Microalgae are photosynthetic unicellular microorganisms that represent an extremely important component of the aquatic ecosystem productivity, diversity, and functioning. Moreover, these microorganisms, using a network of signals, interact with all the other organisms present in their environment. Signals are often secondary metabolites that play an important role in competition, defense, attraction, and signaling. These molecules are recognized for having bioactive properties, but some of them are still largely underexplored and underexploited. This Special Issue focuses on studies aimed to improve knowledge on microalgal ecology (diversity and dynamics) in aquatic ecosystems, as well as on their capacity to produce bioactive compounds with potential biotechnological applications.

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Environmental quality is crucial to our health, economy, lives, and for future generations. However, during the last few years, we have faced several serious challenges, which include, but are not limited to, climate change, unsustainable consumption and production, as well as various forms of pollution. These challenges are of global concerns for the sustainable development of human beings. This reprint has collected review and research papers aimed at a wide range of environmental topics: water and wastewater treatment and management, soil degradation and conservation, pollution control, the environmental impact of technologies, air quality and the indoor environment, and advanced environmental materials. Analytical methods developed for the determination of environmental pollutants were also welcomed. Papers dealing in the synthesis of adsorbents for the solid-phase extraction of environmental pollutants also fell within the scope of this Special Issue. Contributions describing novel and significant knowledge, scientific results, and advanced applications in the field of environmental sciences and technology were also welcomed. This reprint provides an integrated view of the trends in solving the problems associated with the achievement of sustainability in environmental technology.

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With daily signals, Nature is communicating us that its unconscious wicked exploitation is no more sustainable. Our socio-economic system focuses on production increasing without considering the consequences. We are intoxicating ourselves on a daily bases just to allow the system to perpetuate itself. The time to switch into more natural solutions is come and the scientific community is ready to offer more natural product with comparable performance then the market products we are used to deal with. This book collects a broad set of scientific examples in which research groups from all over the world, aim to replace fossil fuel-based solutions with biomass derived materials. In here, some of the most innovative developments in the field of bio-materials are reported considering topics which goes from biomass valorization to the synthesis of high preforming bio-based materials.

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This book has been written with the purpose of providing a vision of a topic which is on the edge of biology and chemistry. As well, we want to provide an updated vision of the potentials and limitations of biocatalysis, especially with respect to applications in processes of organic synthesis, fine chemicals, and medicine. This book pretends to illustrate the potential of an excellent overview of recent progress on the assessment of granted patents as a useful tool in asymmetric synthesis. Some distinguished researchers have contributed to this endeavor with their knowledge, their commitment and their encouragement

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Cheese is an excellent and complex food matrix that preserves in concentrated form valuable milk constituents, such as proteins, minerals, vitamins, and biofunctional lipids. The formation of cheese mass requires the removal of whey, i.e., water and soluble milk substances—proteins, minerals, lactose, and vitamins. It is well known that whey, apart from being a serious environmental threat, is a valuable substrate for the formation of new products with excellent functional and biological activities. This reprint aims to share research related to (i) cheese production, ripening, and properties, and (ii) whey and whey components’ functionality and biological value, as well as whey exploitation and processing.

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The book presents a series of articles devoted to modeling, simulation, and optimization of processes, mainly chemical. General methods for process modeling and numerical simulation are described with flowsheeting. Population balances are addressed in detail with application to crystal production; energy saving is frequently optimized, including exergy analysis. The coupling between process simulation and computational fluid dynamics is studied for air classification and bubble columns. Pressure swing adsorption, reactive distillation, and nanofiltration are explained in general and applied to particular processes. The synthesis of carbon dots is solved by the design of experiments method. A safety study addresses the consequences of gas explosion.

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Marine herbal medicine generally refers to the use of marine plants as original materials to develop crude drugs, or for other medical purposes. The term ‘marine plants’ usually denotes macroalgae grown between intertidal and subintertidal zones, including Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, and Rhodophyta. Considerable progress has been made in the field of biomedical research into marine microalgae and microorganisms in the past decade. As the most important source of fundamental products in the world, marine plants have a very important role in biomedical research. Furthermore, worldwide studies have consistently demonstrated that many crude drugs derived from marine plants contain novel ingredients that may benefit health or can be used in the treatment of diseases; some have been developed into health foods, and some even into drugs. It is expected that there are many substances of marine plant origin that will have medical applications in terms of improving human health and are awaiting discovery.In this Special Issue, entitled “Development and Application of Herbal Medicine of Marine Origin”, we will provide a platform for researchers to publish biomedical studies on substances of marine plant origin. We welcome submissions from scientists and academics from across the world.

