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Water
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Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy
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Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2024 | Viewed by 9991

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tao Zhang

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Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: sustainable development; waste water treatment; recycling; waste utilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jing Yuan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: waste management; biomass utilization; circular economy; aerobic biotransformation; composting; carbon emission; risk pollutants
Dr. Huu-Tuan Tran

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
Interests: bioremediation; soil science; composting; microbiology; waste management; organic pollutants
Dr. Muhammad-Jamal Alhnidi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Agricultural Engineering, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 9, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Interests: biomass thermal conversion; nutrient recovery; carbon materials; sustainable waste management; renewable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Today, the restriction of resources and of the environment is very severe. A circular economy is a promising path to the sustainable development of wastewater treatment, a process in which the quantity of biomass waste has risen sharply, causing serious environmental pollution. In terms of sustainable wastewater treatment, the discharge of biomass waste is a major societal concern; thus, the utilization of biomass waste has practical significance in a circular economy. At present, much research has been conducted on biomass waste utilization and the circular economy, mainly focusing on thermal conversion, as well as aerobic and anaerobic technologies. These technologies can transform the recyclable organic materials from biomass wastes into solid, liquid, and gas fuels, which are of great significance for alleviating energy shortage and environmental pollution. Therefore, this research will focus on the sustainable use of wastewater treatment biomass waste to promote the development of a circular economy. We propose the publication of a Special Issue of Water to highlight recent research carried out in these fields.

This Special Issue intends to present novel, high-quality, original research articles, as well as review articles, short communications, and/or letters focusing on sustainable wastewater treatment and the circular economy. Topics of interest include:

  1. Thermal conversion technology/anaerobic technology/aerobic technology for a circular economy and sustainable wastewater treatment.
  2. Resource recovery technologies for sustainable wastewater treatment.
  3. The application of bio-energy and bio-resources in a circular economy for wastewater treatment.
  4. Green chemistry technologies in a circular economy and sustainable wastewater treatment.

Dr. Tao Zhang
Dr. Jing Yuan
Dr. Huu-Tuan Tran
Dr. Muhammad-Jamal Alhnidi
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. Water 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 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

  • wastewater treatment
  • circular economy
  • biomass waste
  • resource recovery
  • green chemistry
  • thermal conversion
  • anaerobic process
  • aerobic process

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1661 KiB  
Article
Analysis on Operation and Water Quality Characteristics of Centralized Wastewater Treatment Plants of Industrial Parks in Yellow River Basin, China
by Yanjun Wang, Yue Yuan, Hao Xue, Yin Yu, Yang Shi, Huina Wen and Min Xu
Water 2024, 16(6), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16060806 - 08 Mar 2024
Viewed by 744
Abstract
The Yellow River basin serves as an important economic belt and industrial base in China, featuring numerous industrial parks. However, alongside its economic significance, the basin struggles with significant water environmental challenges. This study analyzed the operational status, influent water quality, and energy [...] Read more.
The Yellow River basin serves as an important economic belt and industrial base in China, featuring numerous industrial parks. However, alongside its economic significance, the basin struggles with significant water environmental challenges. This study analyzed the operational status, influent water quality, and energy consumption of 63 centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) from 54 major industrial parks in the Yellow River basin. The scale of these WWTPs was primarily within the range of 1 × 104~5 × 104 m3/d, with an average hydraulic loading rate of 53.8%. Aerobic treatment processes are predominant. The influent concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in the WWTPs exhibited a right-skewed distribution. The BOD/COD ratio of the WWTPs fluctuated between 0.1 and 1.6, and 75% of the WWTPs showed a COD/TN ratio lower than eight. The average BOD5/TN was 2.7, and the probability of influent BOD5/TP > 20 was 84.6%. A significant linear correlation exists between the influent BOD and COD concentrations, while moderate linear relationships are also observed among NH3-N, TN and TP, emphasizing the importance of maintaining appropriate nitrogen and phosphorus levels for efficient pollutant removal. The average electricity consumption of WWTPs in the Yellow River basin in 2023 was 1.1 kWh/m3. It is important to upgrade these WWTPs and reduce their energy consumption. Further strengthening the construction of industrial wastewater collection and treatment facilities based on regional characteristics is recommended to promote the high-quality development of industrial wastewater treatment in the Yellow River basin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy)
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20 pages, 3048 KiB  
Article
Rapid Removal of Cr(VI) from Wastewater by Surface Ionized Iron-Based MOF: Ion Branching and Domain-Limiting Effects
by Chen Wang, Jiakun Chen and Qi Yang
Water 2024, 16(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16010025 - 20 Dec 2023
Viewed by 861
Abstract
Exploring the ratio of metal centers to organic ligands and the amount of DMF are important to improve the stability and adsorption efficiency of MOF materials as adsorbents. In this work, MIL101(Fe)-Na2CO3 was successfully obtained by modification with formic acid, [...] Read more.
Exploring the ratio of metal centers to organic ligands and the amount of DMF are important to improve the stability and adsorption efficiency of MOF materials as adsorbents. In this work, MIL101(Fe)-Na2CO3 was successfully obtained by modification with formic acid, sodium carbonate, carbon nanotubes, and moieties. The adsorption efficiency of MIL-101(Fe) on Cr(VI) was greatly improved, and the removal efficiency was able to reach 100% in 20 min with a maximum adsorption capacity of 20 mg/g. The inhibition order of the competing anions for the removal of hexavalent chromium was as follows: Cl− < NO3− < SO42−. The analysis of the adsorption thermodynamic model found that the adsorption of MIL101(Fe)-Na2CO3 for Cr(VI) showed spontaneous heat-absorbing and entropy-increasing chemisorption behavior. When using NaOH as the eluent and HCl as the regeneration stabilizer, MIL-101(Fe)-Na2CO3 had good adsorption capacity in multiple cycles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy)
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12 pages, 297 KiB  
Article
Technical–Economic Evaluation of Water Reuse at the WWTP El Salitre (Bogotá, Colombia): Example of Circular Economy
by Michelle A. Urrea Vivas, Luis Seguí-Amórtegui, Cristina Tomás Pérez and Hilda Guerrero-García Rojas
Water 2023, 15(19), 3374; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193374 - 26 Sep 2023
Viewed by 717
Abstract
Water resource management should be conducted from a multidisciplinary perspective. In this sense, the objective of this work is to analyze, from the perspective of the circular economy, the technical–economic feasibility of implementing different alternatives for the regeneration of wastewater for its subsequent [...] Read more.
Water resource management should be conducted from a multidisciplinary perspective. In this sense, the objective of this work is to analyze, from the perspective of the circular economy, the technical–economic feasibility of implementing different alternatives for the regeneration of wastewater for its subsequent reuse in industrial and sports companies located in Bogotá, Colombia. The development of the methodology is carried out through the method of economic cost–benefit analysis (ACB) and the technique of net present value (NPV). These methodologies facilitate decision making based on the economic feasibility of recovering the initial investment costs and the operating costs during the useful life of the WWTP. Establishing the cost and price of reclaimed water is essential to the efficient management of water resources; so far, the studies carried out only focus on the economic viability of the internal costs of the system, while the private impacts and the externalities are excluded and relegated to unsubstantiated statements about the advantages of water reuse. The economic feasibility incorporating the analysis of externalities presents a total profit that ranges between 6.52 EUR/m3 for the industrial sector and 2503 EUR/m3 for the irrigation of golf courses. This analysis demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of carrying out a circular economy where the water already used returns as a new source of supply. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy)
18 pages, 4720 KiB  
Article
Promoting Circular Economy in the Palm Oil Industry through Biogas Codigestion of Palm Oil Mill Effluent and Empty Fruit Bunch Pressed Wastewater
by Chaisri Suksaroj, Kanokwan Jearat, Nutthayus Cherypiew, Cheerawit Rattanapan and Thunwadee Tachapattaworakul Suksaroj
Water 2023, 15(12), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122153 - 07 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1673
Abstract
This research aimed to investigate the biogas production and circular economy perspective in the palm oil industry through codigestion of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) pressing wastewater and palm oil mill effluent (POME). The EFB pressing method constitutes an alternative new technology [...] Read more.
This research aimed to investigate the biogas production and circular economy perspective in the palm oil industry through codigestion of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) pressing wastewater and palm oil mill effluent (POME). The EFB pressing method constitutes an alternative new technology used to extract the remaining oil, increasing palm oil product; however, it produces highly polluted wastewater. Batch experiments were carried out at 35 °C to investigate the optimal ratios of EFB wastewater, inoculums, and POME. The optimal condition was 45% POME + 50% seed + 5% EFB wastewater. This condition was then used in semicontinuous fermentation where the optimal hydraulic retention time (HRT) totaled 25 days. The accumulated biogas was 18,679 mL/L while the accumulated methane totaled 6778 mL/L. The methane content was 62%, and the COD removal efficiency was 67%. The sludge produced from the HRT 25-days digester complied with the organic compost standard which could be further used to nourish the soil. An economic analysis of the EFB pressing project revealed a higher internal rate ratio with shorter payback compared with the conventional process. These results provide information on the circular economic approach to promote sustainable palm oil processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy)
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12 pages, 2043 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Hotel Water-Use Behavior Based on the MLP-SEM Model
by Rong Cai, Xue Bai, Jialin Liu and Mengting Hu
Water 2023, 15(8), 1534; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081534 - 14 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1731
Abstract
As a representative service industry, the hotel industry has a complex water-use structure and high water consumption. It is of great significance to investigate the mechanisms determining hotel water-use behavior for demand analysis, as this would make it possible to enhance water-use efficiency [...] Read more.
As a representative service industry, the hotel industry has a complex water-use structure and high water consumption. It is of great significance to investigate the mechanisms determining hotel water-use behavior for demand analysis, as this would make it possible to enhance water-use efficiency and enact targeted water-saving measures. Using Spearman’s hierarchical correlation coefficient, the multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network model, and the structural equation model (SEM), in this study, we explored the mechanism determining hotel consumers’ water-use behavior from different dimensions and constructed a typical water-use behavior model based on the MLP-SEM model. In terms of individual water-use behavior, the results showed that individual characteristics, water-conservation awareness, and consumption behavior possessed significant differences regarding their influence on and correlation with various water-use behaviors. The most relevant factors influencing each behavior, namely washing up, hand washing, and drinking, were daily stay in the hotel, education, and income. Gender had the greatest impact on bathing and toilet-flushing water-use behaviors. The importance of daily stay in the hotel was 0.181, which meant that this was the most significant factor influencing the direct water-use behavior of hotel guests. The following factors were identified: hotel type, income, age, and gender. Typical individual characteristics had a significant impact on main water-use behaviors, whereas typical consumption behaviors had no effect. These results can provide a foundation for relevant research in other industries and serve as a basis for a prediction model of water consumption in hotels based on water-use behavior. Furthermore, they provide a basis for the delicate management of water-use behavior in hotels, making it possible to effectively guide the public to consciously adopt water-saving habits, thus improving water efficiency, which could alleviate the shortage of water resources in the long-term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy)
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15 pages, 14181 KiB  
Article
Combined Forecasting Model of Precipitation Based on the CEEMD-ELM-FFOA Coupling Model
by Xianqi Zhang and Xiaoyan Wu
Water 2023, 15(8), 1485; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081485 - 11 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1172
Abstract
Precipitation prediction is an important technical mean for flood and drought disaster early warning, rational utilization, and the development of water resources. Complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) can effectively reduce mode aliasing and white noise interference; extreme learning machines (ELM) can predict [...] Read more.
Precipitation prediction is an important technical mean for flood and drought disaster early warning, rational utilization, and the development of water resources. Complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) can effectively reduce mode aliasing and white noise interference; extreme learning machines (ELM) can predict non-stationary data quickly and easily; and the fruit fly optimization algorithm (FFOA) has better local optimization ability. According to the multi-scale and non-stationary characteristics of precipitation time series, a new prediction approach based on the combination of complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD), extreme learning machine (ELM), and the fruit fly optimization algorithm (FFOA) is proposed. The monthly precipitation data measured in Zhengzhou City from 1951 to 2020 was taken as an example to conduct a prediction experiment and compared with three prediction models: ELM, EMD-HHT, and CEEMD-ELM. The research results show that the sum of annual precipitation predicted by the CEEMD-ELM-FFOA model is 577.33 mm, which is higher than the measured value of 572.53 mm with an error of 4.80 mm. The average absolute error is 0.81 and the average relative error is 1.39%. The prediction value of the CEEMD-ELM-FFOA model can closely follow the changing trend of precipitation, which shows a better prediction effect than the other three models and can be used for regional precipitation prediction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy)
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Review

