Towards Energy-Positive and Carbon-Neutral Technology for Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of water resource shortages, energy and resource crises and global warming, the wastewater industry is facing unprecedented challenges. There is a pressing need to develop energy-positive and carbon-neutral wastewater treatment and reclamation technologies to meet the many targets of increasingly stringent discharge limits, lower energy consumption and reduce our carbon footprint for future wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Moreover, a more comprehensive and sustainable infrastructure needs to be implemented for next-generation wastewater treatment and reclamation, with the aid of functional materials, chemical catalysts, microbiomes, smart control, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. Based on the above, we aim to publish the Topic “Towards Energy-Positive and Carbon-Neutral Technology for Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation” in one of MDPI’s journals. Our aim is to provide a platform for researchers to promote recent advances in the science and technology of sustainable wastewater treatment. We welcome high-quality original articles, review articles, short communications and case studies.

Prof. Dr. Xin Zhou
Prof. Dr. Dongqi Wang
Dr. Qiulai He
Dr. Xiaoyuan Zhang
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Membranes membranes	3.3	6.1	2011	14.9 Days	CHF 2200	Submit
Polymers polymers	4.7	8.0	2009	14.5 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	3.3	6.8	2009	19.7 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Water water	3.0	5.8	2009	17.5 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
C carbon	3.9	1.6	2015	23.7 Days	CHF 1600	Submit

Preprints.org is a multidisciplinary platform offering a preprint service designed to facilitate the early sharing of your research. It supports and empowers your research journey from the very beginning.

MDPI Topics is collaborating with Preprints.org and has established a direct connection between MDPI journals and the platform. Authors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by posting their preprints at Preprints.org prior to publication:

1. Share your research immediately: disseminate your ideas prior to publication and establish priority for your work.
2. Safeguard your intellectual contribution: Protect your ideas with a time-stamped preprint that serves as proof of your research timeline.
3. Boost visibility and impact: Increase the reach and influence of your research by making it accessible to a global audience.
4. Gain early feedback: Receive valuable input and insights from peers before submitting to a journal.
5. Ensure broad indexing: Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results

Content type Publication Date

Result details

Normal Extended Compact

Journals

All Membranes Polymers Sustainability Water C

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

attachment

Supplementary material:
Supplementary File 1 (ZIP, 990 KiB)

13 pages, 3859 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Pipe Materials and Interspecific Interactions on Biofilm Formation and Chlorine Resistance: Turn Enemies into Friends

by Lili Shan, Yunyan Pei, Siyang Xu, Yuhong Cui, Zhengqian Liu, Zebing Zhu and Yixing Yuan

Water 2024, 16(20), 2930; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16202930 - 15 Oct 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1152

Abstract

Drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) may be contaminated to various degrees when different microorganisms attach to the pipe walls. Understanding the characteristics of biofilms on pipe walls can help prevent and control microbial contamination in DWDSs. The biofilm formation, interspecific interactions, and chlorine [...] Read more.

Drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) may be contaminated to various degrees when different microorganisms attach to the pipe walls. Understanding the characteristics of biofilms on pipe walls can help prevent and control microbial contamination in DWDSs. The biofilm formation, interspecific interactions, and chlorine resistance of 10 dual-species biofilms in polyethylene (PE) and cast iron (CI) pipes were investigated in this paper. The biofilm biomass (heterotrophic bacterial plate count and crystal violet) of dual species in CI pipes is significantly higher than that in PE pipes, but the biofilm activity in CI pipes is significantly lower than that in PE pipes. The interspecific interaction of Sphingomonas-containing group presented synergistic or neutral relationship in PE pipes, whereas the interspecific interaction of the Acidovorax-containing group showed a competitive relationship in CI pipes. Although interspecific relationships may help bacteria resist chlorine, the chlorine resistance was more reliant on dual-species groups and pipe materials. In CI pipes, the Microbacterium containing biofilm groups showed better chlorine resistance, whereas in PE pipes, most biofilm groups with Bacillus exhibited better chlorine resistance. The biofilm groups with more extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) secretion showed stronger chlorine resistance. The biofilm in the PE pipe is mainly protected by EPS, while both EPS and corrosion products shield the biofilms within CI pipe. These results supported that dual-species biofilms are affected by pipe materials and interspecific interactions and provided some ideas for microbial control in two typical pipe materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Towards Energy-Positive and Carbon-Neutral Technology for Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 6807 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Green Synthesis of Iron-Based Nanoparticles Using Pomegranate Leaf Extracts: Characterization, Biomolecules and Indole Removal

by Huifang Sun, Yanjun Liu, Yifan Zhou, Zuliang Chen and Jianfeng Li

Water 2024, 16(18), 2665; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16182665 - 19 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1510

