research papers on water

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Read our October Issue

In this issue we cover greenhouse gas emission in the wastewater sector, nitrogen cycling microorganisms for wastewater management, ecohydrological resilience to drought, hybrid urban water systems

Cuihong Song
Jun-Jie Zhu
Zhiyong Jason Ren

Current issue

The tortuous path towards net zero emissions in the wastewater sector, let the olympics serve as warning for water quality, going from energy efficiency to climate neutrality on the way to decarbonizing the wastewater sector.

Maria Salvetti

Defining and achieving net-zero emissions in the wastewater sector

Sustainable wastewater management through nitrogen-cycling microorganisms.

Haoran Duan
Jianhua Guo

Using water and wastewater decentralization to enhance the resilience and sustainability of cities

Manel Garrido-Baserba
David L. Sedlak

Announcements

Open call: Research to address the global sanitation

In this collection/call for paper, we present articles that explore all parts of sanitation research, including public health aspects, sustainable management, technology development and implementation, and environmental, social and technical challenges. We welcome submissions of articles that can help further our understanding and/or offer solutions to best address the global sanitation crisis.

Open call: Hydraulic engineering

In this collection/call for papers, we explore the hydraulic problems faced in both fundamental and applied research, with direct relevance for the optimal planning, design and operation of water resource systems. Our collection features articles that cover, for example, hydraulic structures, erosion protection, flood protection, hydroelectric-power generation, and more.

Nature Water Talks: a series of webinars with Nat Water

Nature Water Talks are online events organized by the Nature Water journal editors. The aim is to provide an informal and professional venue for our community to discuss a range of topics related to water resources and their relationship to society. We hope to engage a wide community across the globe by inviting experts to discuss challenges and opportunities in water-related issues.

Nature Water is a Transformative Journal ; authors can publish using the traditional publishing route OR via immediate gold Open Access.

Our Open Access option complies with funder and institutional requirements .

Browse articles

A portfolio approach to achieving universal sanitation

Sanitation could evolve beyond its traditional focus on public health and environmental protection to address broader challenges. A portfolio approach is proposed, integrating diverse systems at various scales to optimize benefits including economic value, resource efficiency, climate resilience and human dignity.

Abishek Sankara Narayan
Caetano Dorea
Kartik Chandran

Flocs as vectors for microplastics in the aquatic environment

Microplastics dispersed in the environment can be transported as single entities or in flocs. Analysis of existing and new data shows that microplastic transport can be modelled in a way that is consistent with a predominance of floc movement.

Stuart W. D. Grieve
Kate L. Spencer

Water infrastructure of all, by all, for all

Sustainable water management relies on water infrastructure that encompasses artificial structures and natural ecosystems, along with the cooperation of people and various organizations.

Junji Hashimoto
Shinichiro Nakamura

Overlooking the critical nexus between water, sanitation, and health

Water, sanitation, and health are inseparable — poor planning risks contaminating water sources and sowing the seeds of long-term health crises.

Ligy Philip

Food production from sludge

Upcycling waste sewage sludge to food presents a promising approach to simultaneously addressing environmental concerns and achieving a circular economy. A hybrid system that integrates mechanochemical, electrochemical, and biological catalysis demonstrates the potential for single-cell protein synthesis from waste sludge.

Mengmeng Du
Bocheng Qiu

Solar-driven sewage sludge electroreforming coupled with biological funnelling to cogenerate green food and hydrogen

The integrated process of mechanochemical fractionation-assisted and solar-driven electrochemical reforming, followed by biological funnelling, enables the efficient upcycling of sewage sludge. This process not only co-produces valuable single-cell protein and green hydrogen but also effectively removes heavy metal contaminants.

Impacts of warming and nutrient enrichment on the fate and effects of nanoplastics in a freshwater food web

Global warming and pollution both have a detrimental effect on the environment but little is known about their combined effects. A study based on metal-doped nanoplastics shows how temperature rise impacts the fate of nanoplastics, for example, by increasing accumulation in fish guts.

Αmy Ockenden
Denise M. Mitrano
Kevin S. Simon

Faecal contamination of the world’s harbours

Widespread sewage contamination of the world’s harbours can be revealed by combined faecal source tracking, but more work is needed to achieve source apportioning.