About this Research Topic

Background

Water pollution, one of the major global challenges in current times, implies the need for a persistent check on water resources on a crucial basis, and a holistic perspective that considers the interconnectedness of water and food. Water contamination, and the use of greywater, cause a host of ailments and casualties in living beings, but also undermines agricultural practices. It is a burning issue in both developing and underdeveloped countries, as it directly impacts food security and nutrition. It’s important to remember that many elements influence water quality, including precipitation, climate, soil type, vegetation, geology, flow conditions, groundwater, and human activities. Grey water contributes about 60-75% to domestic wastewater volume and contains 9-14%, 18-22%, 20-32%, and 29-62% of N, K, P, and organic matter, respectively. By safely treating and reusing this nutrient-rich water, we can contribute to the resilience and sustainability of our food systems. A treatment system is considered to be efficient if it can produce the desired “safe effluent” quality, is easily operational with minimal maintenance, and is economically low budget in terms of energy consumption and maintenance expenses. The term "safe effluent" refers to water in which the possibility of pathogen regrowth is negligible. This can help to secure a healthier environment for both crops and consumers. Researchers have come up, successfully and cost-effectively, with several solutions to treat greywater. Of these, a biomaterial-based technology known as biosorption seems promising. Biosorption is a physicochemical process that involves the interaction between pollutant and functional groups on the biomaterial surface, such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, sulfhydryl, phosphoryl, and amine. This method proves to be favourable because of its affordability, efficacy, and applicability. Moreover, if agricultural waste materials are used as biosorbents, this approach becomes even more eco-friendly and aligned with sustainable practices in food systems. Due to the huge surface area, high sorption capacity, and surface reactivity of sorbents, sorption could be a revolutionary, low-cost alternative to traditional methods of greywater treatment. Natural materials, live or dead biomass, agricultural waste, or industrial byproducts as well as synthetic sorbents, can be utilised as adsorbents with minimum processing, potentially achieving efficient and low-cost adsorption methods for water treatment. This creates opportunities to improve water quality in field crops, promoting environmentally sound practices and addressing the challenges faced by underdeveloped countries, including waste management of agricultural byproducts and treatment of industrial effluents.

This research topic aims to explore green approaches towards the removal of pollutants for water footprint sustainability in food systems. The main objectives include investigating cost-effective and efficient methods for greywater treatment, understanding the potential of biosorption using agricultural waste materials, and developing innovative solutions to enhance water quality for agricultural practices. Specific questions to be addressed include: What are the most effective biosorbents for greywater treatment? How can agricultural waste be repurposed for water purification? What are the economic and environmental benefits of using biosorption in underdeveloped countries?

To gather further insights into the boundaries of green approaches towards pollutant removal, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Decontamination of polluted water from harmful dyes, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, metal contents, etc.
• Use of cost-effective materials for water purification
• Addressing issues of water scarcity and environmental pollution
• Provision of new ideologies to report and handle environmental glitches like the waste management of agricultural waste material and treatment of industrial effluents which are major issues of underdeveloped countries
• Providing a cost-effective method to industries for the treatment of their effluents
• Introducing innovative ideas in the field of adsorption and water treatment

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: water footprint, surface chemistry, adsorption, water pollutants, water pollution, dyes, industrial effluents

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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