ABSTRACT Desalination techniques, especially membrane‐based methods, provide effective solution to water scarcity. This research provides a thorough overview of the incorporation of technological advancements like Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Big Data, and Artificial Neural Networks into desalination systems. These methods allow accurate estimation of important parameters like membrane fouling, permeate flux and energy consumption in addition to facilitating real‐time monitoring as well as the early detection of faults. The results reported show an excellent predictive capability from AI models, including ANN, SVM, and SVM, with their coefficients of derivation (R2) that exceed 0.9. Additionally, smart systems help improve water quality and efficiency of processes as well as reduce operating costs and prolong the life of plants and have minimal environmental impact. But issues related to access to data and the ability to interpret models are major obstacles to massive installation. The use of modern technologies will transform traditional desalination processes into more efficient, robust, and smart systems; the existing operational and technical limitations are remediated.
ABSTRACT Under global climate change, coastal wetlands face severe dual stress of salinization and drought, whose coupling drives wetland degradation. As a key species, Phragmites australis maintains wetland function, but its community resilience mechanism to salinity‐moisture coupling remains unclear. We developed a dynamic growth model for P. australis under these stresses, calibrated and validated via indoor controlled experiments and field surveys. Three scenarios (drought + high salinity, moist + low salinity, flooded + moderate salinity) quantified non‐linear impacts on biomass. The model showed high accuracy ( R = 0.97, RSR = 0.2452, IOA ≥ 0.97). Scenario simulations revealed: moist + low salinity yielded the highest biomass peak (~2000 g/m 2 ) with gentle decline; flooded + moderate salinity had a slightly lower peak (~1900 g/m 2 ) and faster decline; drought + high salinity showed the lowest peak (~1800 g/m 2 ) and most rapid post‐September decline. This study overcomes static model limitations, providing a scientific tool for adaptive restoration of wetland P. australis communities.
Water-sensitive urban design offers an alternative to traditional stormwater management by integrating blue-green spaces and nature-based solutions into cities. Wider uptake requires shifts in practice supported by public understanding and engagement. Drawing on a national survey of 501 respondents, this study investigates water-sensitive urban design literacy in Aotearoa New Zealand. Findings demonstrate strong public support even in the absence of technical understanding. Overall, despite understanding gaps, participants supported legislation requiring nature-based solutions and welcomed constructed wetlands in their neighbourhood. Furthermore, over half of them indicated willingness to contribute financially to protect urban waterways. Our findings contrast with the assumption that limited technical understanding constitutes a barrier to the implementation of water-sensitive urban design and associated technologies. The paper discusses implications for land use planning, emphasising that engagement strategies leveraging environmental values and multiple co-benefits may prove more effective than technical education alone in accelerating water-sensitive urban design implementation.
ABSTRACT This review compiles and analyses peer‐reviewed studies from a range of scholarly databases, spanning from 2003 to 2025 to provide the most current analyses of technologies for the removal of boron from geothermal waters. The main objective of this study is to describe the dominant technologies and research trends used for boron removal from geothermal waters. The analysis of the literature suggests that the most researched method has been the use of ion exchange resins (37%), followed by hybrid methods (26%) and membrane processes (19%). Although reverse osmosis has been the most researched type of membrane technology, the operational difficulties that occur at high temperatures and saline concentrations have made ceramic membranes of increasing importance. Future research topics include using artificial intelligence for process control and optimization, developing new boron sensors, conducting life cycle analyses and designing low‐cost, high‐efficiency systems with less of an impact on the environment.
Pharmaceutical contaminants in potable water sources are ubiquitous and have resulted in lowered water quality. Thus, two common broad-spectrum pharmaceuticals (tetracycline-TC and ciprofloxacin-CPF) were comparatively photo-degraded using Ag-doped TiO2 photocatalyst species containing Ag nanoparticles at 2.5, 5, and 7.5 wt%. The Ag enhanced the photocatalyst surface area and reduced the band gap energy but had no significant effect on the basic TiO2 crystal structure. The 5 wt% Ag-TiO2 exhibited better optimum photocatalyst properties with enhanced degradation efficiencies for TC (up to 100%) and CPF (25%), in contrast to pure TiO2 photocatalyst. The reusability was outstanding maintaining >= 89% of the degradation potential after 4 cycles. The observed optimum conditions for efficient degradation of both antibiotics by the 5 wt% Ag-TiO2 photocatalyst are approximate to 0.1 g catalyst/L, pH 9, antibiotics concentration of approximate to 11 mg/L and degradation time of 120 min. The photocatalyst is a promising material for application in water remediation.
