Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.0
3.0
Journals
Water
Special Issues
Advances in Control Technologies for Emerging Contaminants in Water
water-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Water Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Control Technologies for Emerging Contaminants in Water

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 1671

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Weiying Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Interests: membrane; filtering; drinking water treatment applications; tracing microbial contamination; water pollution prevention and control; microbial communities in distribution systems; microbial contamination; membrane fouling control technology; microorganisms stability; microbiological safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dawei Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Interests: membrane preparation; membrane fouling; advanced membrane; biofilm; drinking water treatment; coagulation; adsorption

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine-disrupting compounds, microplastics, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are being detected with increasing frequency and concentration in aquatic environments. Due to their potential ecological toxicity, bioaccumulation, and resistance to degradation, these substances pose severe challenges to drinking water safety, ecosystem health, and human well-being. Conventional water treatment processes often fall short when addressing these complex, low-concentration yet highly active pollutants. Therefore, developing efficient, sustainable, and economically feasible control technologies for ECs has become a cutting-edge research priority and an urgent demand in the fields of environmental science and engineering.

This Special Issue aims to gather the latest research findings and innovative advances from scholars worldwide on control technologies for emerging contaminants. We invite researchers to submit original research articles, review papers, and frontier technology reports, collectively exploring comprehensive solutions along the entire chain—from source reduction and process interruption to end-of-pipe treatment.

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

  • Detection, risk assessment, and policy management of ECs;
  • Multi-technology-coupled processes;
  • Green and sustainable technologies;
  • Bioaugmentation and novel biological treatment approaches;
  • Advanced adsorption and separation materials;
  • Advanced oxidation/reduction technologies.

Prof. Dr. Weiying Li
Guest Editor

Dr. Dawei Zhang
Guest Editor Assistant

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

  • Emerging Contaminants (ECs)
  • water treatment technologies
  • Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs)
  • adsorption materials
  • microplastics
  • PFAS
  • biological degradation
  • hybrid treatment systems
  • environmental risk assessment
  • sustainable water management
  • water quality
  • analytical methods

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.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 2709 KB  
Article
Occurrence, Seasonal Variation, and Microbial Drivers of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in a Residential Secondary Water Supply System
by Huaiyu Tian, Yu Zhou, Dawei Zhang and Weiying Li
Water 2026, 18(2), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18020281 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 399
Abstract
The widespread use of antibiotics has led to the persistence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in drinking water systems, posing potential public health risks at the point of use. In this study, a residential secondary water supply system (SWSS) [...] Read more.
The widespread use of antibiotics has led to the persistence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in drinking water systems, posing potential public health risks at the point of use. In this study, a residential secondary water supply system (SWSS) in eastern China was investigated over one year to characterize microbial communities, ARB and ARG occurrence, and their associations with water quality in bulk water and biofilms. Culture-based methods, flow cytometry, quantitative PCR, and high-throughput 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing were applied. Although conventional treatment removed 94.8% of total bacteria, significant microbial regrowth occurred during secondary distribution, with the highest heterotrophic plate counts observed in rooftop storage tanks (up to 4718 CFU/mL). ARG concentrations increased along the distribution line, and the class 1 integron intI1 was enriched in downstream locations, indicating enhanced horizontal gene transfer potential. Sulfonamide resistance genes dominated the resistome, accounting for more than 60% of total ARG abundance in water samples. Seasonally, ARG levels were higher in autumn and winter, coinciding with elevated disinfectant residuals and lower temperatures. Chlorine was negatively associated with total bacterial abundance, while positive correlations were observed with the relative abundance of several ARGs when normalized to bacterial biomass, suggesting selective pressure under oxidative stress. Turbidity and bacterial abundance were positively correlated with ARB, particularly sulfonamide-resistant bacteria. Biofilms exhibited more stable microbial communities and provided microhabitats that facilitated microbial persistence. Notably, fungal abundance showed strong positive correlations with multiple ARGs, implying that microbial interactions may indirectly contribute to ARG persistence in SWSSs. These findings highlight the role of secondary distribution conditions, disinfectant pressure, and microbial interactions in shaping resistance risks in residential water supply systems, and provide insights for improving microbial risk management at the point of consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Control Technologies for Emerging Contaminants in Water)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

28 pages, 1252 KB  
Review
Heterogeneous Catalytic Ozonation for Degradation of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds (PHACs) in Wastewater: A Review
by Yifeng Yang, Jianbiao Peng and Xin Zhang
Water 2025, 17(24), 3490; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17243490 - 10 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1062
Abstract
Catalytic ozonation has been widely utilized in environmental applications, such as the removal of pharmaceutical active compounds (PHACs) from wastewater, due to its outstanding catalytic efficiency. To further enhance its performance and expand its practical application, ozone-based hybrid processes have been investigated, including [...] Read more.
Catalytic ozonation has been widely utilized in environmental applications, such as the removal of pharmaceutical active compounds (PHACs) from wastewater, due to its outstanding catalytic efficiency. To further enhance its performance and expand its practical application, ozone-based hybrid processes have been investigated, including ultraviolet radiation/ozonation, hydrogen peroxide/ozonation, ultrasonication/ozonation, and biological treatment/ozonation. Ozone degrades pollutants via two primary pathways: direct oxidation (via molecular ozone) and indirect oxidation (via reactive intermediates). Enhancing ozone decomposition into various reactive oxygen species (ROS), predominantly hydroxyl radicals, can significantly augment the degradation efficiency of pollutants. The surface adsorption and electron transfer processes of catalysts can promote ozone activation and decomposition into ROS to achieve the efficient degradation and mineralization of pollutants. Among catalysts, Mn-based catalysts have been extensively studied in past research. They have demonstrated exceptional performance when combined with other metals, such as Mn/Ce, Mn/Fe, and Mn/Co, etc., due to synergistic effects arising from bimetallic interactions. The inherent characteristics of catalyst supports may also influence the generation process of ROS. Choosing an appropriate support is conducive to promoting the uniform distribution of catalytic active sites on the catalyst surface and avoiding the agglomeration of metal particles, and it is also beneficial for the recovery and reuse of the catalyst. Furthermore, coupling catalytic ozonation processes with techniques like high-gravity technology, jet reactor systems, and micro–nano-bubbles can improve the utilization efficiency of ozone by exploiting gas cavitation effects. In this paper, we summarize the research progress in the degradation of PHACs using catalytic ozonation and discuss strategies for improving the mass transfer efficiency of ozone in water. Finally, the challenges and opportunities associated with applying catalytic ozonation in practical applications are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Control Technologies for Emerging Contaminants in Water)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop