Themed collection Recent Open Access Articles

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.

This article provides an ethical exploration of wastewater research surveillance, incorporating insights from data ethics, public health ethics, research ethics, and environmental and water ethics.

Recent research on antimicrobial resistance in the environment has emphasized targeted methods. Increased use of non-targeted methods is needed to determine how frequently novel resistance genes arise.

Infiltrating systems microbiology concepts in the water industry requires the development of a language of love and shared endpoints in analytical bioscience and process engineering at the (waste)water line.

Urban stormwater is a source of persistent, mobile and toxic substances, however the risk for water resources is unknown.

Harnessing phage for biological treatment is of growing interest, but an improved understanding of phage diversity, host range, lifestyle, molecular signaling, and genetic potential are needed for microbial community control.

Closing the human nutrient cycle with decentralized urine separation would help to achieve progress in food security and water protection – especially in poor countries. For this, radical innovation is needed along the whole sanitation value chain.

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.

This tutorial review synthesizes literature on sustainability analyses to introduce quantitative sustainable design (QSD) for technology research, development, and deployment.

This review highlights the pressing need for sustainable water management strategies within the water-energy-infrastructure-human nexus, and accentuates the critical roles of infrastructure and human engagement for sustainable water management.

Traditional stormwater infrastructure facilitates the transport of antibiotic resistance genes while green stormwater infrastructure may capture the genes and promote horizontal gene transfer.

This review article focuses on metal–organic framework (MOF) composites and the impact of mixing MOFs with other materials, such as polymers, carbon-based materials, and magnetic particles, to increase their performance to remove metals from water.

Individual resource recovery processes are monitored as health risk barriers.

Homogeneous photodriven advanced oxidation processes (HP-AOPs) have been increasingly investigated in past years as a possible alternative solution to conventional tertiary treatment methods of urban wastewater.

This article has critically reviewed the story of macroscopic developments of COFs for water remediation. The various macroscopic COFs for removing toxic organic and inorganic pollutants have been systematically surveyed.

Removal of pertechnetate ⁹⁹TcO₄⁻ and perrhenate ReO₄⁻ during mineral transformation of the non-toxic basic bismuth subnitrate for subsurface remediation.

To understand community impacts and needs after the August 2023 Maui wildfires, we conducted a rapid survey-based field investigation two weeks after the incident.

A field study was carried out in Peru to remove arsenic from water in arsenic-contaminated regions using milk protein nanofibril filters. Results show that this technology can bring back water to drinking standard in both urban and rural settings.

We propose a minimum set of meta-information to accompany the reporting of SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in wastewater for improved data interpretation.

Coagulation/flocculation of secondary effluent with FeCl₃ (1) removed MS2 bacteriophage and bacterial endospores up to 2–3 LRVs, (2) removed rapid surrogates at levels correlative with microbial removal, and (3) improved downstream O₃ performance.

We quantified sorption of stormwater relevant trace organic contaminants and dissolved phosphorus to a novel composite-alginate geomedia. We demonstrated coupled sorption and biodegradation of a representative tirewear compound via the geomedia.

In February 2023, a train derailment in Ohio caused a chemical spill and fires releasing contaminants into the air, soil, waterways, and buildings.

Algal blooms, driven by nutrient enrichment from nitrogen and phosphorus, pose significant challenges to water treatment processes, particularly due to the accumulation of extracellular organic matter (EOM).

Recovering phosphorus from sewage sludge is a strategic, circular approach to ensure long-term phosphorus availability for future generations, supporting sustainability and resource preservation.

Faecal sludge (FS) samples were analysed to assess their characteristics. FS has high chemical oxygen demand, ranging from 4406 to 160 000 mg l⁻¹, influenced by sludge age, sanitation type, and inflow/outflow to onsite sanitation contaminants.

The work reports the development of an AuNPs-L¹/SPCE sensor based on a novel L¹ Schiff base, with enhanced Pb²⁺ sensitivity and LOD of 0.298 μM. The sensor is suitable for Pb²⁺ detection in seawater with no sample treatment.

The systematic quantification of carbon flows and biochar stability when co-pyrolysing human faeces with wood biomass at different blending ratios and temperatures.

Thermally driven membrane processes provide an alternative method to conventional pressure driven processes to recover high quality water and manage odour from concentrated blackwater, using a low-grade heat source instead of electrical energy.

To improve efficiency of drip irrigation emitters fed by treated wastewater, it is desired to minimize biofouling clogging. In the present study efficiency of UV-LED and chlorine to reduce biofilm formation was compared.

In a synthetic binary culture, cell numbers derived by qPCR did not reflect the contribution of individual strains to the total substrate turnover.

Adding clay nanoparticles into PVDF MMMs enhances MD performance. Higher OMT loadings improve contact angle, LEP, and flux. Long-term operation shows no flux reduction. Humic acid foulant reduces clay membrane flux by 45% vs. 60% for commercial PVDF.

The accumulation of sediments in stormwater systems negatively affects their functioning.

Increasing water scarcity and water quality impairment are drivers for broader implementation of potable reuse. To maximize the sustainability of these systems, it is important to address pathogen log reduction value (LRV) ‘gaps’.

The MIL-100(Fe) was used for toluene remediation through adsorption from water.

Major groundwater cations can influence the U(IV) rejection of membranes. Water chemistry modeling, membrane characterization, uranium rejection, and membrane selectivity are investigated, with results showing optimal treatment operation at pH 7.

BiOCl_0.9I_0.1 and BiOBr_0.9I_0.1 solid solutions as promising efficient and robust photocatalysts for the concurrent and simultaneous removal of contaminants.

Removal of organic micropollutants (OMP) in wastewater treatment plants is important to prevent environmental pollution. Removal rate constants are not necessarily constant and OMP concentration positively affects the removal of OMPs in most cases.

Improved characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in source waters used for drinking water treatment is necessary to optimize treatment processes and obtain high drinking water quality.

The removal of organic micropollutants, metals and metalloids was studied in an innovative two-stage system during nutrient recovery from centrate.

A novel biologically active sorptive medium was developed to bioaugment green stormwater infrastructure and rapidly sorb trace organic contaminants with subsequent biodegradation to provide sustained runoff treatment.

Sustainable and eco-friendly MOF–GO functionalized composites demonstrated high adsorption capacity for dye removal from wastewater, offering an environmentally friendly solution.

A systematic analysis of widely used concentration, extraction and quantification methods, to identify which ones perform best for wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, PMMoV and BCoV. Accuracy, sensitivity, and throughput metrics were evaluated.

Annual water withdrawal for the 2534 individual power plants covering Africa.

Fluorescence spectroscopy holds promise as a rapid tracer of performance in decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) that may reduce the monitoring burden on communities.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are indispensable facilities that play a pivotal role in safeguarding public health, protecting the environment, and supporting economic development by efficiently treating and managing wastewater.

New orange peel biochar/clay/titania nanocomposites (NCs) effectively degrade tetracycline under both UV and natural solar irradiation.

Conducting polymers can be used as photocatalysts for aqueous contaminant remediation; however, if prepared using an iron source as an oxidant and/or dopant, they may suffer from leaching of iron during photocatalysis and misinterpretation of the results.

Climate change and drought can lead to unprecedented changes in surface water temperature requiring utilities to examine their ozone system's disinfection capability while minimizing bromate production.

During hydrometallurgical recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), one important challenge is the efficient treatment of wastewater containing LiPF₆ used as a lithium salt in the LIBs.

We describe a process for recycling scraps of graphene hollow fiber membranes into sorbent granules suitable for drinking water treatment.

When stormwater biofilters are not saturated, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) sorb to the air–water interface. The design of black carbon-amended stormwater biofilters for PFAS removal can be improved by preventing saturation.

This laboratory proof-of-concept study demonstrates that a combination of hyperspectral imaging and data-based chemometric modelling is promising for fast, precise and real-time measurement of wastewater pollution.

A design of experiments approach was used to elucidate the combined effects of dissolved ions and particulate phases on the efficacy of biochar in metal and metalloid removal.

Establishing an optimized method to harvest and quantify cells of biofilms from drinking water systems.

Sediment depth estimations in sewer systems based on the monitoring of temperatures, thermal properties, and the analysis of heat transfer processes. Surrogate model development, laboratory validation and uncertainty analysis.

Locating and quantifying sources of metals in a mineralised catchment, using tracer injection and synoptic sampling.

Solid mass flow through the WRRF (a) without primary settling, (b) with primary settling and a PS-to-WAS ratio of 1 : 1, and (c) with primary settling and a PS-to-WAS ratio of 3 : 1.

We studied reactions between a variety of organic forms of the essential element selenium (Se) and the oxidant hypobromous acid (HOBr). The studied Se compounds, especially selenomethionine, had a high reactivity with HOBr.

The present study investigates the reaction of methionine with free available chlorine (FAC) and estimates the usability of methionine as a selective scavenger for intrinsically formed FAC in chlorine dioxide (ClO₂)-based reactions.

This study demonstrates a data driven method for estimating fifth-liter water lead levels from first-liter water lead data.

14-month performance study of an anaerobic bioreactor combined with electrochemical oxidation and integrated into a self-contained public bathroom under daily use in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu, India).

PCF could efficiently remove iron particles and DBPs to reduce toxicity risks.

Characteristics of natural organic matter present in drinking water from an undisinfected system fed on groundwater were investigated by spectroscopic methods highlighting changes due to seasonality, treatment and water distribution.

MPs were detected by Raman spectroscopy in bottled water from different packaging.

This study specifies science-based pathogen treatment requirements for direct potable reuse using high-quality monitoring data and probabilistic approaches to ensure consistent and reliable protection of public health.

We present a versatile, robust, compact and automatic potentiometric analytical tool for in-field total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) monitoring in aqueous samples from different sources, with no sample pretreatment required.

Environmental chronic risk generated by wet-weather discharges compared to final effluent was stochastically assessed, also from a climate-change perspective, stressing their growing contribution for many (micro-)pollutants.

The enzymatic activity of E. coli in urban surface waters gives a sharp but short response to contamination events.

To maintain function in biofilters over time and reduce risk for leakage of metals, regular maintenance, including replacement of top layer is recommended. However, consider metal fractionation when handling material.

We observed an unexpectedly high proportion of Fe²⁺_dis in accumulated highway runoff, which could be attributed to local catchment characteristics.