ABSTRACT Several mathematical models have been developed to simulate organic micropollutant (OMP) removal within the activated sludge process (ASP). Models were last evaluated in 2013, and future modelling requirements were identified. Sorption is one of the dominant removal mechanisms within ASP, albeit less understood than biodegradation, and can be influenced by OMP physicochemical properties and process operating conditions. In this study, a systematic literature review, followed by a critical optioneering style evaluation, was undertaken. First, appropriate models were identified, and then their framework and application were assessed against criteria encapsulating ideal modelling requirements, with specific consideration to sorption. The outcome was the identification of an optimum model. Since the last reviews, there has been limited refinement in model frameworks, and models did not accommodate for all requirements nor simulate sorption with complexity. This includes models used by regulators today. Improvements to framework and application are needed if simulations are to become sufficiently reliable for design and future regulation. The findings of this study have worldwide importance, as the ASP is the most common wastewater treatment process, globally.
ABSTRACT Macrolevel water harvesting (MLWH) is a strategic approach to addressing water shortages and advancing Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) in arid and semiarid areas. Nevertheless, there are a limited number of studies that use comparative quantitative assessments of MLWH performance under climatic conditions. An exclusive bibliometric analysis was conducted to select study areas and establish methodological continuity between global research trends and the analytical framework. This paper evaluates 10 successful case studies using the Water Conservation Potential, Agricultural and Livelihood Impact, Sustainability and Urban Flood Control indices. These indices are aligned with SDG targets 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6. Findings show that semiarid areas that use integrated recharge systems, irrigation connectivity and institutional integration continue to perform better than those characterized by insular intervention. The comparative study of successful MLWH practices provides a framework for achieving SDG 6 and water security planning in an arid region by MLWH.
ABSTRACT The growing demand for sustainable desalination solutions has increased interest in floating solar stills, particularly in remote areas. This work presents a technical analysis of the main configurations of these systems, classified into five categories: traditional, special‐design, membrane‐based, multi‐effect and models incorporating thermal energy storage materials or neural networks. Membrane‐based systems exhibit high thermal performance, with efficiencies exceeding 80%, with evaporation rates typically in the range of 1.2–1.6 kg m −2 h −1 , while multi‐effect configurations stand out for their higher freshwater productivity due to latent heat recovery achieving specific water production above 3 kg m −2 h −1 and, in optimized multi‐stage designs, exceeding 6 kg m −2 h −1 . In contrast, traditional models face limitations related to heat loss, salt fouling and reduced durability and generally exhibit lower freshwater productivities, commonly below 1.0–1.2 L m −2 h −1 under typical operating conditions.
This study aims to evaluate the environmental impact of brine discharge from the Chabahar desalination plant, assessing compliance with regulatory limits (+10% salinity, +3 degrees C temperature within a 200-m mixing zone) for various discharge scenarios. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic model (MIKE 3 FM) was implemented, calibrated with HYCOM and ERA5 data and forced using bathymetry from GEBCO to simulate brine dispersion under multiple scenarios of discharge distance (0-1000 m), angle (0 degrees, 15 degrees, 45 degrees and 75 degrees) and point configuration. The results indicate that for the current plant capacity, a discharge distance of 400 m or more generally satisfies environmental criteria, whereas for a proposed upgrade to 0.5 million m3/day, compliance requires a discharge located at least 1000 m from the shore, specifically at a 75 degrees angle to the coastline, to prevent excessive salinity and temperature increases in sensitive marine habitats.
The purpose of the research was to assess the diversity of antimicrobial resistance in hospital wastewater of Bangladesh. The bacterial strains were confirmed by 16s rDNA gene sequence analysis, where the isolates belong to Enterobacter cloacae, Raoultella terrigena, Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas dhakensis. The isolates were used to test the antibiotic susceptibility, and all strains showed multidrug resistance. Out of all isolated bacterial strains, 96% of them had resistance to metronidazole, 95% to ampicillin, 86% to sulphamethoxazole, 84% to moxifloxacin and cephalexin, 80% to erythromycin, 74% to co-trimoxazole, 55% to streptomycin and kanamycin and 53% to azithromycin. The MAR index ranged from 0.21 to 0.86 across all sites, indicating a high risk of antibiotic pollution in the sampling sources. This study highlights the alarming state of antibiotic resistance in two districts of Bangladesh, emphasizing the need for strict controls on hospital effluents, urban water treatment and antibiotic use to prevent public health impacts.
Acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation hinges on coordinated anaerobic metabolisms. The joint roles of sulfidogens and methanogens were investigated using groundwater-, sludge- and sediment-derived consortia in lactate-fed batch reactors. Time-resolved chemistry showed substantial metal removal with pH rising to about 6.5; sulphate declined by 78% to 91%, depending on inoculum. Microbial profiling, diversity indices, random forest and LEfSe identified Desulfobulbaceae, Desulfotomaculales and Methanobacteriaceae as keystone taxa. Ecological networks and structural equation modelling supported partial cooperation via shared substrates and electron flow, while also suggesting that increased methanogen abundance may be associated with reduced community complexity under certain conditions. KO-based functional profiling indicated a sulphur-anchored, reductant-pooled organization in which sulphur-cycling functions covaried positively with both guilds; reductant-entry KOs and central-carbon nodes increased together; nitrogen- and phosphorus-linked functions scaled with overall metabolic throughput. These mechanisms underscore that harnessing both guilds enhances system adaptability and sustains pollutant transformation, with flexible sulphur acceptance anchoring electron flow and methanogens stabilizing the anaerobic regime.
ABSTRACT Despite the global efforts for water sustainability, the issue of non‐revenue water (NRW) remains a significant impediment. This research aims to expand the comprehension of NRW through a bibliometric approach. Specifically, it seeks to examine the current knowledge structure surrounding NRW, analyse the prevailing trends and directions in NRW research and develop a novel framework for NRW knowledge enhancement. This research encompasses 256 articles sourced from the Web of Science database. Utilizing bibliographic coupling and co‐word analysis, the study meticulously examines the collected data. These methodologies serve as the foundation for the development of the NRW enhancement framework. The investigation identified four clusters within each analytical method. The bibliographic coupling network map reveals four dimensions of NRW, factors of NRW, tools and measures to reduce NRW, utility water loss and leakage control and water efficiency control. In contrast, the co‐word network map highlights maintaining NRW, water distribution network (WDN) lifecycle, managing real losses within WDN and managing NRW and WDN. The novel framework synthesizes these clusters, offering examples and suggesting future research avenues to enrich NRW knowledge and bolster water sustainability. It advocates for the adoption of the framework to achieve water sustainability and enhance NRW management, particularly in regions grappling with significant real and apparent losses in WDNs. This study enriches the existing literature by broadening the understanding of NRW among researchers, practitioners and policymakers. The developed framework not only illuminates the current state of NRW knowledge but also serves as a guide for future, more in‐depth research endeavours.
ABSTRACT Effluent drainage in Indian rivers from industrial/anthropogenic activities leads to bioaccumulation of emerging pollutants (EPs) in ecosystems. This inhibits microbial growth and restricts their bioavailability as carbon and energy sources, limiting remediation. Hence, in the present investigation, degradation of hydrophobic EPs—Bisphenol A (BPA) and Triclosan (TCS) spiked in polluted Yamuna River water‐based mineral salt medium has been enhanced via a surfactant‐mediated approach and optimized statistically using a bioaugmented white rot fungal consortium— Hypocrea lixii and Pleurotus ostreatus . A total of 50 experimental runs were conducted using influential components—sawdust, CuSO 4 , veratryl alcohol and Tween‐80 at pH 6, resulting in 98% BPA and 93% TCS degradation with 185‐U/L laccase and 61.89‐U/L lignin peroxidase (15 days). Validation experiment supplemented with Tween‐80/biosurfactants in medium (CMC—240 mg/L) resulted in 100% degradation (9 days). Other Yamuna River EPs peaks maximum disappeared in Tween‐80 supplemented medium, showing applicability of the consortium for real‐time degradation studies.
ABSTRACT Textile wastewater is a major global concern due to its hazardous, persistent nature, primarily from synthetic dyes. This review represents the Microbial‐Electro‐Fenton Technology (MEFT) as a promising integrated and sustainable approach that addresses key limitations of conventional treatments by coupling microbial fuel cell mechanisms with electrochemical Fenton processes. In MEFT, microbes oxidize organic waste to generate bioelectricity, powering the in situ production of H 2 O 2 . The produced H 2 O 2 subsequently generates highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (•OH) through the Fenton reaction, which effectively degrades a broad spectrum of dyes and pigments into simple organic compounds. MEFT offers substantial economic and environmental benefits, including significantly reduced energy consumption, minimal external chemical inputs and compatibility with circular economy principles through resource recovery. However, several challenges restrict the technology from achieving notable scalability and long‐term operational stability. Future research should prioritize these aspects to advance MEFT from the laboratory to a practical and commercially viable technology.
ABSTRACT Superintensive shrimp farming, though well‐established in developed countries, remains difficult to adopt in Vietnam due to high investment costs and technical barriers. This study compared traditional intensive and locally adapted ‘super‐intensive’ shrimp farming among 30 households in Ben Tre province. Results revealed that current practices are only quasi–super‐intensive, with a 30% increase in stocking density but a tenfold rise in COD and BOD₅ and a fivefold increase in S 2− . To address these limitations, a recirculating aquaculture system using submerged fixed‐bed biofilters (SFBB‐RAS) was developed. Laboratory trials (1 m 3 /day) achieved up to 96% removal of sulphides and 75%–80% removal of organic and nitrogen pollutants under salinity of 10‰–15‰. A pilot‐scale 500‐m 3 /day system showed consistent treatment performance and improved shrimp survival (+13.5%) and growth (+25%). The findings demonstrate that SFBB‐RAS effectively bridges the gap toward true superintensive shrimp farming in Vietnam.
