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Applied Sciences
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Novel Technologies for Pollutants Removal from Water and Wastewater
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Novel Technologies for Pollutants Removal from Water and Wastewater

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 August 2022) | Viewed by 16637

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nídia Dana Lourenço

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UCIBIO, Department of Chemistry, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: biological wastewater treatment; aerobic granular sludge; recalcitrant pollutants; microbial biopolymers; resource recovery; real-time bioprocess monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Maria A.M. Reis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: resource recovery; phosphorus and nitrogen removal; microbial biopolymers; biological wastewater treatment; anerobic digestion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High amounts of industrial and domestic wastewater are annually produced worldwide, and the lack of adequate wastewater treatment is currently considered one of the most significant causes of water resource pollution.

The main pollutants of water bodies are organic compounds, nutrients, and micropollutants, i.e., contaminants in very low concentrations but with high toxic potential to humans and aquatic life, such as heavy metals, pesticides, endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), disinfection byproducts (DBPs), and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Since the removal of these pollutants by conventional water and wastewater treatment processes is generally inefficient, advanced treatment technologies have been proposed and tested to mitigate their spread in the environment.

This Special Issue on “Novel Technologies for Pollutants Removal from Water and Wastewater” aims to highlight novel, effective, and sustainable technologies based on advanced physicochemical and biological processes (or on conventional process adaptations) for the removal of current and emerging pollutants from water and wastewater, including microplastics, textile dyes, surfactants, flame retardants, biocides, polar pesticides and their degradation products, PPCPs, DBPs, and proven or suspected EDCs. Potential topics of the Special Issue include but are not limited to:

  • Membrane technologies for pollutant removal from water and wastewater;
  • Advanced oxidation processes for water and wastewater treatment;
  • Nanotechnology for water and wastewater treatment;
  • Photobioreactors for wastewater treatment;
  • Aerobic granular sludge for pollutant removal from wastewater;
  • Biological nutrient removal;
  • Removal of microcystins (MCs) from water;
  • Phytoremediation of heavy metals and pesticides;
  • Removal of microplastics from water and wastewater;
  • Removal of textile dyes from wastewater;
  • Integration of advanced treatment technologies for pollutant removal.

Dr. Nídia Dana Lourenço
Prof. Dr. Maria A.M. Reis
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. Applied Sciences 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