Abstract

This study investigates the synthesis of iron-based nanoparticles (Fe NPs) using pomegranate leaf extracts and their application in removing indole, a persistent organic pollutant commonly found in wastewater. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized Fe NPs and the active biomolecules in the pomegranate [...] Read more.

This study investigates the synthesis of iron-based nanoparticles (Fe NPs) using pomegranate leaf extracts and their application in removing indole, a persistent organic pollutant commonly found in wastewater. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized Fe NPs and the active biomolecules in the pomegranate leaf extracts were comprehensively characterized. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed that the Fe NPs exhibited quasi-spherical shapes, with sizes ranging from 75 to 105 nm. Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed a homogeneous distribution of elements, including C, O, Fe, and S, on the nanoparticle surfaces, with weight percentages of 43.59%, 42.95%, 12.58%, and 0.88%, respectively. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified key functional groups like −OH, −COOH, and −C=O, which are essential for the capping and stabilization of the nanoparticles. Biomolecules such as ellagic acid (C₁₄H₆O₈) and gallic acid (C₇H₆O₅) functioned as reducing agents, improving nanoparticle dispersion and preventing aggregation. The synthesized Fe NPs quickly achieved 45.5% removal of indole within just 20 min and maintained a stable removal efficiency of approximately 51.4% after 90 min. This performance was attributed to the synergetic interaction between the biomolecules and the nanoparticles, with the monolayer adsorption of indole molecules on the Fe NP surfaces likely setting an upper limit on the maximum achievable removal efficiency. It appears from this study that pomegranate leaf extracts can be effectively utilized to synthesize Fe NPs as a novel and eco-friendly approach, demonstrating promising potential for the rapid removal of indole from aqueous solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Towards Energy-Positive and Carbon-Neutral Technology for Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4015 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Removal of Refractory Organic Compounds from Coking Wastewater Using Polyaluminum Chloride with Coagulant Aids

by Huifang Sun, Yifan Zhou, Mengfan Du and Zhiping Du

Water 2024, 16(18), 2662; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16182662 - 19 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1301

Abstract

This study explores the enhanced removal of refractory organic compounds from coking wastewater using polyaluminum chloride (PACl) with two different basicity levels (0.5 and 2.5), in combination with coagulant aids such as cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) and iron ions. The results demonstrated that both [...] Read more.

This study explores the enhanced removal of refractory organic compounds from coking wastewater using polyaluminum chloride (PACl) with two different basicity levels (0.5 and 2.5), in combination with coagulant aids such as cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) and iron ions. The results demonstrated that both PACl formulations significantly outperformed commercial PACl in terms of COD and color removal, with PACl at the basicity of 2.5 achieving slightly higher efficiency than PACl at the basicity of 0.5. The improved performance was attributed to the higher content of polymeric aluminum species, enhancing charge neutralization and bridging adsorption. The addition of coagulant aids further improved the performance, with PACl at the basicity of 2.5 combined with iron ions achieving the highest COD (48.41%) and color removal (80.77%), due to sweep coagulation and complexation. Organic composition analysis using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (3D-EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy, and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy indicated that PACl combined with iron ions was the most effective in removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrogen-, oxygen-, and sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds. Additionally, a floc analysis showed that the flocs formed with iron ions were more compact and had better settleability compared to those formed with CPAM, further contributing to the improved coagulation efficiency. These results highlight the importance of optimizing the PACl basicity and coagulant aid selection for the enhanced removal of refractory organic compounds from coking wastewater, offering a promising strategy for advanced wastewater treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Towards Energy-Positive and Carbon-Neutral Technology for Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

 

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

Displaying articles 1-3