Water Treatment Technology and Artificial Intelligence
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "New Sensors, New Technologies and Machine Learning in Water Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 172
Special Issue Editors
Interests: water treatment plants; water treatment technology; artificial intelligence; carbon consumption
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: artificial intelligence; deep learning; advanced control; model; optimization; drinking water treatment
Interests: aquatic environmental system; water environment simulation bioaccumulation and biotransformation; water treatment and optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping the landscape of drinking water and wastewater treatment. As water systems face escalating pressures from climate change, emerging contaminants, and aging infrastructure, there is a critical need for more efficient, adaptive, and intelligent management paradigms. The objective of this Special Issue is to serve as a multidisciplinary platform that consolidates cutting-edge research at the nexus of water engineering and AI. It focuses particularly on how intelligent algorithms can fundamentally enhance both theoretical understanding and practical problem-solving in water treatment processes.
Scope and Purpose
The overall focus of this Special Issue is to critically examine the paradigm shift from conventional process control to AI-driven optimization and prediction in water science. We seek contributions that demonstrate how AI—encompassing machine learning, deep learning, and hybrid models—functions as a high-efficiency enabling technology to address complex physical, chemical, and biological phenomena in water systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
（1）Intelligent Process Monitoring and Control: The development of AI models (e.g., neural networks, reinforcement learning) for the real-time control of unit processes such as coagulation, membrane filtration, AOPs (Advanced Oxidation Processes), and biological nutrient removal.
（2）Predictive Modeling for Water Quality: Utilizing AI to forecast source water quality changes (e.g., algal blooms, turbidity spikes) and predict effluent quality, enabling proactive treatment strategies and ensuring regulatory compliance.
（3）Theoretical Advancement through Data-Driven Discovery: Employing AI to uncover hidden nonlinear relationships in treatment mechanisms, thereby refining existing engineering theories or proposing new hypotheses regarding pollutant transformation and transport.
（4）Digital Twins and Infrastructure Resilience: Designing AI-powered digital twin frameworks for system optimization, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance in water and wastewater treatment plants.
（5）Resource Recovery and Energy Efficiency: Applying optimization algorithms to maximize resource recovery (e.g., phosphorus, biogas) while minimizing the carbon footprint and energy consumption of treatment facilities.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to bridge the gap between complex algorithmic potential and practical engineering application, fostering the development of "smart water systems" that are resilient, sustainable, and data-driven.
Prof. Dr. Yulin Tang
Dr. Dongsheng Wang
Dr. Yajun Wang
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 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. 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
- drinking water treatment
- wastewater treatment
- artificial intelligence
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.