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Riverbank filtration (RBF) schemes for the production of drinking water are increasingly challenged by new constituents of concern, such as organic micropollutants and pathogens in the source water and hydrological flow variations due to weather extremes. RBF and new technology components are integrated and monitoring and operating regimes are adopted to further optimize water treatment in bank filtration schemes for these new requirements. This Special Issue presents results from the EU project AquaNES “Demonstrating synergies in combined natural and engineered processes for water treatment systems” (www.aquanes.eu). Additionally, papers from other research groups cover the efficiency of bank filtration and post-treatment, advantages and limitations of combining natural and engineered processes, parameter-specific assessment of removal rates during bank filtration, and the design and operation of RBF wells. The feasibility, design, and operation of RBF schemes under specific site conditions are highlighted for sites in the US, India, and South Korea

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We are pleased to present this book, which is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue entitled “Extraction Strategies to Recover Bioactive Compounds, Incorporation into Food, and Health Benefits” published online in the open access journal Foods (ISSN 2304-8158) from 2019 to 2020 (available at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods/special_issues/extraction). Firstly, this book gathers studies addressing several strategies applied to obtain bioactive products and extracts, not only from food matrices but also from agri-food byproducts, which can serve as new natural additives, nutraceuticals, and functional ingredients for pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries. In particular, free and bound phenolic compounds are explored in buckwheat, sesame, and olive leafy byproducts. Overall, these studies outline new valorization methods and offer new opportunities for alternative practices in the agro-industrial sector that help to migrate toward a circular bioeconomy model. This book also presents studies that predict bioactive components in fruits through mathematical tools and support the formulation of a novel beverage rich in resveratrol, a phenolic compound whose bioactivity is well recognized.

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Food waste is becoming an important and growing concern at both local and global levels. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), one-third of all food production is wasted globally, and in particular, 1.3 billion tons of food produced for human consumption is wasted per year, representing an economic loss of EUR 800 billion. The main foods wasted are represented by vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish. Considering the high availability and the composition of food waste, there is an increasing interest in their bio-valorization. Moreover, according to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 12 and 13), an appropriate waste management represents an essential prerequisite for the sustainable development.This reprint collects interesting manuscripts regarding innovative research focused on food waste valorization through fermentation processes for obtaining value-added products such as enzymes, feed additives, biofuels, animal feeds as well as other useful chemicals or products, food-grade pigments, and single-cell protein (SCP), enhancing food security and environmentally sustainable development.

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This book is a hard copy of the editorial and all the papers in a Special Issue of the peer-reviewed open access journal ‘Water’ on the theme ‘Managed Aquifer Recharge for Water Resilience’. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is the purposeful recharge of water to aquifers for subsequent recovery or environmental benefit. MAR is increasingly used to make water supplies resilient to drought, climate change and deteriorating water quality, and to protect ecosystems from declining groundwater levels. Global MAR has grown exponentially to 10 cu.km/year and will increase ten-fold within a few decades. Well informed hydrogeologists, engineers and water quality scientists are needed to ensure that this investment is effective in meeting increasingly pressing needs. This compilation contains lessons from many examples of existing projects, including several national and continental summaries. It also addresses the elements essential for identifying and advancing projects such as mapping aquifer suitability and opportunities, policy matters, operational issues, and some innovations in MAR methods and monitoring. This collection exemplifies the state of progress in the science and practice of MAR and is intended to be useful, at least to water managers, water utilities, agricultural water users and urban planners, to facilitate water resilience through new MAR projects.

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Water is a vital element for life and the environment. Water pollution has been documented as a contributor to a wide range of health problems. In recent years, the water quality levels have suffered great deterioration because of rapid social and economic development and because it is used to “dump” a wide range of pollutants.This book entitled “Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment” contains featured research papers dealing with recent developments and advances in all aspects related to membranes for water and wastewater treatment: membrane processes, combined processes (including one membrane step), modified membranes, new materials, and the possibility to reduce fouling and to improve the efficiency of enhanced processes. The papers compiled in this Special Issue can be read as a response to the current needs and challenges in membrane development for water and wastewater treatment.Half of the research articles correspond to concrete and practical applications of the use of membrane processes in different fields of the industry, with the aim of treating and conditioning water and wastewater. The studies reveal the treatment of industrial streams, mining, recycled paper industry, olive mill, urban wastewater, etc. Another important percentage of studies are related to membrane modification processes, with the aim of obtaining new materials with better performance in the separation processes, thus describing the use of membranes modified with chitosan, nanoparticles, and other organic compounds. This field also includes studies related to fouling and its modeling.

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Multifunctional polymer composites are a class of smart materials in which the polymer matrix is reinforced with fillers to tailor with different functionalities. The promise of integrating several functions into a single material is quite challenging. Moreover, their lightweight, durable, and customizable materials positions multifunctional polymer composites as a key enabler for next-generation technologies. This Reprint will focus on these aspects, thereby providing readers with an insightful idea of multifunctionality in polymer composites.

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This book, titled “Nanofiltration Membranes: Recent Advances and Environmental Applications”, aims to assess the recent developments and advances in all the aspects related to nanofiltration (NF) technology and its environmental applications. This book has ten articles, including eight research articles and two reviews. Various topics are discussed, including fabrication of organic and inorganic NF membranes, tailoring NF membranes’ surface properties, the application of NF in side-stream valorization, using NF technology in combination with other membrane technologies such as ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO), wide-range applications of NF for removing organic and inorganic pollutants and viruses, and a detailed sustainability assessment of the use of NF technology via life cycle assessment (LCA).

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The present Special Issue brings together recent research findings from renowned scientists in the field of water treatment and assembled contributions on advanced technologies applied to the treatment of wastewater and drinking water, with emphasis on novel membrane treatment technologies. 12 research contributions have highlighted various processes and technologies, which can achieve effective treatment and purification of wastewater and of drinking water, aiming (occasionally) for water reuse. The main topics which are analyzed are the use of novel type membranes in bioreactors, the use of modified membranes, for example using vacuum membrane distillation, the fouling of membranes, the problem of arsenic, antimony and chromium contamination in groundwaters and its removal and the use of novel technologies for more efficient ozonation.

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This special issue "Separation, Extraction and Purification of Natural Products from Plants" contains high-quality multidisciplinary research and review articles on various aspects of natural products. Quality by design (QbD) is a science-based and risk-based concept. The implementation of QbD ensures consistent high quality of natural product. The advantages of the concept are reflected in the researches collected in this special issue, such as the two articles on the optimization of the steam distillation process from Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine. Process analytical technology (PAT) is an important part of the implementation of QbD concept. Two articles from Dr. Li Wenlong combines spectroscopy and chemometrics, providing good examples on the monitoring of natural product preparation process. Chromatographic separation and analysis are very important for quality control of natural products. There are six articles from different countries focusing on this topic. There are two articles investigating separation technologies, including membrane filtration and ethanol precipitation. Traditional Chinese medicines are also an important category of natural products. A review from Zhejiang University talks about the quality control of Xiaochaihu Capsule. I received a lot of help from friends from universities and enterprises in completing this special issue. I would like to express my gratitude to them. My thanks also go to the editors of this journal of Separations.

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This book deals with the latest developments regarding urban and industrial wastewaters’ adapted treatment with various technologies. It focuses, through valuable publications, on the shifting of the wastewater management paradigm from “treatment and disposal” to “the 4Rs principle: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, and Recover”. The adapted wastewater treatment step will allow (i) the disposal of supplementary water amounts that could be safely reused in order to tackle the water-scarcity problem, and (ii) the preservation of the environment against pollution. Finally, this book will contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and other international related initiatives.

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This book examines the state-of-the-art water and wastewater treatment methods that can be applied to develop a sustainable treatment technique in the future. Of the several high-quality articles submitted, twelve were published after the peer-review process, with an acceptance rate of 59 percent. In the first section of this book, the articles include the occurrence and removal of emerging contaminants in water bodies. Moreover, the presence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water sources is discussed in detail. Subsequently, the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and dye with different physicochemical methods is investigated. In another section of this book, the removal of ammonia with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is studied. Additionally, the elimination of heavy metals using the adsorption process, as an effective method, is discussed. Moreover, the performance of membrane bioreactors in the elimination of pollutants from landfill leachate is investigated in another article in this book. In addition to this, green and sustainable wastewater technologies (GSWTs) have recently attracted the attention of researchers. Therefore, nanoremediation and microalgae-based systems are discussed as the GSWTs.

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