Cooling System of Synchronous Condenser

by Xiantao Gu, Yuquan Wu, Yunqing Xu, Hongwei Zhao, Lin Yang, Xiaochun Chen, Peipei Fan, Junjie Zhang, Zhikui Liu, Tao Zhu, Yuxiang Gao and Haosheng Dong

Water 2025, 17(3), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17030415 - 2 Feb 2025

Viewed by 724

Abstract

Scaling is one of the common problems in circulating cooling water systems, which can significantly affect the cooling efficiency of equipment in severe cases. At present, the problem of scaling is usually controlled by adding water treatment agents. However, taking the external cooling system of the synchronous condenser in an ultra-high-voltage converter station as an example, due to the lack of scientific understanding of scale inhibitors, there is often a problem of excessive dosing, resulting in unsatisfactory scale inhibition effects and difficulties in wastewater treatment and discharge. In addition, the extensive use of phosphorus-containing agents has led to the enrichment of phosphorus elements in water bodies. Therefore, the optimal amount of AS-582 scale inhibitor used in the converter station with the best scale inhibition effect was determined through static calcium carbonate deposition experiments, with the scale inhibition rate of 91.4% at 90 mg/L. And the scale inhibition mechanism was explored, where the lattice distortion mechanism and threshold effect play important roles. The AS-582 scale inhibitor was mixed with two green scale inhibitors, PASP and PESA, to obtain a phosphorus reduction formula that combined excellent scale inhibition performance and low phosphorus content. When using the optimal composite scale inhibitor of n(AS-582):n(PASP):n(PESA) = 4:1:1, the scale inhibition rate is 91.8% and the phosphorus content is reduced by one-third. The effectiveness of the formula was tested using dynamic circulating water experimental equipment under practical application conditions, proving its practical value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Low Carbon Development of Water Treatment Technology, 2nd Edition)

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15 pages, 3002 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coadsorption of Tetracycline and Copper(II) by KOH-Modified biomass and biochar Derived from Corn Straw in aqueous Solution

by Yiping Guo, Qianqian Zhang, Weijie Feng, Shihang Ni and Guoting Li

Water 2025, 17(2), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020284 - 20 Jan 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 911

Abstract

The coexistence of antibiotics and heavy metals in water environments always results in greater toxicity compared to the single pollution. Consequently, the development of efficient and economical technologies for the removal of antibiotics and heavy metals is essential. This study prepared KOH-modified biomass (KCS) and KOH-modified biochar (KCSB) for the coadsorption of tetracycline (TC) and Cu(II) in an aqueous solution. The removal performance and mechanism of TC and Cu(II) are to be explored through single-system and binary-system studies, adsorption isotherms, and kinetic models. The results indicate a synergistic effect between TC and Cu(II); the maximum adsorption capacity of KCS for TC and Cu(II) is 107.97 mg/g and 58.44 mg/g, respectively. Meanwhile, KCSB exhibits a maximum adsorption capacity of 109.32 mg/g for TC and 116.61 mg/g for Cu(II). The synergistic removal mechanism of TC and Cu(II) involved pore filling, hydrogen bonding, surface complexation, π–π interaction, ion exchange, and precipitation. Among them, KCS and KCSB have stronger π–π interactions with TC than ion exchange with Cu(II), while KCSB has stronger surface complexation and ion exchange with Cu(II) than KCS. This study provides a more cost-effective biomass adsorbent material for simultaneous removal of TC and Cu(II). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Low Carbon Development of Water Treatment Technology, 2nd Edition)

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10 pages, 2727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Quality Analysis of a 300 Mvar Large-Scale Dual Internal Water Cooling Synchronous Condenser External Cooling System and Exploration of Optimal Water Treatment Agent Dosage at Different Temperatures

by Xiantao Gu, Yunqing Xu, Yuquan Wu, Lin Yang, Junjie Zhang, Xiaochun Chen, Zhongkang Zhou, Peipei Fan, Yuxiang Gao, Qiaozhen Ji, Yan Wu, Haosheng Dong, Xiaowei Ma, Zhikui Liu and Xingwang Guo

Water 2024, 16(22), 3158; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16223158 - 5 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1038

