Water is a pressing issue in current times. The increasing urban population, limited natural resources, and improper water management have increased the need for effective and efficient water treatment strategies. This special issue ‘Novel Water Treatment Options for Sustainable Solutions to Clean Water Scarcity’ is designed to bring together an interdisciplinary team of researchers to share their expertise and research experience on recent trends in wastewater treatment and management. The idea is to bring together like-minded agencies and stakeholders including research organizations, universities, non-governmental organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises from India and abroad to share their expertise in low-cost water treatment, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse. The special issue aims to create an integrated learning environment and encourage academicians, researchers and students to develop various competencies and enhance their self-efficacy in different techniques for affordable and feasible water treatment options. The focus is to highlight and support a multidisciplinary approach for the sustainable supply of clean water to cater to the future needs. The transition includes exchanging old systems intelligently based on systematic asset management, preparing the new system for the effects of climate change and ensuring a human water supply without compromising ecosystems. Through this special issue, we approach an intelligent integration between society and nature to target a sustainable ecosystem in the area of water.

The scope of the special issue is aimed at the following:

  • Novel water treatment options for sustainable solutions to clean water scarcity

  • Membrane and thermal desalination technologies

  • Renewable energy-based water treatment technologies

  • Novel hybrid systems and module design

  • Emerging desalination technologies

  • Brine/concentrate management

  • Resources recovery and circular economy

  • Water recycling and reuse

  • Sustainability and water management

  • Energy and economic evaluation, case studies

  • Water policies, governance and planning

This special issue introduces a novel approach and materials to improve the efficiency and to tackle emerging contaminants for clean water management. Also included are recent trends and future scope from reviewing the literature. Ankoliya et al. (2023) have improved the recovery of brackish water desalination by hybridizing the electrodialysis and the batch reverse osmosis process. Bashir et al. (2023) have studied the regeneration of copper-loaded pine bark biochar using the simultaneous bio-sulfide precipitation of copper. Danish et al. (2022) simulated the pore volume and surface diffusion model to characterize batch adsorption of Cu(II) over chemically modified Cucurbita moschata biosorbent. Taha et al. (2023) have enhanced ammonium removal from aquatic systems by a novel copolymer. Vithalkar et al. (2022) have studied the kinetics and thermodynamics of brilliant green dye adsorption by used-tea-powder. Kolothumthodi & Pulikkal (2022) have carried out the water quality assessment of open wells in Malappuram district, Kerala. Gawali et al. (2023) have studied water and gas permeation characteristics with a metal-organic framework of Zeolite imidazolate (ZIF-8) mixed matrix membranes. Jha & Chakraborty (2023) demonstrated antibiotic residue degradation by biosynthesized Nano-zero-valent iron (nZVI) using sal (Shorea robusta) leaf extract. Chandra et al. (2023) have designed and modelled a vertical tube evaporator in a thermal-driven multiple effect distillation system. Topare et al. (2022) have studied the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine-B by niobium pentaoxide (Nb2O5) photocatalyst, and Deshmukh et al. (2022) studied the adsorption of Methyl Red using orange peel-activated carbon. Mishra et al. (2023) designed a hydrodynamic cavitation-based advanced oxidation process for the degradation of recalcitrant micropollutants. Nandy et al. (2022) designed an efficient floating bed for the treatment of eutrophic water. Shaikh et al. (2023) reviewed the mulching effect on water management in agro-ecological systems. Rajesh et al. (2023) studied the role of cationic surfactants in palladium adsorption of commercial ion exchange resins using electroless plating solutions. Saha et al. (2023) reviewed the hybrid membrane process for water treatment. Vala et al. (2023) studied the polysulfone-based ultrafiltration membrane modified with branched polyethyleneimine. Mohanty & Das (2023) reviewed heavy metals in crops irrigated with wastewater in various parts of India. Acharyya et al. (2023) reviewed remediation processes of hexavalent chromium from groundwater.

Our deepest gratitude to all the authors for their high-quality research and insightful reviews, propelling advancements in novel water treatment options. We express our sincere appreciation to the reviewers for their meticulous reviews and insightful feedback, to the Editor-in-Chief for their unwavering leadership and guidance, and to the IWA staff for their professionalism and support in creating this remarkable special issue. We also value the contribution of authors to this field and hope that even if your paper is not accepted for publication this time, you will continue your valuable research and consider submitting again in the future.

Acharyya
S.
,
Das
A.
&
Thaker
T. P.
2023
Remediation processes of hexavalent chromium from groundwater: A short review
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
5
),
648
662
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.123
.
Ankoliya
D.
,
Mudgal
A.
,
Sinha
M. K.
,
Patel
V.
&
Patel
J.
2023
Techno-economic analysis of a hybrid electrodialysis–batch reverse osmosis process for brackish water desalination
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
5
),
593
607
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.088
.
Bashir
M.
,
Mohan
C.
&
Annachhatre
A. P.
2023
Regeneration of copper-loaded pine bark biochar using simultaneous bio-sulfide precipitation of copper
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
5
),
577
592
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.067
.
Chandra
P.
,
Mudgal
A.
&
Patel
J.
2023
Design and modeling of vertical tube evaporator in a thermal-driven multiple effect distillation system
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
6
),
841
850
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.116
.
Danish
M.
,
Ansari
K. B.
,
Danish
M.
,
Zaidi
S.
,
Khalil
M. J.
&
Aftab
R. A.
2022
Pore volume and surface diffusion model to characterize batch adsorption of Cu(II) over chemically modified Cucurbita moschata biosorbent: Simulation using gPROMS
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
71
(
12
),
1311
1324
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2022.073
.
Deshmukh
S.
,
Topare
N. S.
,
Raut-Jadhav
S.
,
Thorat
P. V.
,
Bokil
S. A.
&
Khan
A.
2022
Orange peel activated carbon produced from waste orange peels for adsorption of methyl red
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
71
(
12
),
1351
1363
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2022.119
.
Gawali
A.
,
Gawali
S.
,
Jampa
S. S.
,
Sinha
M. K.
,
Pandya
J.
,
Shinde
S.
&
Khuntia
S.
2023
Study on water and gas permeation characteristics with ZIF-8 mixed matrix membranes
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
7
),
1097
1114
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.102
.
Jha
A. K.
&
Chakraborty
S.
2023
Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin antibiotic residues in aqueous phase by biosynthesized nZVI using sal (Shorea robusta) leaf extract
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
7
),
1097
1114
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.113
.
Kolothumthodi
S. A.
&
Pulikkal
A. K.
2022
Water quality assessment of open wells in Malappuram district, Kerala, India
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
71
(
12
),
1325
1331
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2022.095
.
Mishra
B.
,
Thaker
A.
,
Mukherjee
A.
,
Mullick
A.
,
Roy
S.
&
Moulik
S.
2023
Design of hydrodynamic cavitation-based advanced oxidation process for degradation of recalcitrant micropollutants originating from tertiary effluent streams: A case study with norfloxacin
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
5
),
633
647
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.120
.
Mohanty
B.
&
Das
A.
2023
Heavy metals in agricultural cultivated products irrigated with wastewater in India: A review
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
6
),
851
867
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.122
.
Nandy
S.
,
Kalra
D.
&
Kapley
A.
2022
Designing efficient floating bed options for the treatment of eutrophic water
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
71
(
12
),
1332
1343
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2022.100
.
Rajesh
Y.
,
Jeeru
L. R.
,
Dabhade
G.
&
Daware
G.
2023
Role of cationic surfactants in palladium adsorption of commercial ion exchange resins using electroless plating solutions
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
5
),
623
632
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.104
.
Saha
P.
,
Jampa
S. S.
,
Sinha
M. K.
&
Khuntia
S.
2023
Hybrid membrane process for water treatment: A short review
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
5
),
608
622
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.097
.
Shaikh
T. N.
,
Patel
J. R.
&
Patel
B. H.
2023
Mulching effect on water management in agro-ecological systems: A review
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
9
),
1664
1680
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.101
.
Taha
H. F.
,
Gad
W. A.
&
El-Hussein
I.
2023
Enhanced ammonium removal from aquatic systems by a novel copolymer
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
1
),
49
61
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2022.075
.
Topare
N. S.
,
Khan
A.
,
Khedkar
S. V.
&
Bokil
S. A.
2022
Niobium pentaoxide (Nb2O5) as an efficient photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine-B
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
71
(
12
),
1344
1350
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2022.218
.
Vala
S.
,
Gawali
S. A.
,
Jampa
S. S.
,
Sinha
M. K.
&
Khuntia
S.
2023
Ultrafiltration study of the polysulfone membrane modified with branched polyethyleneimine
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
72
(
9
),
1647
1663
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2023.098
.
Vithalkar
S.
,
Jugade
R. M.
&
Saravanan
D.
2022
Adsorption of brilliant green dye by used-tea-powder: Equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics studies
.
AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
71
(
10
),
1148
1158
.
https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2022.076
.
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