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17 pages, 1068 KiB  
Review
Toward a Better Understanding of Phosphorus Nonpoint Source Pollution from Soil to Water and the Application of Amendment Materials: Research Trends
by Xiaofei Ge, Xingyu Chen, Mingxin Liu, Chensi Wang, Yingyu Zhang, Yukai Wang, Huu-Tuan Tran, Stephen Joseph and Tao Zhang
Water 2023, 15(8), 1531; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081531 - 13 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2182
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) nonpoint source pollution from soil to water is increasing dramatically, leading to the eutrophication of water bodies. Using amendment materials for P retention in soil is a promising strategy for environmental restoration and nonpoint source pollution management. This strategy has attracted [...] Read more.
Phosphorus (P) nonpoint source pollution from soil to water is increasing dramatically, leading to the eutrophication of water bodies. Using amendment materials for P retention in soil is a promising strategy for environmental restoration and nonpoint source pollution management. This strategy has attracted significant attention because of its highly effective P retention. This study reviews management strategies of P nonpoint pollution from soil to water, including the basic P forms and accumulation situation in soil and P loss from soil to water. Recent advances in the use of amendment materials, such as inorganic, organic, and composite amendment materials, to mitigate P pollution from soil to water have also been summarized. Environmental risks of reloss of P retention in soil with different soil properties and water conditions have also been investigated. This review improves the understanding of P nonpoint source pollution from soil to water, providing an innovative perspective for the large-scale application of amendment materials to control water eutrophication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and the Circular Economy)
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