Groundwater makes an important contribution to public water supplies, yet the dynamics of groundwater availability are often simplified in large-scale water resource assessments. This study addresses that challenge on a national scale in England by integrating an empirically based groundwater supply model with a national-scale water resource system simulation model. Through comparison of dynamic and steady groundwater representation and the use of a large-ensemble climate dataset, we illustrate the contribution of groundwater to system supply and performance at a national scale and highlight regional differences in response. The south-east showed particular sensitivity to groundwater flow: In the far-future scenario, the median number of days with restrictions increased by 40% following the introduction of our dynamic groundwater model, compared to simulations based on licensed groundwater yields. Our results emphasise the importance of dynamic representation of groundwater supplies in large-scale water resource assessments.
Amid rising air pollution and urban disconnection from nature, potted plants enhance urban living by improving aesthetics, reducing indoor pollutants, regulating humidity and supporting mental well-being. With growing freshwater demand for non-essential uses like landscape irrigation, sustainable reuse of domestic wastewater offers an effective alternative, especially for non-edible ornamental plants. This study assessed irrigating four ornamental foliage species-Cissus rhombifolia (grape ivy), Plectranthus amboinicus (Cuban oregano), Crassula ovata (jade plant) and Coleus scutellarioides (coleus)-by evaluating morphological, physio-biochemical and soil properties in a 2-year pot experiment. Kitchen wastewater (KWW) enhanced plant performance across multiple indicators compared to groundwater (GW), with treated wastewater (TWW) showing intermediate benefits. Grape ivy, oregano and jade plant adapted best under KWW, whereas coleus performed best with GW. Enhanced physiological responses under KWW and TWW reflected nutrient-driven stimulation without toxicity, supported by improved soil fertility and safe pollution indices, confirming sustainable reuse for irrigation.
Designing waterworks projects requires accurate estimation of both water consumption and unaccounted for water (UFW). In this study, a questionnaire was distributed to 20 large water service providers in the West Bank of Palestine to collect data on water consumption and UFW. Such primary municipal-level data covering 63% of the population is valuable as it has practical relevance to stakeholders in the water sector. The data was statistically analysed to identify relationships between consumption, UFW and independent variables using factor and regression analyses for simplicity. Results demonstrated that total community water consumption was highly dependent on the number of served residential houses. Essentially, population size and service coverage were the key determinants of community water consumption. The surveyed water consumption averaged 72 L per capita per day, whereas the UFW averaged 33%. The UFW was found to be strongly associated with the total number of service meters.
Antibiotics are widely used in human and veterinary medicine and are continuously introduced into aquatic environments through wastewater discharge. This study applied wastewater-based epidemiology to investigate the occurrence, fate and consumption of the four last-resort antibiotics: colistin, polymyxin B, vancomycin and meropenem in northern Malaysia from December 2021 to January 2022. Influent and effluent samples were collected from 18 sewage treatment plants and analysed using solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. All targeted antibiotics were detected, predominantly at concentrations below 1 mu g/L, with meropenem and polymyxin B showing the highest detection frequencies. Estimated per capita consumption indicated greater usage of polymyxin B and vancomycin compared to meropenem and colistin. The persistence of certain antibiotics in treated effluents highlights limitations of conventional biological treatment and underscores the need for improved monitoring and regulatory strategies to mitigate environmental and antimicrobial resistance risks.
This study investigated the applicability of environmentally friendly technologies for treating vegetable oil industry wastewater containing high concentrations of recalcitrant compounds. Stainless steel mesh electrodes (SS316) were used to enhance flotation efficiency. Electrocoagulation (EC) with an aluminium anode-SS316 cathode at 1.25 A/cm2 achieved COD and O&G removal efficiencies of up to 98.69% and 98.8%, respectively. Using an iron anode-SS316 cathode at 1.50 A/cm2, COD and O&G removals reached 96.5% and 94.2%. In the electroflotation (EF) process with SS316 electrodes at 1.8 A/cm2, COD and O&G removals were 83% and 88%. Furthermore, kinetic analyses revealed that COD and O&G removal followed a pseudo-second-order model, indicating that the process was mainly governed by surface interactions rather than chemical reactions. These findings demonstrate the efficiency and potential of EC and EF using SS316 electrodes for treating oily wastewater in an environmentally sustainable manner.
