Appropriate technologies to combat water pollution

Abstract

This special issue contains 56 articles selected from the 10th annual international conference called “Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering,” CESE-2017 that was held in Kunming, China from the 11th to the 15th of November 2017. There were 283 delegates from 16 countries and regions participated in CESE-2017. The conference covered 8 themes namely (i) the Application of Membrane Technology & Nano-Technology, (ii) Water & Wastewater: Pollution Prevention & Treatment, (iii) Resources & Wastes: Management and Recovery of Materials and Energy, (iv) Air Pollution: Prevention and Treatment, (v) Sustainable Catchments & Renewable Energy, (vi) Cleaner Production and Emerging Sustainable Practices, (vii) Appropriate Technology for Sustainabili ty & Climate Change Adaptation/Mitigation, and (viii) Soil Sustainability and Contaminated Soils and Sediments. This special issue covers various aspects of adsorption, heavy metals, application of membranes, removal of pollutants, sludge management, stormwater, water quality, and treatment. There are eight articles related to adsorption published in this special issue. Two articles provide research outcomes on CO2 capture; one study used palm kernel shell-based activated carbon produced by direct physical activation, and another study used rice husk to enhance calcium oxide-based sorbent prepared from waste cockle shells for cyclic CO2 capture in high-temperature condition. Next study discusses green synthesis of palm oil mill effluent-based graphenic adsorbent for dye wastewater treatment. One study discusses the preparation and dynamic adsorption of p-nitrophenol by multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed cyclodextrin (β-CD-MWNTs). Adsorption of ibuprofen using cysteine-modified silane-coated magnetic nanomaterial is researched on article and adsorptive removal of endocrine-disrupting compounds, and a pharmaceutical using activated charcoal from aqueous solution was studied in another. Two articles have provided research on biochar where in one study persulfate activation with rice husk-based magnetic biochar was used for degrading PAEs in marine sediments and in another study, novel waste-derived biochar from biomass gasification effluent was prepared and characterization along with its application in biological wastewater treatment and energy recovery. Another eight articles in this special issue provide valuable information of membranes and their applications in water/ wastewater treatment. Four articles discuss membrane fouling under different conditions. One article evaluates the combined effects of coagulation and adsorption on ultrafiltration membrane fouling control and subsequent disinfection in drinking water treatment. The second article in this section investigates the role of organic fouling layer on the rejection of trace organic solutes by nanofiltration. The third article provides information on the role of specific organic foulants on separation performance of forward osmosis. The fourth article analyzes the fouling and performance of anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor treating phenol and quinoline containing wastewater. The next two articles discuss membrane bioreactors (MBRs) and deals with the limitations imposed by conventional fine bubble diffusers on the design of a high-loaded membrane bioreactor (HL-MBR), and the other provides a critical review on understanding the mechanisms of trace organic contaminant removal by high retention membrane bioreactors. The next article of this section evaluates the performance of integrated adsorption-solar photocatalytic membrane reactor for degradation of hazardous congo red using Fe-doped ZnO and Fe-doped ZnO/rGO nanocomposites. The last article evaluates the removal of nitrate from groundwater using negatively charged nanofiltration membrane. Twelve more articles are dedicated to catchments where fate of pollutants in catchments, microbial communities and their Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues