Current Trends and Perspectives in the Application of Polymeric Materials for Wastewater Treatment II

Dear Colleagues,

Water is indispensable to the functioning of most known life forms, and good water quality is essential to human health, social and economic development, and ecosystem functioning. Nonetheless, population growth has being leading to the degradation and depletion of freshwater resources around the world. Under these circumstances, ensuring sufficient and safe water supplies for everyone is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030. For this goal to be achieved, the development and implementation of appropriate and efficient wastewater treatments that allow reducing water pollution is a major challenge.

The application of polymers and polymeric materials in wastewater treatment is a research field that has developed greatly. Conventional and novel approaches have been carried out by researchers from different areas, who have demonstrated that polymers and polymeric materials may have an important role in the removal of pollutants of different origin and nature from wastewater, in the disposal of sludge, in the recycling of materials, in the improved efficiency and economy of wastewater, etc.

In view of the relevant contributions that polymers and polymeric materials may make in the conservation of the aquatic environment, namely, by their application in wastewater treatment, this Special Issue aims at the publication of original research or review papers within this area. Scientific contributions on any aspect related to utilization of polymers and polymeric materials—either synthetic or natural—in the treatment or purification of wastewater are welcomed.

Given the large spectrum of materials, types of pollution and treatment processes, this is a widely inclusive Special Issue. Subject areas may include but are not limited to applications such as:

• Coagulation–flocculation;
• Membrane processes;
• Ion exchange;
• Adsorption;
• New (nano)materials production, characterization or utilization;
• Surface modification and/or functionalization;
• Molecularly imprinted polymers;
• Polymer catalysts for water treatment;
• Polymeric blends, hybrids or (nano)composites;
• Combined or integrated treatments;
• Novel strategies for efficiency enhancement;
• Sustainable wastewater treatment;
• Management of sludge from wastewater treatment.

Dr. Marta Otero
Dr. Ricardo N. Coimbra
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Polymers 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 2700 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.

• wastewater treatment
• organic contaminants
• inorganic contaminants
• pollutant removal
• polymer applications