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Sustainable Water Resource Availability and Pollution: Characterization, Future Scenarios and Solutions

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 July 2025 | Viewed by 2621

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pablo A. Garcia-Chevesich

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Interests: hydrology and sustainable water resources management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water (surface and underground) represents the most important natural resource worldwide, as all human activities and ecological systems depend on it. On a planet where this vital resource is rapidly running out because of climate change and/or overconsumption, it is important to identify its current state regarding availability and quality, future scenarios considering climate change and human activities, and solutions that can be proposed to solve/avoid current/upcoming problems. Addressing this urgent need, this Special Issue focuses on any topic related to the characterization and mitigation of current and future water availability issues such as water resources characterization/evaluation, contamination, treatment technologies (including nature-based solutions), and modeling (including climate change and future demands). Other topics included are socially driven, such as water-related conflicts, politics, and education, and area-specific, such as urban, desert, and forest environments. We welcome research articles, review papers, and commentaries focusing on the topics described herein.

Dr. Pablo A. Garcia-Chevesich
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.

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

  • climate change
  • water treatment
  • hydrological modeling
  • society
  • sustainable water resources management
  • water resources characterization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1434 KiB  
Article
Carbon Dioxide-Based Neutralization of High-Density Sludge Effluents as a Sustainable Climate and Water Quality Alternative to the Use of Strong Mineral Acids
by Julio C. Gastañadui-Cruz, Iván A. Reyes-Lopez, Agusberto Cortijo-Garcia, Hans R. Portilla-Rodriguez, John A. Bush, Johan Vanneste and Pablo A. Garcia-Chevesich
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10363; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310363 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 889
Abstract
The neutralization of high-density sludge (HDS) effluent is a required process involved in the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). In their last treatment stage, effluents with high pH values are acidified to reach legal standards before being released to the environment using [...] Read more.
The neutralization of high-density sludge (HDS) effluent is a required process involved in the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). In their last treatment stage, effluents with high pH values are acidified to reach legal standards before being released to the environment using hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. In this investigation, CO2 was tested as an alternative way to decrease the pH of the HDS effluent, together with an economic analysis comparing the results with the use of strong mineral acids, considering a full-scale 300 m3/h plant. HDS samples were collected from a PAN American Silver operation in Cajamarca, northern Peru. Four acidification tests were carried out on 20 L containers, with a subsequent evaluation of reaction time and CO2 consumption to regulate the final pH of the treated solution. The results suggest that by adding CO2 (0.5 L/min) to the solution, the pH was successfully decreased from 10–10.5 to 6.5–7.5 (which falls within the legal limits) in a matter of minutes. An average of 130 g of CO2 was sequestrated per m3 of solution to decrease the pH within legal limits, representing around USD 0.031/m3 in terms of treatment cost for a full-scale plant. While this is more expensive than using other acids, with a CO2 credit of USD 100/ton, sequestrated CO2 neutralization is 12% cheaper and only 6% more expensive than using H2SO4 and HCl, respectively. Moreover, in terms of the costs per ton of avoided CO2 of USD 133 and USD 262 for replacing hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, respectively, it is markedly lower than the cost of other CO2 abatement technologies, like, for instance, solar photovoltaic panels (PV) that can cost between USD 368 and USD 684/ton of avoided CO2 in Peru and require substantial capital investments. Moreover, the use of CO2 implicates a series of additional safety, operational, and environmental advantages that should be considered. Therefore, the use of CO2 to decrease HDS effluent’s pH should be further explored in Peru and elsewhere as a sustainable alternative. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Availability and Pollution: Characterization, Future Scenarios and Solutions)
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20 pages, 6184 KiB  
Article
Kinetic Modeling of Brilliant Blue Discoloration by Ozonation
by Adrian Victor Crisciu, Ligia Stoica, Carolina Constantin, Maria (Tiron) Marcvart, Anamaria Hanganu and Maria Gratiela (Craioveanu) Ianos
Sustainability 2024, 16(21), 9591; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219591 - 4 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1086
Abstract
This paper presents the results of investigations on the kinetic modeling of Brilliant Blue FCF (BB) discoloration reactions in aqueous solutions with different ozone concentrations and pH conditions. Kinetic studies involve knowledge of the structure and properties of dye and ozone, as well [...] Read more.
This paper presents the results of investigations on the kinetic modeling of Brilliant Blue FCF (BB) discoloration reactions in aqueous solutions with different ozone concentrations and pH conditions. Kinetic studies involve knowledge of the structure and properties of dye and ozone, as well as of the experimental conditions. In general, scientists admit that the predominant oxidation pathway is direct (by free oxygen atoms) or indirect (by free hydroxyl radicals); this will depend on influencing factors such as the physicochemical properties of the dye, the pH of the aqueous solution, ozone concentration, reaction time, and the contact mode with/without stirring. In this experimental research, two pathways were chosen following CBB = f(t)—1. a constant dye concentration and different ozone concentrations, in the concentration range of 100–250 mg/L, in three pH media (acidic, neutral, and basic), with and without stirring; 2. a constant concentration of ozone and different dyes in the concentration range of 2.5–10 mg/L, under the conditions of point 1. With the obtained experimental data, the curves CBB = f(t) were drawn and processed according to the integral method of classical kinetics, based on first- and second-order equations. Unfortunately, this simple procedure did not give any results for the pH values studied. The rate constants were negative, and/or the reaction order depended on the initial conditions. Due to its structure, the BB dye has several chromophore groups, and thus multiple attack centers, resulting in several oxidation by-products, which is why the 1H-NMR spectrum was recorded for the discoloration of BB with ozone. Since the stoichiometry of the overall oxidation reaction, as well as the relationship between the rate constant and the reaction conditions mentioned above, is not known, a kinetic model based on mass transfer coupled with a chain reaction in the bulk liquid phase was proposed and successfully tested at pH = 7. This research approach also involves the consolidation of the theoretical bases of the ozonation process through the kinetic study carried out, as well as the proposal of a kinetic model. These systematics lead to results that are applicable to other aqueous systems that are impure with dyes, allowing for generalizations and the development of the field, ensuring the sustainability of the research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resource Availability and Pollution: Characterization, Future Scenarios and Solutions)
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