Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Water Quality Assessment and Pollution Analysis of Surface Water, Wastewater and Groundwater

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 11215

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. José Alberto Herrera-Melián

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain
Interests: wastewater treatment using advanced oxidation techniques (TAOs); basically photocatalysis with TiO₂ and fenton reactions; mainly applicable to industrial wastewater treatment and low-cost purification systems (SDN)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Rayco Guedes-Alonso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain
Interests: analytical chemistry; environmental chemistry; chemical engineering; steroid hormones; emerging pollutants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Sarah Montesdeoca-Esponda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain
Interests: analytical chemistry; emerging pollutants; UV filters; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; extraction techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water is a basic resource for any living thing. The survival and development of human societies depend on the availability of abundant, high-quality water. However, access to water is becoming more challenging for many people worldwide, not only due to its scarcity but also the presence of different pollutants. The United Nations has highlighted the importance of water to human beings by placing at in the center of 2 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 6, Clean water and sanitation, and SDG 14, Life below water.

Nonetheless, defining water quality is not an easy task, since different water uses require different qualities. Thus, it is important to have a technical and legislative framework that determines which pollutants should be measured, the analytical techniques to be employed and the contaminant concentration limits for the different water uses. The constant appearance of new pollutants, even at ultra-trace levels, makes the situation more challenging for scientists and legislators.

This Special Issue intends to review the latest advances in the definition of water quality parameters and the analytical techniques to improve their detection limits, economic cost and reliability.

Dr. José Alberto Herrera-Melián
Dr. Rayco Guedes-Alonso
Dr. Sarah Montesdeoca-Esponda
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

water quality
legislation
water pollution
analysis
groundwater
wastewater
surface water

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

16 pages, 4283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Distribution of Pollutants and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Farmland Groundwater around a Traditional Industrial Park—A Case Study of Shifang City, Southwestern China

by Yibo Zhang, Yue Yu, Guanping An, Tao Huang and Junhan Huang

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14903; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su152014903 - 16 Oct 2023

Viewed by 591

Abstract

In this paper, the groundwater environment in the farmland area around a traditional industrial park in Shifang City, southwest China, was taken as the research object. Geostatistical methods with GIS technology were adopted to analyze the spatial distribution of conventional pollutants and heavy metals in groundwater and to evaluate potential ecological risks. Chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn) and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) distributions showed poor continuity and apparent spatial differentiation, which were primarily attributed to intensive anthropogenic activities (e.g., industrial discharges). The total relative hardness of (TH), SO₄²⁻, and Cl⁻ were uniformly affected by external factors, with little spatial differentiation. Concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), TH, SO₄²⁻, and Cl⁻ followed an approximately normal distribution; the peak values of detected concentrations appeared in the frequency distribution range, while COD_Mn and NH₃-N did not. Groundwater showed enrichment for various heavy metals, mainly Zn and Cu, with apparent spatial differentiation in Cr and Cu, consistent with external interference. The correlation coefficients of Cr–Cu and Cu–Pb were 0.693 and 0.629 (p < 0.01), respectively, indicating similar pollution sources. The single-factor pollution index for groundwater was Ni > Pb > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr. Cu had a moderate potential ecological risk. The six heavy metals’ average integrated potential ecological risk index (RI) revealed that mild pollution accounted for 96.2% of the investigation area. Overall, the traditional industrial park poses a mild ecological risk to the shallow groundwater in the surrounding farmland. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Quality Assessment and Pollution Analysis of Surface Water, Wastewater and Groundwater)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 8761 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Groundwater Hydrogeochemistry Impacted by Industrial Activities in Ain Sukhna Industrial Area, North-Western Part of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt

by Hezam Al-Awah, Mostafa Redwan and Shaymaa Rizk

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12787; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151712787 - 24 Aug 2023

Viewed by 986

Abstract

Economic development and human life depend on groundwater resources in arid regions around the world. To define water quality in the Northwest Gulf of Suez, its elements, geogenic and anthropogenic sources, and suitability for various purposes, ten groundwater samples were collected and analyzed from wells tapping Quaternary and Tertiary aquifers. Average ion distribution was in the following order: Na⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Ca²⁺ > K⁺ and Cl⁻ > SO₄²⁻ > HCO₃⁻. Two water types with hydrochemical Ca-Mg-Cl-SO₄ facies accounted for 30% of samples due to reverse ion exchange, while Na-K-Cl-SO₄ accounted for 70% of samples due to evaporation. Cd (0–0.042 mg/L) and Pb (0–0.222 mg/L) from industrial applications in the study area exceeded the acceptable values in drinking water (>0.003 and 0.01 mg/L, respectively). Heavy metals and ionic value enrichment are due to weathering, precipitation/evaporation, ion exchange, and anthropogenic activities. Most ions in groundwater are higher than the acceptable limits prescribed for drinking water at all sites. Most groundwater in the investigated area is inappropriate for irrigation based on total salinity and MH index. High-salinity-tolerant plants and vegetables can be utilized according to the USSLS diagram. All groundwater samples have improper effects of incrustation and corrosion. Proper management actions are recommended to ameliorate the groundwater quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Quality Assessment and Pollution Analysis of Surface Water, Wastewater and Groundwater)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 8501 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Enterovirus in Water Consumed in Rural Areas in a State in the Midwest Region of Brazil

by Graziela Picciola Bordoni, Lucas Candido Gonçalves Barbosa, Thais Reis Oliveira, Fernando Santos Lima, Viviane Monteiro Goes, Mariely Cordeiro Estrela, Priscila Zanette de Souza, Mônica de Oliveira Santos, Guilherme Rocha Lino de Souza, José Daniel Gonçalves Vieira, Paulo Sérgio Scalize and Lilian Carla Carneiro

