Themed collection REV articles from Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology

Robust electron acceptors for nitrogen elimination from wastewater integrate emerging redox-driven bioprocesses with thermodynamics and kinetics insights to enable smart and climate-resilient onsite wastewater treatment systems.

Sequencing-batch operation of high-rate algal ponds selectively enriches photogranules or filamentous algae, improving solids separation and producing clearer effluent suitable for safe reuse.

Reverse osmosis concentrate may contain biological contaminants that pose a risk to human health.

We highlight opportunities, barriers, and additional considerations for wastewater surveillance for vector borne diseases.

Water is integral to humans and other living beings on the planet. Due to its scarcity, water remediation is of prime importance and MOFs are preferable due to unique set of properties.

Zero liquid discharge from industry and sewage treatment plants requires drivers to adopt integrated water treatment technologies, but has immense benefits for conserving resources and the environment with net-zero carbon footprints.

Septage is an untapped waste stream that could be utilized for recovery of beneficial nutrients, energy, and water.

This case study underscores both the need for and the feasibility of ethical planning in environmental health research, particularly when using wastewater-based epidemiology in vulnerable communities.

Aqueous geochemistry, access to end-users, and workforce availability are important to assess lithium extraction potential from produced brines.

Owing to their small size and stability, MPs have been found to be present in different media all over the world, even in the most remote regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic.

Managing drinking water-associated pathogens that can cause infections in immunocompromised individuals is a persistent challenge, particularly for healthcare facilities where occupant exposures carry a substantial health risk.

Different types of techniques used for removal of heavy metals from water.

The contamination issues posed by antibiotics in the environment and their impact on human health are well-documented.

Fe₂O₃-based photocatalysis is one of the most promising technologies for the removal of pollutants in water.

This article reviews wastewater treatment technologies in PCB production, analyzing their principles, applications, and advantages/disadvantages, and explores resource recovery potential.

This review identified 30 studies from 1992–2024 that performed quantitative microbial risk assessments on potable reuse and compared individual assumptions, summarized influential parameters, and analyzed results.

PI strategies industrial waste-treatment integrated with membranes, hybrid-mode for separation of L–G–V at early-stage research. Scalable, energy-efficient, minimal-toxicant usage of PI is an eco-friendly-greener and sustainable industrial practice.

The ion transportation process through a membrane was divided into 3 sequential stages, where the ion selectivity could be determined by the ion charge, hydration energy, channel size and surface chemistry.

Water scarcity and salinity pose acute challenges to sustainable development, requiring efficient, scalable and environmentally friendly water treatment technologies.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for the biological function of both animals and plants, and as a main constituent of industrial products, including crop fertilizers, detergents, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, and construction materials.

This critical review systematically evaluates electrochemical strategies for degrading phenylurea herbicides (PUHs), introducing a parameter assessment framework to compare EC, PEC, ECF, and PECF processes.

Compilation of optimal parameters and research gaps to be addressed to move microbial electrolysis cells from laboratory promise to real-world application.

Thermal treatment of biosolids is gaining traction for volume reduction, contaminant destruction, and biochar and bioenergy production. However, the integration of thermal treatment technologies into wastewater treatment plants remains challenging.

PFAS contamination is widespread in the Arabian Gulf's aquatic system, yet no routine monitoring or remediation frameworks exist. This review notes gaps in data access and regulation and presents advanced analytical and emerging remediation methods.

Water disinfection using ultraviolet (UV) light is an emerging tool for improving access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation in rural areas and low-resource regions.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals widely used in consumer products around the world since the 50's.

This review outlines limitations of conventional PFAS treatments and highlights microbial, fungal, and enzymatic strategies for sustainable water remediation.

Schematic illustration of oil–water separation mechanisms in ceramic membranes, where adsorption, straining, and coalescence synergistically remove oil droplets, enabling wastewater purification and water reuse.

Schematic overview of fluoxetine's molecular structure, environmental pathways, and persistence, emphasizing existing and future treatment strategies for effective removal from aquatic systems.

As the world's largest coal producer and consumer, China actively promotes efficient clean coal use to achieve its “dual carbon” goal.

Critical analysis of electrochemical processes (EAOPs) for microplastic degradation. We explore reactive oxygen species mechanisms and future application strategies.

This review discusses trends in COF-based atmospheric water harvesting under arid conditions, from mechanistic insights to innovative designs for enhanced performance over traditional sorbents.

This review uniquely integrates performance evaluation of Fe/Mn removal media with prospects for developing multifunctional catalytic materials.

With chloride present, PMS-driven AOPs produce a spectrum of reactive oxygen species, allowing for more versatile use in water and wastewater treatments.

Stormwater runoff is increasingly recognized as an alternative water resource, but organic micropollutant (OMP) contamination poses challenges to its safe harvesting.

Membrane-based desalination technologies are critical for addressing global water scarcity; however, their performance optimization remains a complex challenge.

This review uniquely links nanotechnology-enabled water treatment with climate adaptation, sustainability frameworks, and corporate responsibility through global case studies.

Revisiting simultaneous sulfate reduction and ammonium oxidation phenomenon: from inexplicable experimental results to extended mechanistic hypothesis.

This mini-review introduces a new plot comparing energy consumption and productivity as key performance metrics, providing valuable insights into the current status and future directions of electrochemically mediated ammonia recovery from wastewater.

Emerging contaminants in aquatic environments have increased threats to human health in the last decade.

Nanocomposite beads with carbon materials, MO, LDHs, MOFs, and Si show high pollutant removal, reusability, and pH stability. Despite synthesis and durability challenges, their tunable, multifunctional nature makes them ideal for water purification.

This review examines microbial dynamics across water treatment, revealing ozone/UV reduce diversity & enrich chlorine-resistant taxa. Key factors (temperature, nutrients, biofilms) and solutions (HTS monitoring, multistage filtration/UV-AOPs) are analyzed to control regrowth and ensure safety.

This review provides an overview of the water quality characteristic, briefly summarizes environmental impacts and transmission routes, and focuses on the application of membrane separation technology in the treatment of antibiotics wastewater.

AnMBRs effectively treat organic rich wastewater, achieving 87–99% COD removal and resulting in low GHG emissions. Further research to reduce the physical footprint and operational complexity will expand AnMBR applications for industrial wastewater.

Recent advancements of high-performance MD membranes and its fabrication, modification, integration, and diverse MD configurations employed in hazardous liquid separation applications. Advancements in next-generation membranes and their challenges.

Interfacial polymerization in thin-film composite membrane fabrication is a key advancement, enabling high-performance membranes with optimal flux and salt rejection, attracting significant industry attention.

LDH based adsorbents for inorganic pollutant remediation.

Membrane biofilm reactors are coupled with catalysts, electrochemistry, and anammox technology; their principles, applications, and carbon reduction efficiency are analyzed.

Controlled release strategies can reduce harmful-by-product formation and promote sustainable practices by maintaining the release of biocides, enhancing their disinfection capability and shelf-life.

This review systemically summarizes the molecular composition and characteristics and control strategies of unknown DBPs in water and wastewater based on FT-ICR-MS analysis.

Ribavirin (RBV) and chloroquine phosphate (CQP) are widely used antiviral drugs, and have raised considerable concern due to their ubiquitous nature, persistence, bioaccumulation, and high toxicity.

Extensive water use leads to scarcity, adversely affecting human health, ecosystems, and resources. Life cycle assessment (LCA) evaluates these impacts via damage pathways, using characterization models to quantify effects.

This review explores biochar's potential for removing microplastics and nanoplastics from water, discussing various mechanisms and the benefits of combining biochar with other water treatment technologies.

Freshwater scarcity, caused by population growth and climate change, has boosted the demand for desalination technologies.

Integrating point-of-care diagnostics into SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance enables rapid detection and response. This innovation enhances pandemic management and has potential for broader public health applications beyond COVID-19.

Reviewed existing and emerging technologies for carbon recovery from WWTPs, best options investigated as case study for typical conventional plant.

The use of UV light to prevent or mitigate the development of biofilms is an area of emerging research that spans numerous industries.

The increasing demand for high-quality drinking water has made the elimination of taste and odor (T&O) substances from drinking water a matter of growing importance.

Access to clean and potable groundwater is paramount for sustaining human health and ecological balance.

CDI plays an important role in water desalination, water softening, removal of heavy metals, purification of industrial wastewater, and removal of nutrients, and CDI coupling technology is emphasized.

An integrated biorefinery platform for MSS valorization through pyrolysis is presented and comprehensively described here, from the choice of MSS to the desired applications of the value-added materials obtained.

Several pretreatment technologies for reducing ceramic ultrafiltration membrane fouling were reviewed, their advantages and disadvantages were analyzed, and the future development direction of the technology was discussed.

Treating PFAS-contaminated water is challenging due to the recalcitrant nature of PFAS. This review discusses advances in NF/RO membranes for separating PFAS from water and introduces a total management plan for handling the concentrated PFAS stream.

Rapid detection and epidemiological monitoring are critical for preventing the spread of Cryptosporidium spp. and minimising public health risks. Techniques to isolate, quantify and genotype cryptosporidium are reviewed, along with future directions.

This review discusses municipal wastewater treatment using anaerobic baffled reactors (ABRs) and modified ABRs to remove C, N, P and emerging contaminants.

This review presents some major developments and progress in using ion exchange selective separation for decontamination, desalination, and decarbonization.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising candidates for high-performance separation processes due to their desirable porous structure and highly tunable properties.

Drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs) show versatile adsorption properties for the removal of contaminants from wastewater and soil. Most adsorption studies are based on synthetic well-controlled solutions instead of real wastewater samples.

The desalination of saline water is of great importance in water-stressed areas.

Magnesium oxide (MgO) is widely applied in various water treatment applications due to its fascinating properties.