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Physical–Chemical Wastewater Treatment Technologies, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2026 | Viewed by 2370

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Alicante, Ap. 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Interests: phase equilibrium; water quality; electromagnetic treatment; contamination of sediments and marine organisms; emerging contaminants; wastewater; microorganisms
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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Alicante, Ap. 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Interests: water analysis; environmental chemistry; water quality; geochemistry; water treatment; environmental analysis; water quality analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that wastewater contains organic and inorganic pollutants, and they may pose hazards to human health and ecosystems. The current action plans regarding the circular economy call for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to be turned into water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). In this scenario, treatment activities are focused on improving water and sewage sludge quality for recovery opportunities and minimizing environmental damage. Physical–chemical treatments are particularly important to remove water-insoluble substances or colloids. This is achieved through the addition of coagulants and flocculants. Conventional processes are focused on macropollutants including suspended solids, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and pathogens from wastewater; however, they are not designed to effectively remove micropollutants, such as recalcitrant pharmaceuticals. Finding the proper technology to remove these compounds is still challenging.

In this Special Issue, we invite submissions studying recent advances in the field of physical–chemical treatments for wastewater, including theoretical and experimental analyses, as well as comprehensive review papers. They will undoubtedly contribute to the knowledge and development of the technology. The following topics are proposed, although other related topics are also welcome:

  • Development of new physical, chemical and hybrid treatments for wastewater containing micropollutants;
  • Improvement of existing methods to achieve higher removal of pollutants;
  • Development of cost-effective methods;
  • Analysis of emerging micropollutants in wastewater and sewage sludge;
  • Fate and transport of pollutants in water and sewage sludge.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. María Dolores Saquete
Prof. Dr. Nuria Boluda Botella
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-anonymized 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

  • micropollutants
  • emerging pollutants
  • persistent organic pollutants
  • advanced wastewater technologies
  • sewage sludge pollution
  • physical–chemical treatments

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 7187 KB  
Article
Biomass-Derived Hydrochar Functionalized with Mg–Fe Layered Double Hydroxide for Bicomponent Cd(II)/Zn(II) Adsorption in Aqueous Systems
by Jipson Joel Avila-Carranza, Luis Ángel Zambrano-Intriago, Alejandro Josué García-Guerrero, Kevin Jhon Fernández-Andrade, Lisdelys González-Rodríguez, Iris B. Pérez-Almeida and Joan Manuel Rodríguez-Díaz
Water 2026, 18(14), 1658; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18141658 (registering DOI) - 8 Jul 2026
Abstract
Toxic metal contamination in aquatic systems commonly occurs as multicomponent mixtures, making competitive adsorption assessment essential for realistic adsorbent evaluation. This study investigated corn stalk-derived hydrochar functionalized with Mg-Fe layered double hydroxide (Mg–Fe-LDH@HC) for simultaneous Cd(II) and Zn(II) adsorption in aqueous bicomponent systems. [...] Read more.
Toxic metal contamination in aquatic systems commonly occurs as multicomponent mixtures, making competitive adsorption assessment essential for realistic adsorbent evaluation. This study investigated corn stalk-derived hydrochar functionalized with Mg-Fe layered double hydroxide (Mg–Fe-LDH@HC) for simultaneous Cd(II) and Zn(II) adsorption in aqueous bicomponent systems. The material was evaluated through pH and dosage optimization, kinetic assays, bicomponent equilibrium modeling, thermodynamic assessment, mixture-design experiments, regeneration tests, and applicability assays with interfering ions and real water matrices. Under the selected conditions, pH 6.75, 4 g L−1 Mg–Fe-LDH@HC, 1 mM equimolar Cd(II)/Zn(II), 298.15 K, and 180 min, near-complete removal of both metals was achieved. Kinetic analysis showed rapid initial uptake followed by a slower approach to equilibrium. Bangham, Elovich, and Weber-Morris analyses supported a multistage adsorption process involving external surface uptake, diffusion-related resistance, and heterogeneous surface interactions, although intraparticle diffusion was not the sole rate-controlling step. Bicomponent equilibrium was better described by heterogeneous models, particularly the double-layer model and Extended Sips, indicating non-equivalent adsorption domains. Thermodynamic parameters showed favorable and mildly endothermic adsorption with limited temperature dependence. Mixture-design experiments demonstrated that metal proportion influenced adsorption more strongly than temperature, with increasing Cd(II) fractions reducing Zn(II) retention. Overall, Mg–Fe-LDH@HC showed promising performance for Cd(II)/Zn(II) removal under competitive conditions, although the adsorption pathway should be interpreted as an evidence-supported combined process rather than individually confirmed mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical–Chemical Wastewater Treatment Technologies, 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 2792 KB  
Article
Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Through Anaerobic Digestion in the Instant Coffee Industry: A Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment
by Rosa Alexandra Córdova-Mosquera, Carlos Augusto Morales-Paredes, Iris B. Pérez-Almeida, María Dolores Saquete, Nuria Boluda-Botella, Deny Oliva-Merencio, José-Manuel Pais-Chanfrau, Joan Manuel Rodríguez-Díaz and Ileana Pereda-Reyes
Water 2025, 17(22), 3207; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223207 - 10 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1938
Abstract
The coffee industry generates wastewater with high organic loads, which represents both an environmental challenge and a potential resource. This study proposes a novel, integrated solution for an instant coffee plant in Ecuador by incorporating anaerobic digestion into the treatment train. The approach [...] Read more.
The coffee industry generates wastewater with high organic loads, which represents both an environmental challenge and a potential resource. This study proposes a novel, integrated solution for an instant coffee plant in Ecuador by incorporating anaerobic digestion into the treatment train. The approach uniquely combines rigorous kinetic analysis with a comprehensive techno-economic and sustainability assessment. Long-term operation of upflow anaerobic filters confirmed the superior stability and performance of the mesophilic regime. Under these conditions, the process achieved a methane yield of 200.5 mLCH4 g−1COD and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 64.1%. The experimental data fitted to the modified Stover–Kincannon and Grau second-order kinetic models (R2 > 0.95) validating the robustness of the mesophilic operation. For the technological proposal, a hydraulic retention time of 7.3 days and an organic loading rate of 1.03 kgCOD m−3 d−1 were established. The economic evaluation confirms that a minimum price of USD 171 per 60 kgbag is required to achieve a positive net present value with a payback period of 5.47 years. Furthermore, the system transitions the facility’s energy profile to net-positive status, with an energy recovery ratio of 1.67, and strengthens the environmental sustainability of the proposal. It is concluded that anaerobic digestion is a viable technology from technical, economic, and environmental perspectives, enhancing the performance of the instant coffee industry and generating added value from highly polluting waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical–Chemical Wastewater Treatment Technologies, 2nd Edition)
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