Sustainable Water Purification Technologies for Multiple Applications, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Water is an element that is key to the maintenance of human well-being, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. Even in countries with adequate water resources, water scarcity is not uncommon. Although this may be due to a number of factors, such as inefficient infrastructure and distribution systems, contamination, conflict, or the poor management of water resources, it is evident that climate change, as well as human factors, are increasingly depriving a relevant part of the population worldwide from access to water. Therefore, proposals for highly effective and inexpensive methods of fresh, salt, and wastewater treatment and purification are of great importance. Moreover, it is crucial to consider the water–energy–food nexus; water security is very much linked with both energy and food security, meaning that the actions in any one particular area often have effects in one or both of the other areas.

At the present stage, there are a vast number of methods available for the treatment of waste and natural waters and the treatment target may vary on the basis of water-specific application (i.e., drinkable water, domestic hot water production, water for irrigation, water for industrial/energy processes, and water for e-fuels generation, such as hydrogen). Modern methods of water treatment include the use of various sorption materials (like nanostructures, sorbents from waste, biosorbents, and plant sorbents); membrane technologies (like ultra- and microfiltration and reverse osmosis); phytoremediation technologies using higher aquatic plants (like Eichhornia, duckweed, and limnophila); and many more, depending on the final water use and chemical–physical characteristics required. The development and application of innovative and sustainable methods of water treatment for multiple applications will solve a number of environmental problems that are associated with clean water and public health, as well as increasing food and energy security.

This Topic, entitled “Sustainable Water Purification Technologies for Multiple Applications, 2nd Edition", aims to systematize sustainable technologies used around the world, providing the global community with water for multiple applications in the water–food–energy nexus and related areas.

The featured topics are as follows:

• Sustainable treatment of natural water and wastewater for drinkable water production, including through the application of sorbents, biological, physical, and chemical methods;
• Sustainable treatment of natural water and wastewater for direct use in agriculture, including desalination;
• Sustainable treatment of natural water and wastewater for direct use in industrial processes, including heat and power plants;
• Sustainable treatment of natural water and wastewater for use as a feeding element to energy-to-chemical conversion systems, such as water electrolysis.

Dr. Marco Pellegrini
Prof. Cesare Saccani
Dr. Alessandro Guzzini
Topic Editors