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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 21713

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Muhammad Usman

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Guest Editor

Center for Environmental Studies and Research, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud 123, Muscat, Oman
Interests: synthesis and applications of environmental materials for soil and water remediation; advanced oxidation processes, adsorption, and nanotechnology; persitent organic pollutants; heavy metals; iron geochemistry

Dr. Yasir Hamid

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: contaminated soil and water remediation; potentially toxic elements; soil biogeochemistry; environmental sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water scarcity is a significant problem in many societies, to which the reuse of wastewater after appropriate treatment could offer a sustainable solution. Owing to recent advances in technologies for wastewater treatment and reuse, wastewater effluents with consistently high quality can be achieved, which can then possibly be reused in the agriculture, industry, and urban sectors.

This Special Issue is intended to cover existing techniques which are used to remove different contaminants from wastewater. Moreover, sustainable solutions for wastewater management will also be covered, with an emphasis on agricultural reuse and irrigation technologies. The implications of wastewater reuse in the soil–plant system and their potential solutions will also be a focus of this issue.

To cover this theme, original research papers, review articles, and short communications on the following topics are invited:

Wastewater treatment techniques;
Monitoring and fate of contaminants in wastewater;
Irrigation systems and practices for the reuse of wastewater in agriculture;
Reuse of wastewater in industrial and urban sectors;
Implications of wastewater reuse and contaminants therein on soil quality and plant growth;
Sustainable management of pollutants in wastewater irrigated/contaminated soils;
Management of nutrients and fertilizers using treated wastewater;
Recovery of nutrients and other resources from wastewater.

Dr. Muhammad Usman
Dr. Yasir Hamid
Guest Editors

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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

wastewater treatment
wastewater reuse
wastewater monitoring
sustainable agriculture
emerging contaminants
environmental remediation
resource recovery

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Quality of Treated Wastewater for Irrigation: A Case Study of Ain Sefra Wastewater Treatment Plant

by Tayyib Moussaoui, Abdessamed Derdour, Alia Hosni, Manuel Ballesta-de los Santos, Pilar Legua and Miguel Ángel Pardo-Picazo

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11133; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151411133 - 17 Jul 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2631

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the water quality parameters in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Ain Sefra, southwestern Algeria. Various methods were employed to analyze the performance and suitability of the WWTP for irrigation. The results revealed effective removal of nitrates, with levels below the limit set for irrigation water. The dissolved oxygen content showed efficient biological processes and good degradation of organic matter. Phosphate levels were found to be within FAO and Algerian irrigation standards. However, elevated ammonia levels were observed, exceeding typical ranges for irrigation. The suitability of groundwater for irrigation was evaluated by calculating groundwater suitability indices. These indices categorized all samples as either excellent or good based on their Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Kelly’s ratio. However, the sodium percentage values raised concerns about potential negative effects on the soil. Some samples were deemed unsuitable for irrigation because of high magnesium hazard and potential salinity values. These findings offer valuable insights into the performance and suitability of treated wastewater for irrigation in the Ain Sefra region. They can inform decision makers and stakeholders involved in agriculture and water management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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17 pages, 2531 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing Sustainable Phytoextraction of Lead from Contaminated Soil Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

by Maria Manzoor, Usman Rauf Kamboh, Sumaira Gulshan, Sven Tomforde, Iram Gul, Alighazi Siddiqui and Muhammad Arshad

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11049; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151411049 - 14 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 895