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9886; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15139886 - 21 Jun 2023

Viewed by 952

Abstract

Individuals in rural communities often obtain water from surface and groundwater sources, where the microbial quality is often unknown. Enteric viruses are among the main pathogenic microorganisms responsible for waterborne disease outbreaks. Thus, the objective of this work was to search for enterovirus in water samples from 25 rural communities. For this, 160 water samples were collected. Detection and quantification of the enterovirus (EV) were performed through molecular tests using the two main amplification reagents for qPCR. The prevalence of EV was identified in 4.4% (7/160) of the samples when Sybr Green^® was used, all in groundwater sources. Additionally, EV was found in 9.7% of shallow tubular wells, 3.8% of deep tubular wells, 4.3% of shallow dug wells and 5.9% of spring water. When using TaqMan^®, there was no amplification of the EV cDNA. Conclusions: Sybr Green^®, being a more accessible reagent, has a greater predilection for molecular tests, but the study showed that Taqman^® could suffer less interference from environmental samples, resulting in more reliable values of viral quantification. In this context, the detection of EV in groundwater can help in monitoring the virus in this source, in addition to helping managers of these communities in decision making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Quality Assessment and Pollution Analysis of Surface Water, Wastewater and Groundwater)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 5321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Groundwater Quality Index Using Classification Techniques in Arid Environments

by Abdessamed Derdour, Hazem Ghassan Abdo, Hussein Almohamad, Abdullah Alodah, Ahmed Abdullah Al Dughairi, Sherif S. M. Ghoneim and Enas Ali

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9687; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15129687 - 16 Jun 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1967

Abstract

Assessing water quality is crucial for improving global water resource management, particularly in arid regions. This study aims to assess and monitor the status of groundwater quality based on hydrochemical parameters and by using artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. The irrigation water quality index (IWQI) is predicted by using support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbors (KNN) classifiers in Matlab’s classification learner toolbox. The classifiers are fed with the following hydrochemical input parameters: sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), electrical conductivity (EC), bicarbonate level (HCO₃), chloride concentration (Cl), and sodium concentration (Na). The proposed methods were used to assess the quality of groundwater extracted from the desertic region of Adrar in Algeria. The collected groundwater samples showed that 9.64% of samples were of very good quality, 12.05% were of good quality, 21.08% were satisfactory, and 57.23% were considered unsuitable for irrigation. The IWQI prediction accuracies of the classifiers with the standardized, normalized, and raw data were 100%, 100%, and 90%, respectively. The cubic SVM with the normalized data develops the highest prediction accuracy for training and testing samples (94.2% and 100%, respectively). The findings of this work showed that the multiple regression model and machine learning could effectively assess water quality in desert zones for sustainable water management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Quality Assessment and Pollution Analysis of Surface Water, Wastewater and Groundwater)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Impact of Industrial Wastewater on the Water Quality of Rivers around the Bole Lemi Industrial Park (BLIP), Ethiopia

by Fituma Lemessa, Belay Simane, Assefa Seyoum and Girma Gebresenbet

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4290; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15054290 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6155

Abstract

The discharge of industrial waste into water bodies without significant treatment can be a source of water pollution. This study was conducted to assess the impact of industrial wastewater on the water quality in rivers around the Bole Lemi Industrial Park (BLIP). Data were collected from six sampling stations in midstream, downstream, and upstream locations between May and June 2021. In situ (pH, electrical conductivity [EC], total suspended solids [TSS], and temperature) and ex situ (chemical oxygen demand [COD], total nitrogen [TN], total dissolved solids [TDS], total phosphorus [TP], and biological oxygen demand [BOD]) determinations of water quality were conducted. The quality of the water samples was examined using the weighted arithmetic water quality index (WQI) method. A statistical analysis showed that there are significant differences in the water quality parameters among the sampling stations along the river. The results showed different levels of temperature, EC, pH, TSS, TDS, COD, BOD, TN, and TP. The pH values were higher than the pH ranges (6.5–8.5) of USEPA, EU, CES, and WHO at two sampling stations. The results of the WQI showed that the analyzed water samples were in the “unsuitable for consumption” water quality category. These results will be useful for the city administration of Addis Ababa in crafting strategies for the protection and sustainable management of the Bole Lemi River. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Quality Assessment and Pollution Analysis of Surface Water, Wastewater and Groundwater)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Water Quality Assessment and Pollution Analysis of Surface Water, Wastewater and Groundwater

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI