Wastewater Treatment Through Nature-Based Solutions: Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6

Waste production poses significant environmental challenges globally, stemming from orthodox practices in industrial, agricultural, and medical sectors. These practices generate vast amounts of hazardous waste, polluting water, air, and soil, and threatening human health and ecosystems. Improper disposal exacerbates environmental crises such as pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) emerge as promising alternatives to address these challenges, harnessing nature's restorative power and offering cost-effective, eco-friendly climate solutions.

This edited book explores advanced NbS concepts and their role in revolutionizing conventional waste treatment methods while minimizing negative impacts on health and the environment. It delves into NbS characteristics, aims, and applications for sustainable wastewater management, advocating for interdisciplinary research and integrated nature-based systems. Topics covered include dynamic modeling, omics data analysis, computational and bionanotechnological approaches, bio hybrid systems, biomass utilization, life cycle assessment, urban circularity challenges, bio-inspired materials, hydroponics/aquaponics, and ecological sustainability. Adopting these approaches promises to reduce process costs and enhance long-term sustainability. The book offers a comprehensive understanding of nature-based interventions for bioremediation, addressing theoretical and practical aspects alongside contemporary challenges. 

It is a valuable reference for professionals, scientists, environmentalists, industrialists, researchers, environmental biotechnologists, students, and policymakers engaged in environmental research and strategy development. It provides insights into sustainable progress and future applications of nature-based approaches in mitigating environmental pollution, particularly industrial and municipal wastewater discharge.

Dr. Naveen Dwivedi is currently working as Professor and Head in the Department of Biotechnology Engineering and Food Technology, University Institute of Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India. He obtained his M. Tech. degree in Biotechnology Engineering from Institute of Engineering & Technology, Lucknow. Dr. Dwivedi has completed his M. Tech. dissertation work from Fermentation Division of Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow and Ph.D. research work from Bioenergy & Environmental Engineering Research Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. Dr. Dwivedi is broadly interested in the fields of Environmental Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Bioenergy, Environmental sustainability, Biomass conversion to materials and energy, Waste valorization. Dr. Dwivedi has more than 21 years of teaching and research experience. He has good number of research publications in the peer reviewed journals and conferences, edited books and around more than two dozen chapters in the books published by reputed international publishers.  

Dr. Shubha Dwivedi, A researcher by profession, Dr. Shubha Dwivedi is an Associate Professor and Head in the Department of Biotechnology, IIMT University, Meerut, India. She received her Post graduation degree in Biochemistry from Jiwaji University Gwalior and Ph.D. research work from Sustainable Processing and Water Treatment Research Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. She was associated with Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) Delhi during her masters. Her working area has been in the development of eco-friendly technology for the removal of hazardous contaminants from wastewater. Dr. Dwivedi has more than 19 years of teaching and research experience. Her outstanding research work is a testament of a good number of research publications, books, book chapters and patents etc.

Dr. Ranjeet Kumar Mishra is working as an Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, UDUPI, India.  Dr. Mishra received his Ph.D. degree from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam in year 2019. Dr. Mishra has completed his post-doctoral from University of Guelph Canada (2 years) and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (1 year). He has published more than 45 research articles in the reputed publication with an h-index of 27 and over 3047 citations. His current research interests are biomass conversion, pyrolysis, waste management, biochar, biofuel, hydrothermal liquefaction, water and wastewater treatment etc. Dr. Mishra is also associated with various SCI and Scopus International journals as an Editor, Associate Editors, Academic editor and editorial board.