Abstract

The external cooling water system of a 300 Mvar dual internal water cooling synchronous condenser at a certain ultra-high voltage converter station continued to exhibit significant scaling and corrosion, even with regular addition of scale and corrosion inhibitors. To solve this problem, the external cooling water of the synchronous condenser was sampled and tested periodically, with the main test items including conductivity, pH value, turbidity, hardness, alkalinity, and other water quality parameters directly related to corrosion and scaling. The trends of these parameters over time were also analyzed. The results showed that as the operation time increased, the cooling water became concentrated during multiple circulation cycles, and the various dissolved or suspended substances underwent a certain degree of enrichment. However, the addition of scale and corrosion inhibitors did not dynamically adjust according to the changes in water quality, and there was always an excessive dosage. Thus, using the external cooling water as the experimental sample, static scale inhibition tests and rotating coupon corrosion tests were conducted to evaluate the scale and corrosion inhibition performance of the commercial AS-582 scale and corrosion inhibitor used at this ultra-high voltage converter station under different conditions. Considering the more obvious corrosive tendency of this water sample, the focus was on testing its corrosion inhibition performance. When the dosage was 600 ppm, the scale inhibition effect was optimal, with an inhibition rate of 92.15%. The corrosion inhibition effect of this scale and the corrosion inhibitor were significantly related to water temperature. At 25 °C, when the dosage was 500 ppm, the corrosion inhibition effect was optimal, with an inhibition rate of 86.79%. However, when the temperature increased to 40 °C, the corrosion inhibition effect under each dosage was significantly worse, unable to meet the requirements, and the use of other corrosion inhibitors in combination was necessary. This work will provide a reference for the scientific use of scale and corrosion inhibitors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Low Carbon Development of Water Treatment Technology, 2nd Edition)

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15 pages, 3509 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Burst Diagnosis Multi-Stage Model for Water Distribution Networks Based on Deep Learning Algorithms

by Sen Peng, Yuxin Wang, Xu Fang and Qing Wu

Water 2024, 16(9), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16091258 - 28 Apr 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1405

Abstract

Pipe bursts in water distribution networks (WDNs) pose significant threats to the safety of distribution networks, driving attention to deep learning-based burst detection and localization. However, the applicability of different pressure features still needs to be compared and verified. A large number of nodes challenges deep learning with the excessive number of classification categories and low recognition accuracy. To address these problems, this paper extracts different burst pressure features, including pressure value, pressure difference, and pressure fluctuation ratio, and inputs one of these features into a Burst Diagnosis Multi-Stage Model (BDMM) based on three CS-LSTMs (a combination of the Cuckoo Search algorithm and a long short-term memory network). The first model addresses a binary classification problem, outputting labels indicating whether a pipe burst has occurred. The second one solves a multi-classification problem, outputting the label of the burst partition, and the third model also solves a multi-classification problem, outputting the ID of the bursting junction. The model is tested on a real network and outperforms ELM. For basic burst identification tasks using CS-LSTM, differences among the three features are minimal, while pressure difference and pressure fluctuation ratio exhibit superior performance to pressure value when resolving more complex problems like burst junction localization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Low Carbon Development of Water Treatment Technology, 2nd Edition)

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25 pages, 3481 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Occurrence, Distribution, Environmental Effects, and Interactions of Microplastics and Antibiotics in the Aquatic Environment of China

by Yiping Guo, Wanfei Shao, Weigao Zhao and Hong Zhu

Water 2024, 16(10), 1435; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16101435 - 17 May 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2280

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotics (ATs) have been detected in various aquatic environments and characterized as novel contaminants that have attracted worldwide attention. This review summarizes the characteristics of MPs and ATs, analyzes the sources of MPs and ATs in aquatic environments, reviews the concentration distribution of the two pollutants in China, and introduces the environmental effects of mixing MPs and ATs. Studies on single pollutants of MPs or ATs are well established, but the interactions between the two in aquatic environments are rarely mentioned. The physicochemical characteristics of MPs make them carriers of ATs, which greatly increase their risk of being potential hazards to the environment. Therefore, in this article, the interaction mechanisms between MPs and ATs are systematically sorted out, mainly including hydrophobic, electrostatic, intermolecular interactions, microporous filling, charge-assisted hydrogen bonding, cation-bonding, halogen bonding, and CH/π interactions. Also, factors affecting the interaction between ATs and MPs, such as the physicochemical properties of MPs and ATs and environmental factors, are also considered. Finally, this review identifies some new research topics and challenges for MPs and ATs, in order to gain deeper insight into their behavioral fate and toxic mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Low Carbon Development of Water Treatment Technology, 2nd Edition)

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