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is well known for the containment of soil surfaces. In the last few decades, phytoremediation has been the most ideal technology to extract Pb from soil, involving numerous chemical reactions and cost analysis. The aim of this study is to model and to optimize Pb extraction from the contaminated soil via Pelargonium hortorum by comparing two modeling approaches: response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) with the genetic algorithm (GA). To determine the significance of the proposed solution, in vitro essays were performed to check the Pb tolerance of bacterial strains (NCCP 1844, 1848, 1857, and 1862), followed by the co-application of bacteria and citric acid on a Pb hyperaccumulator (Pelargonium hortorum L.) on Murashige and Skoog (MS) agar medium. Afterwards, a pot culture experiment was performed to optimize Pb extraction competency from Pb-spiked (0 mg kg⁻¹, 500 mg kg⁻¹, 1000 mg kg⁻¹, and 1500 mg kg⁻¹) soil by Pelargonium hortorum L., to which citric acid (5 and 10 mmol L⁻¹) and Microbacterium paraoxydance (1 and 1.5 OD) were applied. Plants were harvested at 30, 60, and 90 day intervals, and they were analyzed for dry biomass and Pb uptake characteristics. The maximum Pb extraction efficiency of 86.0% was achieved with 500 mg kg⁻¹ soil Pb for 60 days. Furthermore, RSM, based on the Box–Behnken design (BBD) and the ANN-based Levenberg–Marquardt Algorithm (LMA), were applied to model Pb extraction from the soil. The significance of the predicted values from RSM and LMA were close to 36.0% and 86.05%, respectively, compared to the laboratory values. The comprehensive evaluation of these findings encouraged the accuracy, reliability, and efficiency of the ANN for the optimization process. Therefore, experimental results showed that ANN is an accurate technique to optimize an integrated phytoremediation system for sustainable Pb removal, besides being environmentally friendly and potentially cost-effective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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18 pages, 2557 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Synthesized Biomass Bamboo Charcoal–Iron Oxide “BC/Fe” Nanocomposite Adsorbents in the Removal of Cationic Methylene Blue Dye Contaminants from Wastewater by Adsorption

by Tushar Kanti Sen

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8841; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15118841 - 30 May 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1323

Abstract

In this work, synthesized, raw-bamboo-biomass-based magnetic “BC/Fe” bamboo charcoal–iron oxide nanocomposite adsorbents were characterized and tested for their effects on the removal of aqueous-phase cationic methylene blue (MB) dye pollutants from synthetic wastewater through a laboratory batch adsorption study. This batch adsorption study aimed to identify various physico-chemical process parameters such as initial dye concentration, solution pH, adsorbent dose, temperature, and their effects on the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm characteristics. From the kinetic studies, it was found that the amount of MB dye adsorption by synthesized adsorbents q_e (mg/g) increased from 9.50 mg/g to 15.30 mg/g with the increase in the initial dye concentration range of 10 to 30 ppm, as per contact time, but decreased with the increase in the temperature range from 30 to 60 °C and the adsorbent doses from 20 to 40 mg, respectively, under specified experimental process conditions. From the kinetic study, it was also found that equilibrium was reached within 120 min, the adsorption kinetics followed three mechanistic steps, and the pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model was applicable to explain the data of the batch adsorption kinetics. The various kinetic model parameters were determined from a fitted model equation. Furthermore, there was an increase in the amount of the MB dye adsorption q_e (mg/g) from 9.87 mg/g to 17.62 mg/g with the increase in the solution pH from 3 to 7, and a reduction in the amount of dye adsorption q_e (mg/g) was found at the solution pH of 10 for a 20 ppm MB dye solution at 30 °C. Both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were applicable to the equilibrium data, and the maximum adsorption capacity from the Langmuir isotherm fitting was 111.11 mg/g, which was comparative to or even better than many other magnetic adsorbents for methylene blue dye adsorption. Finally, the regeneration and reusability of the magnetic “BC/Fe” bamboo charcoal–iron oxide nanocomposite materials as well as the limitations of these batch adsorption studies are also discussed here. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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16 pages, 2095 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Sequential and Simultaneous Supplementation of Waste-Derived Volatile Fatty Acids and Methanol as Alternative Carbon Source Blend for Wastewater Denitrification

by Tugba Sapmaz, Reza Manafi, Amir Mahboubi, Derya Y. Koseoglu-Imer and Mohammad J. Taherzadeh

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6849; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15086849 - 19 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1219

Abstract

Supplementation of alternative carbon sources is a technological bottleneck, particularly in post-denitrification processes due to stringent effluent nitrogen levels. This study focuses on enhancing the sustainability of wastewater treatment practices by partially replacing conventionally used fossil-derived methanol with organic waste-derived volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs). In this regards, results of denitrification batch assays with sequential or simultaneous addition of VFA effluent from acidogenic fermentation of potato starch residue (AD-VFA_PPL) and chicken manure (AD-VFA_CKM), simulated synthetic VFAs solutions (sVFAs), and methanol as carbon source were presented and discussed. Although methanol has proven superior in the conversion of nitrate to nitrite, VFAs are more effective when it comes to reducing nitrite. Although solely added AD-VFA_PPL had a slower denitrification capability (0.56 ± 0.13 mgNO_x-N removed/m²/day) than methanol (1.04 ± 0.46 mgNO_x-N removed/m²/day), up to 50% of the methanol can be replaced by waste-derived AD-VFA_PPL and achieve comparable performance (1.08 ± 0.07 mgNO_x-N removed/m²/day) with the pure methanol. This proves that the co-addition of VFAs together with methanol can fully compete with pure methanol in performance, providing a promising opportunity for wastewater treatment plants to potentially reduce their carbon footprint and become more sustainable in practice while benefiting from recovered nutrients from waste. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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8 pages, 907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Characteristics of ¹²⁵I Absorption and Accumulation in Eggplants

by Chun-Lai Hong, Xin Lu, Huan-Xin Weng, Wei-Ping Wang, Feng-Xiang Zhu and Yan-Lai Yao

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12389; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912389 - 29 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1233

Abstract

Iodine fortification of plants is a means of improving the nutritional iodine status for humans. However, knowledge regarding iodine absorption and accumulation in plants remains limited. Hence, we used nutrient culture and isotope tracking methods, and the radioactivity of ¹²⁵I was measured by using a multi-channel spectrometer to study the characteristics of ¹²⁵I absorption and accumulation in an eggplant. The results showed that ¹²⁵I was detected in the stems and leaves after 20 min of incubation in the iodine-containing nutrient solution, while it took 40 min to be detected in fruits, indicating a relatively slow migration of ¹²⁵I from the roots to the fruits. The absorption and accumulation of ¹²⁵I by various organs of the eggplant significantly differed, with ¹²⁵I accumulation in the roots accounting for more than 80% of the whole plant (120 h), significantly higher than the above-ground parts. The absorption rate of all parts of the eggplant rapidly increased within a short period of ¹²⁵I treatment, peaking at 12 h for the roots and at 3 h for transferring to the stems, leaves, and fruits. The results of this study indicate that the transferability of ¹²⁵I from the roots to the over-ground parts of the eggplant is high, and eggplant fruits have the potential to continuously accumulate ¹²⁵I. It is feasible to select eggplant as an iodine-rich crop for cultivation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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24 pages, 6641 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorptive Removal of Lead and Chromate Ions from Water by Using Iron-Doped Granular Activated Carbon Obtained from Coconut Shells

by Lubna Jaber, Ihsanullah Ihsanullah, Ismail W. Almanassra, Sumina Namboorimadathil Backer, Alaa Abushawish, Abdelrahman K. A. Khalil, Hussain Alawadhi, Abdallah Shanableh and Muataz Ali Atieh

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10877; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710877 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 1838

Abstract

In this study, a low-cost granular activated carbon doped with Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (Fe–GAC) was prepared via a modified sol-gel technique and utilized for the elimination of lead (Pb(II)) and chromium (Cr(T)) ions from synthetic and actual brackish water. The effect of adsorption parameters on the removal of Pb(II) and Cr(T) ions from the water was evaluated in batch adsorption tests. The characterization results validated the distribution of well-defined Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles onto the GAC surface. GAC loaded with 5 wt.% of Fe₂O₃ (Fe–GAC 5) exhibited a maximum surface area of 848.2 m² g⁻¹. The equilibrium data of Cr(T) adsorption were in close agreement with the Langmuir and Sips models with R² values of 0.95 and 0.96, respectively. However, the R² values of the equilibrium data for Pb(II) adsorption were greater than 0.91 for all four models, i.e., Langmuir, and Sips, Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities of Pb(II) and Cr(T) by Fe–GAC 5 at pH 5.6 and room temperature were 11.9 and 22.1 mg g⁻¹, respectively. Pseudo-second order (R²_Pb(II) = 0.99, R²_Cr(T) = 0.99) and Elovich kinetic models (R²_Pb(II) = 1, R²_Cr(T) = 1) were found the most suitable for describing the adsorption kinetics data of Pb(II) and Cr(T) using Fe–GAC 5. The adsorption/desorption studies illustrated that the Fe–GAC is reusable and can be regenerated using 1.0 M HCl. Moreover, the Fe–GAC 5 was found effective to reduce heavy metals loading in actual brackish water to the allowed international standards of drinking water. Accordingly, the Fe–GAC could be a promising material for large-scale applications for the elimination of heavy metals from water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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10 pages, 2298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioremediation of Vanadium from Contaminated Water in Bioreactor Using Methylocystis hirsuta Bacterium: Comparisons with In Silico 2D and 3D Simulations

by Fatemeh Samaei, Fatemeh Yazdian, Farid Menaa and Ashrafalsadat Hatamian-Zarmi

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8807; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148807 - 19 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1393

Abstract

The elimination of poisonous wastes (e.g., heavy metals) from polluted water remains challenging, both in industrialized societies and developing countries. To overcome this human health and environmental issue, biotechnology (e.g., biosorption, bioaccumulation) is being applied as an economic and eco-friendly option compared to physicochemical methods (e.g., adsorption, membrane filtration, and coagulation–flocculation). The development of the appropriate biotechnology process (i.e., bioremediation) requires more accurate information and details, which are possible to obtain through the design of a set of resources and various computer applications. In sustainable remediation, microorganisms are one of the feasible choices for modifying and remaking the natural condition. In this in silico study, the methanotroph Methylocystis hirsuta (M. hirsuta) was used for the first time to simulate the removal of vanadium (Vn) from contaminated water through two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) modeling using COMSOL 4.4 software. Rotating machinery-laminar flow, transport of diluted species, and reaction engineering physics were also used. Independency analyses of the numerical network, concentration contour, velocity contour, concentration–time, and velocity–distance charts were also calculated. The data consistently showed that the removal of Vn increased with increasing velocity (which depends on time). Indeed, the amount of pollutant removal at 120 rpm, 160 rpm, and 200 rpm was maintained at 10%, 12%, and 12%, respectively. The simulation results showed excellent conformity (less than 20%) with previously reported laboratory results. This proposed model of bioremediation is thus a reliable and accurate solution for the removal of heavy metals (i.e., Vn and possibly others) from polluted areas (such as contaminated water). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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19 pages, 5871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Uneven Flow Wastewater Distribution on the Technological Efficiency of a Sequencing Batch Reactor

by Adam Masłoń

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2405; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14042405 - 19 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1930

Abstract

Variability in the load of pollutants significantly influences the efficiency of activated sludge technology in municipal wastewater treatment plants, both in terms of flow systems and in sequencing batch reactors (SBR). Diversified inflow of wastewater to the treatment plant has a significant impact on the technological efficiency of sequencing batch reactors. Additionally, this problem is intensified in technological systems in which there is no storage tank for raw wastewater. It is assumed, however, that the flexible operation of an SBR reactor allows it to be easily adapted to a variable load of pollutants. The aim of the article is to present the effects of uneven wastewater inflow on the operation of sequencing batch reactors using the example of the wastewater treatment plant in Rabka-Zdrój (Poland). The conducted research has shown that, in wastewater treatment plants, the use of sequencing batch reactors as an independent element of biological wastewater treatment does not always ensure a high degree of pollutant removal in the event of a very uneven wastewater inflow. Therefore, the use treated wastewater equalizing tanks is recommended, which can additionally clean residual contaminants from wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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16 pages, 4357 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of a Partial Nitrogen Lab-Scale Sequencing Batch Reactor for the Treatment of Organic Wastewater and Its N₂O Production Pathways, and the Microbial Mechanism

by Ying Liu, Boyan Ma and Zhipei Liu

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1457; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031457 - 27 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1607

Abstract

Partial nitrification (PN) is a widely used wastewater treatment process. Here a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor for PN (PN-SBR) was constructed and run with artificial organic wastewater for 225 days. Results showed that the SBR reached a stable PN state after 174 days of operation and >98% of NH₄⁺-N was removed and >60% was converted to NO₂⁻-N with low effluent NO₃⁻-N content. In a PN-SBR cycle at stage IV, the release of N₂O was accompanied by the production of hydroxylamine, occurring mainly in the conversion from anaerobic to aerobic phases, and the amount of N₂O produced was about 6.3% of the total nitrogen. The N₂O isotopic signature results suggested that hydroxylamine oxidation was the main pathway for N₂O production. Illumina MiSeq sequencing results showed that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla throughout the operation period. Many heterotrophic nitrifiers were significantly enriched, leading to ammonia removal and nitrite accumulation, including Acidovorax, Paracoccus, Propionibacteriaceae_unclassified, Shinella, Comamonas and Brevundimonas. Representative strains were isolated from the reactor and they were capable of efficiently producing nitrite from ammonia. These results provide a guide for the direct running of PN reactors for treating organic wastewater and help to understand the microbial processes and N₂O release pathways and the microbial mechanism of partial nitrification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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17 pages, 4301 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Remediation of Emerging Heavy Metals from Water Using Natural Adsorbent: Adsorption Performance and Mechanistic Insights

by Mehak Nawaz Khan, Hidayat Ullah, Sundas Naeem, Jalal Uddin, Yasir Hamid, Waqar Ahmad and Jia Ding

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8817; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13168817 - 06 Aug 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2775

Abstract

The presence of potentially toxic metals in water causes a strong impact on environment and human health. In this study, activated biochar was produced by using chemical oxidation method from wheat straw as natural adsorbent and was employed for heavy metals competitive remediation. The morphology, structure, and chemical properties of biochar before and after adsorption were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDX mapping techniques. The competitive adsorption efficiency of adsorbent for divalent cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) from contaminated water was investigated by using wide range of several initial metal concentration, contact time and pH. Maximum adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) was found in the pH range of 6–8. The adsorption capacity for Cd(II) and Pb(II) was 8.85 and 9.03 mg/g, respectively. Thermodynamics parameters and kinetic models were applied to adsorption data. The isotherm data followed Langmuir model, corresponding to monolayer adsorption of the two ions in the contaminated water. The kinetic data followed the pseudo 2nd order kinetics model, which authenticates the chemisorption nature. The thermodynamic study indicated that Cd adsorption is a spontaneous exothermic process while Pb adsorption is an endothermic process. Mineral precipitation, surface complexation, and cation-π interactions are the major remediation strategies for Cd(II) and Pb(II). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 1024 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on Superadsorbents with Adsorption Capacity ≥1000 mg g⁻¹ and Perspectives on Their Upscaling for Water/Wastewater Treatment

by Kannan Karunakaran, Muhammad Usman and Mika Sillanpää

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16927; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142416927 - 16 Dec 2022

Viewed by 2013

Abstract

An adsorbent’s properties, its adsorption chemistry, and treatment efficiency are all interlinked for water/wastewater treatment. This critical review focuses on superadsorbents possessing ultrahigh adsorption capacities of ≥1000 mg g⁻¹ for an efficient water/wastewater treatment. Using Google Scholar, we reviewed about 63 prominent studies (2017–2022) on superadsorbents to evaluate their preparation, characteristics, adsorption chemistries, and mechanistic interactions in the removal of aqueous inorganic and organic contaminants. The major contribution of this article is to present a series of perspectives on the potential upscaling of these adsorbents in real-scale water/wastewater treatment. The main findings are as follows: (1) the current literature analysis suggests that superadsorbents hold reasonable promise to become useful materials in water treatment, (2) there is still a need to perform extensive pilot-scale adsorption studies using superadsorbents under quasi-real systems representing complex real aqueous systems, and (3) the technoeconomic analysis of their upscaling in industrial-scale water/wastewater treatments still constitutes a major gap which calls for further studies. Moreover, the mass production and effective application of these superadsorbents are the major issues for real-scale water treatments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Assessing soil degradation and risk in relation to metal pollution in Hindon river water irrigated soils of Western U.P., India
Authors: Debasis Golui
Affiliation: Environmental Engineering Lab, North Dakota State University, ND, USA
Abstract: Soil degradation in relation to metal pollution was assessed in polluted river water irrigated soils and risk to human health from dietary intake of metal through consumption of plants, raised on these soils, was predicted on the basis of the solubility of metals in contaminated soils and their subsequent transfer to human food-chain, by way of using solubility-free ion activity model (FIAM). Among the river water irrigated soils, the lowest value of soil quality index (SQI) was recorded in Nithari and Barnawa (PCA-SQI = 0.28) of U.P. Based on PCA-SQI, the extent of soil health deterioration due to metal contamination follows the order: Nithari (0.28) = Barnawa (0.28) >Makreda (0.30) >Rewari (0.38) >Parsi (0.39)>Kinauni (0.44). All the plants grown on river water irrigated soils accumulated a much higher amount of Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cd compared to plants grown on tubewell-irrigated soils. As high as 46% variation in the Zn content in mustard could be explained by solubility-FIAM. The values of hazard quotient (HQ) for intake of trace toxic elements by humans through consumption of rice grain, vegetables (spinach, carrot, cucumber, pumpkin) and mustard grown on river water irrigated soils were well within the safe limit.

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