Advances in Wastewater Treatment Processes

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2022) | Viewed by 9913

Special Issue Editor

Research Officer at National Research Council of Canada,Canada
Interests: groundwater hydrology; water resources management; environmental monitoring and assessment; advanced oxidation processes; emerging contaminants

Special Issue Information

Recently, the scarcity of fresh water supply has required us to shift focus to considering the importance of wastewater treatment for further re‐use, recycle, and reclamation through new and advanced treatments supported by policies in both developed and developing countries. Advances in wastewater treatment technologies include the following: advanced oxidation processes (AOPs); constructed wetland (CW); adsorption using granular activated carbon; hydrolysis processes; zeolite or other clay materials; membrane bioreactors; chlorination; and advanced biological treatments. These treatment processes can be applied based on the effluent quality requirements and depending on specific end‐uses. 

The presence of xenobiotics, such as endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), pesticides, and various metals, among others, in the wastewater has raised concerns about the impact of these emerging contaminants (ECs) on the environment and on public health. This Special Issue will focus on the fate of these contaminants during different advanced wastewater treatment processes.

Dr. Dipti Prakash Mohapatra
Guest Editor

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.

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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

  • advanced oxidation processes
  • emerging contaminants
  • endocrine disruptor compounds
  • metals
  • pharmaceuticals and personal care products
  • wastewater

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1786 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Adsorptive Performances of Rapeseed Waste in the Removal of Toxic Metal Ions in Aqueous Media
by Teodora Arsenie, Irina Gabriela Cara, Maria-Cristina Popescu, Iuliana Motrescu and Laura Bulgariu
Water 2022, 14(24), 4108; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14244108 - 16 Dec 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1139
Abstract
Rapeseed seeds are one of the most important categories of raw materials used to obtain biofuels. However, the biomass resulting after oil extraction is still considered waste, for which valorization solutions are sought. In this study, we propose the use of this type [...] Read more.
Rapeseed seeds are one of the most important categories of raw materials used to obtain biofuels. However, the biomass resulting after oil extraction is still considered waste, for which valorization solutions are sought. In this study, we propose the use of this type of residual biomass (rapeseed waste biomass (RWB)) as a biosorbent for the removal of toxic metal ions from aqueous media. Two toxic metal ions were selected for the experimental studies, namely: Pb(II) and Hg(II). The optimal biosorption conditions, for both metal ions, were selected based on response surface methodology and were verified experimentally in batch systems. More than 92% of the initial amount of Pb(II) and Hg(II) are retained under the following conditions: pH = 6.5 for Pb(II) and 4.0 for Hg(II); biosorbent dosage = 4.0 g/L; contact time = 3 h; temperature = 25 ± 1 °C. Isotherm (Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models) and kinetic (pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intra-particle diffusion models) modelling of the experimental data were used for the quantitative evaluation of both biosorption processes. Although the Langmuir maximum biosorption capacities are different (higher in the case of Pb(II) (61.97 mg/g) than in the case of Hg(II) (51.32 mg/g)), the pseudo-second order kinetic constants have the same order of magnitude. This shows that the retention of both metal ions involves similar elementary steps and that RWB behaves as a typical biosorbent. These characteristics, together with the very good desorption behavior, provide a complete picture of the possible applications of this waste in environmental decontamination processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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20 pages, 4036 KiB  
Article
Adsorption of Cr(VI) by Mesoporous Pomegranate Peel Biowaste from Synthetic Wastewater under Dynamic Mode
by Yassira Boutaleb, Radia Zerdoum, Nadia Bensid, Rasha A. Abumousa, Zhour Hattab and Mohamed Bououdina
Water 2022, 14(23), 3885; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14233885 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1491
Abstract
This study aims to eliminate hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) ions from water using pomegranate peel (PGP) powder. Dynamic measurements are carried out to examine the influence of the operating factors on the adsorption efficiency and kinetics. The analyzed PGP is found to be amorphous [...] Read more.
This study aims to eliminate hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) ions from water using pomegranate peel (PGP) powder. Dynamic measurements are carried out to examine the influence of the operating factors on the adsorption efficiency and kinetics. The analyzed PGP is found to be amorphous with relatively high stability, contains hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups, a pH of zero charge of 3.9, and a specific surface-area of 40.38 m2/g. Adsorption tests indicate that PGP exhibits excellent removal effectiveness for Cr(VI) reaching 50.32 mg/g while the adsorption process obeys the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic study favors the exothermic physical adsorption process. The influence of operating parameters like the flow rate (1 to 3 mL/min), bed height (25 to 75 mm), concentration (10 to 30 mg/L), and temperature (298 to 318 K) on the adsorption process are investigated in column mode. To assess the performance characteristics of the column adsorption data, a non-linear regression has been used to fit and analyze four different kinetic and theoretical models, namely, Bohart-Adams, Thomas model, Clark, and Dose response. The obtained experimental results were found to obey the Dose Response model with a coefficient of regression R2 greater than 0.977. This study proved the excellent efficiency in the treatment of chemical industry effluents by using cost-effect abundant biowaste sorbent. This research demonstrated great efficacy in the treatment of chemical industrial effluents by using an abundant, cost-effective biowaste sorbent, thereby achieving the UN SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals) primary objective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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23 pages, 7927 KiB  
Article
Communal Wastewater Treatment Plants’ Effectiveness, Management, and Quality of Groundwater: A Case Study in Indonesia
by Widodo Brontowiyono, Thomas Boving, Adelia Anju Asmara, Suphia Rahmawati, Andik Yulianto, Noviani Ima Wantoputri, Annisa Nur Lathifah and Yuli Andriansyah
Water 2022, 14(19), 3047; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14193047 - 27 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2166
Abstract
The Special Region of Yogyakarta is one of the provinces in Indonesia with a large number of communal wastewater treatment plants (CWWTPs). However, less than 40% of CWWTPS in the province are able to be operated well. This study aims to determine the [...] Read more.
The Special Region of Yogyakarta is one of the provinces in Indonesia with a large number of communal wastewater treatment plants (CWWTPs). However, less than 40% of CWWTPS in the province are able to be operated well. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of CWWTPs concerning the quality of the surrounding groundwater. The research location was in Mlati, one of three sub-districts with the highest number of CWWTPs and highest population density in the province. Technical data were analyzed in a laboratory, including water quality of CWWTPs and groundwater quality. This study also analyzed non-technical data related to CWWTP management. These data were collected through in-depth interviews with CWWTP managers and users. The data were analyzed systematically, not only quantitatively but qualitatively. The distribution of water quality from CWWTP treatment and groundwater was mapped using inverse distance weighting (IDW). The results show that the CWWTP effluent meets quality standards for pH, temperature, COD, oil and grease, and ammonia. However, some CWWTPs fail to meet the quality standards for the TSS and E. coli parameters. Groundwater has an acidic pH, with ammonia, nitrite, and zinc parameters meeting quality standards, but oil and grease, COD, nitrate, and Pb concentrations exceed quality standards in several wells. This study indicates that the presence of CWWTPs is not correlated with the quality of groundwater due to the inefficiency of the CWWTPs, the unmet coverage area, and the conditions of sanitation facilities at the location. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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9 pages, 1250 KiB  
Communication
Insights into Increasing Selenate Reductase Enzyme Activity in the Presence of Nitrogen-Doped Graphite Electrodes for Selenium Effluent Treatment
by Dipti Prakash Mohapatra, Kelly Ann Robinson, Fang Huang, Deepak Kirpalani and Michele Christine Loewen
Water 2022, 14(6), 931; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14060931 - 16 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1518
Abstract
The weathering of selenium-rich rocks or anthropogenic activities such as mining or smelting can release selenium into the environment, posing a significant environmental risk. The increased monitoring and enforcement of selenium regulations have resulted in protocols to efficiently measure and treat selenium in [...] Read more.
The weathering of selenium-rich rocks or anthropogenic activities such as mining or smelting can release selenium into the environment, posing a significant environmental risk. The increased monitoring and enforcement of selenium regulations have resulted in protocols to efficiently measure and treat selenium in water and effluent water. The principal aqueous forms of inorganic selenium are selenite (Se(IV)) and selenate (Se(VI)). Selenate, due to its oxy-anionic nature, high mobility, and lack of affinity to conventional adsorbents, is typically more difficult to treat and remove. Thus, it is proposed to remove selenate from water by first reducing it to selenite and then to insoluble elemental selenium, a form that has low toxicity. A naturally occurring selenate reductase enzyme from Thauera selenatis was previously shown to specifically reduce selenate to selenite. To exploit this functionality, recombinant enzyme technologies were used to produce a cell-free, enriched Thauera selenatis selenate reductase heterotrimeric enzyme complex (TsSer-αβγ). The addition of the recombinant enzyme complex to effluent water was found to successfully reduce the selenate. Interestingly, upon adding nitrogen-doped graphite electrodes to the reaction, the selenate-reducing activity significantly increased. Overall, these findings highlight a new, potentially sustainable solution to the reduction of selenate in water and effluent water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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12 pages, 1355 KiB  
Article
Removal of Molybdenum(VI) from Raw Water Using Nano Zero-Valent Iron Supported on Activated Carbon
by Huijie Zhu, Qiang Huang, Shuai Fu, Xiuji Zhang, Mingyan Shi and Bo Liu
Water 2020, 12(11), 3162; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w12113162 - 12 Nov 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2549
Abstract
Traces of Molybdenum (Mo) in drinking water pose potent dangers owing to its harmful effects on the health of humans. This study used nanoscale zero-valent iron (Fe0) supported by activated carbon (NZVI/AC) for removing Mo(VI) from raw water. In an attempt [...] Read more.
Traces of Molybdenum (Mo) in drinking water pose potent dangers owing to its harmful effects on the health of humans. This study used nanoscale zero-valent iron (Fe0) supported by activated carbon (NZVI/AC) for removing Mo(VI) from raw water. In an attempt to gain an understanding of the various factors that affect the process, we designed the study to look into the impact of various experimental parameters including pH, adsorption kinetics, and coexisting ions on the Mo(VI) removal using fixed-bed column runs and a batch-adsorption method and for Mo(VI) removal using NZVI/AC. The optimum conditions were found to be pH 4.5 and an equilibrium time of 9 h and 72 h for simulation water (SW) and raw water (RW), respectively. The removal of Mo(VI) was remarkably inhibited by the presence of silicate (SiO42) and phosphate (PO43), while the impact of humic acid and some other anions was insignificant. Metal cations such as Fe3+, Al3+, Zn2+, and Ni2+ enhanced the adsorption of Mo(VI). The influent contaminant concentration Mo(VI) in raw water was found to be 0.1603 mg/L, the empty-bed contact time (EBCT) was 3 and 6 min, whereas the breakthrough empty-bed volumes were 800 and 1100 and at the value of 70 μg/L provided by WHO provisional guidelines, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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