  • Pollutant removal
  • Water treatment
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Advanced treatment technologies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1471 KiB  
Article
Raman Spectrometry as a Tool for an Online Control of a Phototrophic Biological Nutrient Removal Process
by Rita D. G. Franca, Virgínia C. F. Carvalho, Joana C. Fradinho, Maria A. M. Reis and Nídia D. Lourenço
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6600; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146600 - 18 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2639
Abstract
Real-time bioprocess monitoring is crucial for efficient operation and effective bioprocess control. Aiming to develop an online monitoring strategy for facilitating optimization, fault detection and decision-making during wastewater treatment in a photo-biological nutrient removal (photo-BNR) process, this study investigated the application of Raman [...] Read more.
Real-time bioprocess monitoring is crucial for efficient operation and effective bioprocess control. Aiming to develop an online monitoring strategy for facilitating optimization, fault detection and decision-making during wastewater treatment in a photo-biological nutrient removal (photo-BNR) process, this study investigated the application of Raman spectroscopy for the quantification of total organic content (TOC), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO3), phosphate (PO4), total phosphorus (total P), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), total carbohydrates, total and volatile suspended solids (TSSs and VSSs, respectively). Specifically, partial least squares (PLS) regression models were developed to predict these parameters based on Raman spectra, and evaluated based on a full cross-validation. Through the optimization of spectral pre-processing, Raman shift regions and latent variables, 8 out of the 11 parameters that were investigated—namely TOC, VFAs, CO2, NO3, total P, PHAs, TSSs and VSSs—could be predicted with good quality by the respective Raman-based PLS calibration models, as shown by the high coefficient of determination (R2 > 90.0%) and residual prediction deviation (RPD > 5.0), and relatively low root mean square error of cross-validation. This study showed for the first time the high potential of Raman spectroscopy for the online monitoring of TOC, VFAs, CO2, NO3, total P, PHAs, TSSs and VSSs in a photo-BNR reactor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Technologies for Pollutants Removal from Water and Wastewater)
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15 pages, 2452 KiB  
Article
A Combined Vermifiltration-Hydroponic System for Swine Wastewater Treatment
by Kirill Ispolnov, Luis M. I. Aires, Nídia D. Lourenço and Judite S. Vieira
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5064; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115064 - 30 May 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3892
Abstract
Intensive swine farming causes strong local environmental impacts by generating effluents rich in solids, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogenic bacteria. Insufficient treatment of hog farm effluents has been reported for common technologies, and vermifiltration is considered a promising treatment alternative that, however, [...] Read more.
Intensive swine farming causes strong local environmental impacts by generating effluents rich in solids, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogenic bacteria. Insufficient treatment of hog farm effluents has been reported for common technologies, and vermifiltration is considered a promising treatment alternative that, however, requires additional processes to remove nitrate and phosphorus. This work aimed to study the use of vermifiltration with a downstream hydroponic culture to treat hog farm effluents. A treatment system comprising a vermifilter and a downstream deep-water culture hydroponic unit was built. The treated effluent was reused to dilute raw wastewater. Electrical conductivity, pH, and changes in BOD5, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphorus, and coliform bacteria were assessed. Plants were monitored throughout the experiment. Electrical conductivity increased due to vermifiltration; pH stayed within a neutral to mild alkaline range. Vermifiltration removed 83% of BOD5, 99% of ammonia and nitrite, and increased nitrate by 11%. Hydroponic treatment removed BOD5 (63%), ammonia (100%), nitrite (66%), nitrate (27%), and phosphorus (47% total and 44% dissolved) from vermifiltered water. Coliforms were reduced by vermifiltration but recovered in the hydroponic unit. Plants showed the ability to grow on vermifiltered wastewater, although requiring nutrient supplementation. Vermifiltration combined with hydroponics is a promising treatment for swine wastewater, although optimization will be needed for a sustainable real-scale implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Technologies for Pollutants Removal from Water and Wastewater)
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16 pages, 34111 KiB  
Article
Removal of Organic UV Filters Using Enzymes in Spent Mushroom Composts from Fungicultures
by Chu-Wen Yang, Ping-Hsun Tu, Wen-Yi Tso and Bea-Ven Chang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3932; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093932 - 26 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2845
Abstract
Organic UV filters in sunscreen products are released to aquatic ecosystems through human recreational activities and urban wastewater treatment plant effluents. The biodegradation of three organic UV filters, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS), homosalate (HMS) and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC), which cannot be effectively removed by [...] Read more.
Organic UV filters in sunscreen products are released to aquatic ecosystems through human recreational activities and urban wastewater treatment plant effluents. The biodegradation of three organic UV filters, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS), homosalate (HMS) and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC), which cannot be effectively removed by conventional wastewater treatment plants, was investigated in this study. Spent mushroom compost (SMC), a waste product of the mushroom industry, which contains white-rot fungus extracellular enzymes, was tested for its ability to remove the three organic UV filters. The results of batch experiments revealed that the SMC enzyme extract of Pleurotus djamor exhibited the highest ability for EHS and HMS removal. The results of bioreactor experiments indicated that direct application of SMCs may be a feasible solution to remove EHS and HMS from urban wastewater. The application of SMCs for the removal of organic UV filters can be developed into a green and sustainable technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Technologies for Pollutants Removal from Water and Wastewater)
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13 pages, 1321 KiB  
Article
Biosorption of Heavy Metals by the Bacterial Exopolysaccharide FucoPol
by Patrícia Concórdio-Reis, Maria A. M. Reis and Filomena Freitas
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(19), 6708; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10196708 - 25 Sep 2020
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 6018
Abstract
Despite the efforts for minimizing the usage of heavy metals, anthropogenic activities still generate high amounts of wastewater containing these contaminants that cause significant health and environmental problems. Given the drawbacks of the conventional physical and chemical methods currently used, natural biosorbents (microbial [...] Read more.
Despite the efforts for minimizing the usage of heavy metals, anthropogenic activities still generate high amounts of wastewater containing these contaminants that cause significant health and environmental problems. Given the drawbacks of the conventional physical and chemical methods currently used, natural biosorbents (microbial cells or their products) arise as promising environmentally friendly alternatives. In this study, the binding efficiency of the polysaccharide secreted by Enterobacter A47, FucoPol, towards lead (Pb2+), cobalt (Co2+), copper (Cu2+) and zinc (Zn2+) cations was demonstrated. FucoPol revealed a higher performance for the biosorption of Pb2+, with a maximum overall metal removal of 93.9 ± 5.3% and a specific metal uptake of 41.1 ± 2.3 mg/gEPS, from a Pb2+ solution with an initial concentration of 10 mg/L, by a 5 g/L FucoPol solution. The overall metal removal decreased considerably (≤31.3 ± 1.6%) for higher Pb2+ concentrations (48 and 100 mg/L) probably due to the saturation of FucoPol’s binding sites. Pb2+ removal was also less efficient (66.0 ± 8.2%) when a higher FucoPol concentration (10 g/L) was tested. Pb2+ removal efficiency of FucoPol was maximized at pH 4.3, however, it was affected by lower pH values (2.5–3.3). Moreover, the FucoPol’s sorption performance was unaffected (overall metal removal: 91.6–93.9%) in the temperature range of 5–40 °C. These findings demonstrate FucoPol’s great potential for utilization as a biodegradable and safe biosorbent for treating waters and wastewaters contaminated with Pb2+. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Technologies for Pollutants Removal from Water and Wastewater)
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