Emerging and innovative technologies for water and wastewater treatment

Societies generate large volumes of industrial and domestic wastewater daily. The wastewater is collected and treated at local wastewater treatment plants. The treatment process is responsible for the removal of pollutants such as heavy metals, radionuclides, xenobiotic compounds, organic waste etc as well as depletion of excess nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen. The treated water, in most cases is disinfected and released in larger bodies of water such as lakes and oceans whereas the biosolids are disposed of by various means. Despite the decades of research conducted on wastewater technologies, the processes do occasionally fail, and treatment of water is not satisfactory for release. In such events this costs the industry large sums of money and must rectify the problem as soon as possible. As research advances, better resources and technologies are available that can make the water treatment process more reliable, effective and efficient. Based on advances in knowledge we are now able to improve biological and engineering technologies in water and wastewater treatment. One major aspect is understanding the engineering applications impact the biological community in the wastewater treatment plants and this in turn results in selection of specific groups of bacteria. We now know that some organisms require cycling of anaerobic and aerobic conditions and at times these can encourage recalcitrant bacteria to proliferate and negatively impact the treatment process. This special issue is dedicated emerging and innovative technologies and is comprised of review articles that highlight biological problems experienced in wastewater treatment plants and suggest novel, innovative technologies that can resolve these issues. The issue also includes some research articles that are all suggest applied methods of controlling and preventing treatment problems. We believe this special issue provides novel insights that can be further explored to improve and develop these innovations in wastewater treatment technology.