Water Pollution and Remediation

The threat that is being placed on our water ecosystem as a direct consequence of accelerated industrialisation, which helps to drive urbanization, is becoming extremely severe, which in turn reduces the amount of fresh water that is readily available. Water pollution poses a significant threat to marine life, as well as to plants, people, and the environment, and it also has the effect of changing the balance of the environment. This chapter will present the most current survey on water pollution, as well as a classification based on the sources of pollution and an examination of the adverse impacts that water pollutants have on the ecosystem. In the end, a survey will be conducted on worldwide legislations for the pollutions, particularly water pollution legislation, as well as the effectiveness of such legislation.

Water pollution continues to be a worldwide issue that affects both human and environmental well-being. There is a need to consistently tackle the rising problems of pollution to ensure a pristine and secure subterranean environment for residents. Therefore, certain categories of water pollutants that cause significant water pollution and toxicity necessitate the use of biological processes instead of physico-chemical methods to treat the contaminated water, which contains a variety of pollutants. This is crucial in order to protect the environment and human health. The Water Quality Index (WQI) is a widely used instrument for assessing and characterizing water quality. Physical, chemical, and biological elements combine to determine the value, which ranges from 0 to 100. This measurement involves four distinct processes. The present chapter focuses on assessing water contamination caused by a variety of pollutants.

The usage of pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, antibacterial agents, microplastics, e-waste, and nanomaterial-based products has led to a large increase in environmental pollutants. These emerging pollutants (EPs), sometimes referred to as pollutants, are causing significant concern to the general public due to substantial ecological and human well-being risks. EPs possess a wide array of ecological impacts. EPs originate from animal or human sources and have the capacity to rapidly or slowly penetrate streams via soil. As a result, drinking water sources become contaminated, water quality deteriorates, and health problems arise. Even in smaller amounts, the majority of emerging pollutants may have detrimental effects on both human health and marine ecosystems. These pollutants have no specific constraints that arise due to the capacity limitations of water treatment systems that provide drinking water and must use a variety of water sources. This degradation of aquatic habitats, specifically groundwater and the surface, is a significant issue. EP technology for treatment employs a variety of techniques, such as bioremediation, biological, contemporary oxidation processes, and physicochemical, irrespective of their advantages and constraints.

The occurrence of oil spills has remained a major threat of water pollution in the world for the past few decades. These spills have happened as a result of various causes such as vandalism, human error, and mechanical failure among others. Although it is required by law that oil companies must ensure that they are clean up oil spills, an insignificant number of polluted soils in this area have been reclaimed. This has rendered untold hardship to the residents of the communities in this region, as their main source of income, farming and fishing, are being lost in these unfortunate incidents. Thus, the current study assessed the remediation methods that have been applied in the region and other parts of the world with the intention of studying the most ideal methods that should be implemented in this specific area. Prior to the findings of this study, previous research relied mostly on individual techniques, and every technique was known to have its weaknesses. The questions remain whether the integrated understanding of the policy governing the oil industry and the multidisciplinary approach to the selection of remedies could ameliorate the situation.

During repair operations, green remediation approaches involve assessing the undesirable ecological effects of water treatment and developing alternative alternatives to reduce harm and enhance good impacts on the environment. This chapter will comprehensively analyse the research on photocatalysis for the removal of water pollution. The topic will cover progress in photocatalysts, process factors, efficacy levels, and widespread deployment. The authors explain many methods of using phytoremediation tactics to reduce, eliminate, and address the detrimental effects of contaminants discharged through the ecosystem. Utilising plants to reduce soil contaminants is an economically efficient method that mitigates the risks to both people’s well-being and the environment resulting from polluted water bodies. We provide an in-depth analysis of the basic principles of microbial fuel cells (MFC) and their dual capability to remove pollutants and generate electricity from wastewater. Investment viability requires further investigation, especially in economic research, to evaluate the potential of these technologies.

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) emphasizes the importance of sustainable water management, a crucial requirement for the survival of all living organisms. The growing population and urbanization have intensified the demand for reliable water supplies, posing challenges in ensuring sufficient water supply and effective wastewater treatment. The Sustainable Development Goals emphasize the need for sustainable wastewater management, advocating for the safe use of purified drinking water and accessible treatment procedures. The AWWA has identified five crucial problems affecting progress towards a sustainable and adaptable water future: sustainability, technology, economics, governance, and social and demographic concerns. To make sure that our methods for cleaning wastewater are both cost-effective and safe for the environment, we use photocatalysis, phytoremediation, microbial fuel cells, activated biochar, electrocoagulation, and biomass-based hydrogels.