Innovative Physical, Chemical, and Biological Approaches for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants from Water and Wastewater

Emerging contaminants are a class of pollutants that are increasingly detected in the environment but are not yet fully regulated or understood. Their sources include domestic wastewater, industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and landfill leachates. Due to their chemical complexity and low concentrations, ECs are difficult to remove using conventional treatment technologies.In recent years, significant progress has been made in developing novel materials and treatment processes to target ECs more effectively. Interdisciplinary approaches that combine physical separation, chemical oxidation, and biological degradation show promise in overcoming current limitations. However, further research is needed to translate lab-scale findings into real-world applications.The growing presence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in surface water, groundwater, and even drinking water presents a significant challenge to environmental safety and public health. Traditional water treatment systems are often ineffective at removing these trace-level but persistent pollutants. The goal of this Research Topic is to gather cutting-edge research that addresses this problem by exploring innovative removal techniques. By promoting a comprehensive understanding of EC fate and transformation through physical, chemical, and biological processes, this collection seeks to identify scalable and efficient strategies for their mitigation. The goal is to advance both fundamental knowledge and applied technologies, ultimately contributing to the development of cleaner water resources.This Research Topic invites original research articles, reviews (only if summary is accepted prior to submission), mini-reviews, and perspective papers on the removal of emerging contaminants using physical, chemical, and biological methods. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:• Adsorption materials and technologies• Photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis• Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)• Fenton and electro-Fenton systems• Electrochemical treatment methods• Microbial degradation and enzyme catalysis• Hybrid and integrated treatment systems• Pilot-scale or real-environment applications• Mechanistic and transformation pathway studiesWe welcome interdisciplinary studies that bridge material science, environmental engineering, microbiology, and chemistry. Submissions should highlight novelty, mechanistic insight, or application potential. Topic editors: Guilong Peng, Chengdu Qi, Sunil Paul Mathew Menacherry Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78795/innovative-physical-chemical-and-biological-approaches-for-the-removal-of-emerging-contaminants-from-water-and-wastewater