Greening the 21st century environmental engineering – A robust platform to mitigate contaminants of emerging concern

Abstract

This special issue of Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering deals with the 21st century environmental engineering perspective to mitigate contaminants of emerging concern. Over the recent decades, a rampant industrial boom, urbanization, and an exponential increase in population growth resulted in numerous environmental impacts with water being one among the leading affected resources. All different kinds of pollutants, for example, organic compounds, heavy metals, dyes, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, pesticides, persistent/volatile organic compounds, petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic gases, have a paramount effect, either directly or indirectly, on human health and aquatic entities [1]. Human-made, agricultural, and industrial disposals play a substantial contribution in triggering wastewater pollution. Strategies for their affordable and efficient decontamination of these emerging pollutants have become the prime focus of academic researchers, industry, and government to constitute a sustainable human society. Classical techniques for determining and treatment of environmental contaminants are associated with several limitations, such as inefficiency, complex pretreatments, overall high process cost, generation of high sludge, and formation of highly toxic side-products [2]. Therefore, new, and state-of-the-art technologies possessing the advantages of detection, ease of use, and continuous degradation of environmental pollutants, are highly desirable.