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Sustainable Water and Wastewater Treatment: Theory, Methods, and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 4177

Special Issue Editor

School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: environmental functional materials; colloid and interface science; fate and transport of microplastics/nanoplastics; homoaggregation/heteroaggregation; apatite materials; biochar; potential toxic metals; emergent contaminants
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, water contamination and freshwater scarcity have become serious issues worldwide, posing threats to both public health and the environment. It is therefore essential and important that more sustainable processes be developed in order to solve these water-related problems. Sustainable water and wastewater treatment not only detoxicify wastewater and produce clean water, but also reutilize the energy resources and nutrient materials contained in wastewater. From a technical perspective, the emergence of novel technologies and processes makes it possible for sustainable water and wastewater treatment. However, in practice, there still exist some challenges in selecting the most suitable treatment approach, which should consider technical, economic, and environmental benefits.

The aim of this Special Issue, entitled “Sustainable Water and Wastewater Treatment: Theory, Methods, and Applications”, is to provide scientists with access to the latest research articles as well as review articles in water and sustainable wastewater treatment.

Dr. Wei Wei
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • sustainable adsorbents
  • biotechnologies for the sustainable water treatment
  • CO2 sequestration
  • nutrients recovery
  • membrane technology
  • nanotechnologies for the sustainable water treatment
  • removal of emerging contaminants
  • wastewater treatment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 3396 KiB  
Article
Wastewater Treatment Technology for Sustainable Tourism: Sunny Beach, Ravda WWTP Case Study
by Magdalena Bogdanova, Ivaylo Yotinov, Yana Topalova and Valentina Lyubomirova
Water 2025, 17(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17010007 - 24 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1908
Abstract
The sustainable management of water resources is crucial for maintaining high-quality tourism, as it ensures the availability and reuse of water through effective wastewater treatment processes. This requires the implementation of technologies and circular measures for managing water resources. In this context, the [...] Read more.
The sustainable management of water resources is crucial for maintaining high-quality tourism, as it ensures the availability and reuse of water through effective wastewater treatment processes. This requires the implementation of technologies and circular measures for managing water resources. In this context, the present study focuses on the Ravda Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which treats the wastewater of the largest coastal resort in Bulgaria, Sunny Beach. Data from seven consecutive years (2018–2024), including the years of COVID-19 measures, have been analyzed. Particular attention has been paid to analysis during the last two years of this study. For the period 2018–2022, hydrochemical parameters (total nitrogen and total phosphorus, volumetric load of activated sludge/volumetric organic load) and technological parameters (treatment efficiency, COD/BOD5) were examined. In 2023 and 2024, additional parameters such as the SVI, comparative microscopic analysis of activated sludge, dynamics and quantities of aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria and denitrifying bacteria, the abundance of genera Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter, and the elemental composition of the water at the inlet and outlet of the treatment plant, were studied. Samples were taken from five critical control points in the course of the treatment process during the off-season, in April and November, when the plant operates with a reduced number of facilities. The aim of this study is to determine the efficiency of water treatment during the off-season and the possibility of its enlargement and improvement to meet the needs during the high season. Overall, the results of the comprehensive analyses show that the biotechnological system has significant biodegradation potential but requires improvement due to large fluctuations in the number of residents. The socio-economic and environmental situation in the area is extremely dynamic, necessitating the introduction of innovative wastewater treatment measures to balance the negative impact on the environment and ensure the sustainability of high-quality tourism. Full article
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18 pages, 5972 KiB  
Article
Study of the Bunsen–Roscoe Reciprocity Law in Solar Water Disinfection (Optical Effect) for E. coli, E. faecalis and C. perfringens
by Julia Torres, Ana María Palacios, Manuel Fuentes and Marta Vivar
Water 2024, 16(10), 1406; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16101406 - 15 May 2024
Viewed by 1337
Abstract
Water stress and water quality represent major environmental challenges in the 21st century. In response, wastewater management and its potential reuse emerge as strategies to mitigate these problems. This research aims to verify the law of reciprocity in the solar disinfection process of [...] Read more.
Water stress and water quality represent major environmental challenges in the 21st century. In response, wastewater management and its potential reuse emerge as strategies to mitigate these problems. This research aims to verify the law of reciprocity in the solar disinfection process of real secondary wastewater effluents for different faecal microorganisms. Flat disinfection reactors, subjected only to natural and continuous UV radiation, were used. The study focused on the optical effect of UV radiation, eliminating the significant influence of the thermal effect and its synergy in solar disinfection at temperatures above 45 °C, by controlling the temperatures of the water samples to levels below 20 °C. Three experimental tests were carried out on sunny days. Each test comprised two trials, under the following conditions: (a) low solar irradiance over a prolonged time (duration approximately: 2.6 h) and (b) high solar irradiance and a shorter period of time (approximately 2 h), with each receiving the same UV dose. Inactivation kinetics was analysed for E. coli, E. faecalis, and C. perfringens (including spores). The results validated the reciprocity law for E. coli in all tests for UV doses > 20 Wh/m2, showing no significant deviations, with inactivation rates of 0.44 to 0.51 m2/Wh for initial concentrations of 106–107 CFU/100 mL. In contrast, for E. faecalis, the reciprocity was only valid at intensities < 700 W/m2, with rates of 0.04 and 0.035 m2/Wh for 105–106 CFU/100 mL; above this irradiance value, the law varied significantly and was not valid. C. perfringens did not show significant disinfection results during the experiments to verify this law, mainly due to the resistance of its spores. Additional experimentation with C. perfringens is necessary, by extending the length of the experiments and/or conducting them at higher irradiance values, in order to reach bacterial inactivation to enable the analysis of the reciprocity law. In general, the main conclusion from these results is that the reciprocity law in solar disinfection would be difficult to use for the estimation of water solar disinfection based on the irradiance and exposure times, as there are deviations from it at least in one specie (E. faecalis). Mores studies should be carried out to fully understand and determine the validity of this law and its potential application for forecasting solar water disinfection. Full article
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