Sustainable Environment

Water and Wastewater: Options for Sustainability

Climate change, rapid urbanisation and industrial growth are intensifying pressures on water resources while increasing the demand for low-carbon energy. Wastewater is therefore no longer viewed solely as a waste stream, but as a potential source of reclaimed water, energy and valuable bioproducts. This Article Collection brings together advances in water and wastewater engineering, membrane technology, environmental biotechnology, bioremediation, bioreactor design and sustainable energy systems. It will highlight emerging approaches for removing persistent contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, PFAS, microplastics and other micropollutants, alongside biological and physicochemical processes for improving water quality. Attention will be given to integrated biorefinery and fermentation platforms that convert wastewater and residual biomass into hydrogen, biofuels and value-added products. By connecting advanced treatment, biotechnology, resource recovery and clean-energy production, the Collection aims to promote scalable, circular and climate-resilient solutions for future water and energy security.

Conventional water and wastewater treatment systems are often energy-intensive and may not adequately remove emerging contaminants, while valuable nutrients, organic matter and biomass are frequently lost as waste. Addressing these limitations requires a shift from treatment systems focused solely on pollutant removal towards integrated platforms that combine water purification, resource recovery and renewable energy production. Advanced membranes, biological treatment, bioremediation and biorefinery processes offer promising pathways for producing reclaimed water, hydrogen, biofuels and other valuable bioproducts while reducing chemical use, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, further research is needed to improve process efficiency, system integration, economic feasibility and scalability under real operating conditions. Bringing together expertise in water engineering, biotechnology and sustainable energy can accelerate the development of practical solutions that support water security, decarbonisation and circular resource use. These advances are essential for achieving resilient water infrastructure and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This Article Collection welcomes interdisciplinary contributions addressing the following subjects and subtopics:

• Advanced water treatment: Membrane separation, adsorption, advanced oxidation, electrochemical treatment, photocatalysis and hybrid processes for conventional and emerging contaminants.
• Environmental biotechnology: Biological treatment, fungal biotechnology, microbial processes and innovative bioreactor design.
• Water reclamation and resource recovery: Water reuse, nutrient and metal recovery, sludge valorisation and circular water-management systems.
• Energy production and biorefineries: Anaerobic digestion, fermentation, microbial electrochemical systems, biohydrogen, biofuels and value-added bioproducts derived from wastewater or residual biomass.
• Renewable-energy integration: Renewable-powered desalination, water purification, pumping and decentralised treatment systems.
• Process development and implementation: Process integration, intensification, digital monitoring, modelling, optimisation, scale-up and full-scale applications.
• Sustainability assessment: Life-cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, carbon emissions, circularity, policy and social considerations.

Research Articles and Review Articles are particularly welcomed. Sustainable Environment accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Data Notes, Methods, Registered Report, Brief Report.

Keywords:

1. Sustainable Wastewater Treatment
2. Emerging Contaminants
3. Environmental Biotechnology
4. Wastewater Biorefinery
5. Bioenergy and Resource Recovery

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is June 25, 2027.

Please contact Kara Roberts at kara.roberts@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries on discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please select Pollution, Waste and Water Management from the list of available sections during submission. Failure to select the appropriate Article Collection or Section name can result in delays.

Guest Advisors do not declare any potential conflicts of interests in line with our Editorial Policies.

Dr. Wan Abd Al Qadr Imad Wan-Mohtar is an Associate Professor and fermentation technologist at the University of Malaya's Functional Omics and Bioprocess Development Laboratory, located in the Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences. Professor Brian McNeil, a fungal fermentation expert, and Professor Linda Harvey, author of Practical Fermentation Technology (John Wiley & Sons), supervised him at Glasgow's Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Wan-Mohtar's research focuses on extended liquid fermentation and mushroom microbiology. He holds a BSc in Microbiology (Local Basidiomycetes), an MSc in Food Biotechnology (Bioprocessing), and a PhD in Fermentation Technology (Ganoderma lucidum).

Dr. Zarimah Mohd Hanafiah is a researcher at Universiti Malaya. She received her Doctoral Degree (PhD) in Civil Engineering at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)in 2023, her Master Degree in Engineering at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2020, and her Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering atUniversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2011.

Dr. Norsyahida Mohammad is an academic and researcher specializing in chemical engineering with a profound focus on sustainable energy systems. She currently serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Malaya. Prior to that, she served as a postdoctoral researcher for four years at a private institution, before serving as a lecturer for two years at another private institution. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical & Process Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (2019), where her research centered on solid acid composite membranes for high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC).