Abstract
Global industrialization is accelerated under the driving force of developing countries’ rapid economic development. Water pollution is inevitably worsened due to lagging investment in basic treatment infrastructure. Wastewater treatment cannot rely on just one treatment technique, so research in this field has attracted much attention to satisfy stringent recovery and emissions standards increasingly imposed on industrial wastewater. This case study is a bibliometric analysis conducted to evaluate industrial wastewater treatment research from 1991 to 2014, based on the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology is the leading journal in this field, publishing 3.8 % of articles over this period, followed by Journal of Hazardous Materials and Water Research, the latter of which has the highest impact factor and h-index of all journals in this field. India and the Chinese Academy of Sciences were the most productive country and institution, respectively, while the USA, was the most internationally collaborative and had the highest h-index (82) of all countries. A new method named “word cluster analysis” was successfully applied to trace the research hotspots. Innovation in treatment methods is thought to relate to the growth in volume and increase in complexity of industrial wastewater, as well as to policy decisions in developing countries that encourage effective industrial wastewater treatment.









References
Ahmed, S., Rasul, M. G., Brown, R., & Hashib, M. A. (2011). Influence of parameters on the heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of pesticides and phenolic contaminants in wastewater: A short review. Journal of Environmental Management, 92(3), 311–330.
Álvarez, P. M., Pocostales, J. P., & Beltrán, F. J. (2011). Granular activated carbon promoted ozonation of a food-processing secondary effluent. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 185(2), 776–783.
Anastopoulos, I., Massas, I., & Ehaliotis, C. (2015). Use of residues and by-products of the olive-oil production chain for the removal of pollutants from environmental media: A review of batch biosorption approaches. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 50(7), 677–718.
Aouni, A., Fersi, C., Cuartas-Uribe, B., Bes-Pía, A., Alcaina-Miranda, M. I., & Dhahbi, M. (2012). Reactive dyes rejection and textile effluent treatment study using ultrafiltration and nanofiltration processes. Desalination, 297, 87–96.
Asenjo, N. G., Álvarez, P., Granda, M., Blanco, C., Santamaría, R., & Menéndez, R. (2011). High performance activated carbon for benzene/toluene adsorption from industrial wastewater. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 192(3), 1525–1532.
Ashraf, M. A., Wajid, A., Mahmood, K., Maah, M. J., & Yusoff, I. (2011). Low cost biosorbent banana peel (Musa sapientum) for the removal of heavy metals. Scientific Research and Essay, 6(19), 4055–4064.
Aymerich, E., Esteban-Gutiérrez, M., & Sancho, L. (2013). Analysis of the stability of high-solids anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial waste and sewage sludge. Bioresource technology, 144, 107–114.
Barakat, M. A. (2011). New trends in removing heavy metals from industrial wastewater. Arabian Journal of Chemistry, 4(4), 361–377.
Baskerville, C. (1904). The titles of papers. Science, 19(487), 702–703.
Bayr, S., Kaparaju, P., & Rintala, J. (2013). Screening pretreatment methods to enhance thermophilic anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill wastewater treatment secondary sludge. Chemical Engineering Journal, 223, 479–486.
Bell, M., & Pavitt, K. (1997). Technological accumulation and industrial growth: contrasts between developed and developing countries. Technology, Globalisation and Economic Performance, 83137.
Beltrán, F. J., García-Araya, J. F., Frades, J., Alvarez, P., & Gimeno, O. (1999). Effects of single and combined ozonation with hydrogen peroxide or UV radiation on the chemical degradation and biodegradability of debittering table olive industrial wastewaters. Water Research, 33(3), 723–732.
Bernal-Martínez, L. A., Barrera-Díaz, C., Solís-Morelos, C., & Natividad, R. (2010). Synergy of electrochemical and ozonation processes in industrial wastewater treatment. Chemical Engineering Journal, 165(1), 71–77.
Brown, L. E., Mitchell, G., Holden, J., Folkard, A., Wright, N., Beharry-Borg, N., et al. (2010). Priority water research questions as determined by UK practitioners and policy makers. Science of the Total Environment, 409(2), 256–266.
Chen, Y. H., Chang, C. Y., Chen, C. C., & Chiu, C. Y. (2006). Kinetics of ozonation of 2-mercaptothiazoline in an electroplating solution combined with UV radiation. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 45(14), 4936–4943.
Chen, Y., Cheng, J. J., & Creamer, K. S. (2008). Inhibition of anaerobic digestion process: A review. Bioresource technology, 99(10), 4044–4064.
Chong, M. N., Jin, B., Chow, C. W. K., & Saint, C. (2010). Recent developments in photocatalytic water treatment technology: A review. Water Research, 44(10), 2997–3027.
Chu, L., Xing, X., Yu, A., Sun, X., & Jurcik, B. (2008). Enhanced treatment of practical textile wastewater by microbubble ozonation. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 86(5), 389–393.
Chu, L. B., Xing, X. H., Yu, A. F., Zhou, Y. N., Sun, X. L., & Jurcik, B. (2007). Enhanced ozonation of simulated dyestuff wastewater by microbubbles. Chemosphere, 68(10), 1854–1860.
CIA (2014). The World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html#ch.
Crini, G., & Badot, P. (2008). Application of chitosan, a natural aminopolysaccharide, for dye removal from aqueous solutions by adsorption processes using batch studies: A review of recent literature. Progress in Polymer Science, 33(4), 399–447.
De Nooy, W., Mrvar, A., & Batagelj, V. (2011). Exploratory social network analysis with Pajek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Djahida, Z., Amel, B., Mourad, T. A., Hayet, D., & Rachida, M. (2014). Treatment of a dye solophenyle 4GE by coupling electrocoagulation/nanofiltration. Membrane Water Treatment, 5(4), 251–263.
Economy, E. C. (2011). The river runs black: The environmental challenge to China’s future. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Essam, T., Amin, M. A., El Tayeb, O., Mattiasson, B., & Guieysse, B. (2007). Solar-based detoxification of phenol and p-nitrophenol by sequential TiO2 photocatalysis and photosynthetically aerated biological treatment. Water Research, 41(8), 1697–1704.
Fathinia, M., & Khataee, A. R. (2013). Residence time distribution analysis and optimization of photocatalysis of phenazopyridine using immobilized TiO2 nanoparticles in a rectangular photoreactor. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 19(5), 1525–1534.
Finardi, U. (2015). Scientific collaboration between BRICS countries. Scientometrics, 102(2), 1139–1166.
Förstner, U., & Wittmann, G. T. (2012). Metal pollution in the aquatic environment. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.
Fu, F., & Wang, Q. (2011). Removal of heavy metal ions from wastewaters: A review. Journal of Environmental Management, 92(3), 407–418.
Fu, H., Wang, M., & Ho, Y. (2013). Mapping of drinking water research: A bibliometric analysis of research output during 1992–2011. Science of the Total Environment, 443, 757–765.
Gao, W., Chen, Y., Liu, Y., & Guo, H. (2015). Scientometric analysis of phosphorus research in eutrophic lakes. Scientometrics, 102(3), 1951–1964.
Gao, W., & Guo, H. (2014). Nitrogen research at watershed scale: a bibliometric analysis during 1959–2011. Scientometrics, 99(3), 737–753.
Garfield, E. (1990). Key-words-plus takes you beyond title words. 2. Expanded journal coverage for current-contents-on-diskette includes social and behavioral-sciences. Current Contents, 33, 5–9.
Geng, Y., Wang, M., Sarkis, J., Xue, B., Zhang, L., Fujita, T., et al. (2014). Spatial-temporal patterns and driving factors for industrial wastewater emission in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 76, 116–124.
Gupta, V. K., Carrott, P., RibeiroCarrott, M., & Suhas, (2009). Low-cost adsorbents: Growing approach to wastewater treatment—A review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 39(10), 783–842.
He, D., Wu, R., Feng, Y., Li, Y., Ding, C., Wang, W., & Yu, D. W. (2014). Review: China’s transboundary waters: new paradigms for water and ecological security through applied ecology. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51(5), 1159–1168.
Ho, Y., & McKay, G. (1999). Pseudo-second order model for sorption processes. Process Biochemistry, 34(5), 451–465.
Hou, Q., Mao, G., Zhao, L., Du, H., & Zuo, J. (2015). Mapping the scientific research on life cycle assessment: A bibliometric analysis. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 20(4), 541–555.
Kaczala, F., Marques, M., & Hogland, W. (2009). Lead and vanadium removal from a real industrial wastewater by gravitational settling/sedimentation and sorption onto Pinus sylvestris sawdust. Bioresource technology, 100(1), 235–243.
Kadirvelu, K., & Namasivayam, C. (2003). Activated carbon from coconut coirpith as metal adsorbent: Adsorption of Cd (II) from aqueous solution. Advances in Environmental Research, 7(2), 471–478.
Kadirvelu, K., Thamaraiselvi, K., & Namasivayam, C. (2001). Removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewaters by adsorption onto activated carbon prepared from an agricultural solid waste. Bioresource technology, 76(1), 63–65.
Kanjilal, T., Babu, S., Biswas, K., Bhattacharjee, C., & Datta, S. (2014). Application of mango seed integuments as bio-adsorbent in lead removal from industrial effluent. Desalination and Water Treatment,. doi:10.1080/19443994.2014.950999.
Kolpin, D. W., Furlong, E. T., Meyer, M. T., Thurman, E. M., Zaugg, S. D., Barber, L. B., & Buxton, H. T. (2002). Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in US streams, 1999–2000: A national reconnaissance. Environmental Science and Technology, 36(6), 1202–1211.
Kurt, E., Koseoglu-Imer, D. Y., Dizge, N., Chellam, S., & Koyuncu, I. (2012). Pilot-scale evaluation of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis for process reuse of segregated textile dyewash wastewater. Desalination, 302, 24–32.
Leusch, F. D., Khan, S. J., Gagnon, M. M., Quayle, P., Trinh, T., Coleman, H., et al. (2014). Assessment of wastewater and recycled water quality: A comparison of lines of evidence from in vitro, in vivo and chemical analyses. Water Research, 50, 420–431.
Li, W., & Zhao, Y. (2015). Bibliometric analysis of global environmental assessment research in a 20-year period. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 50, 158–166.
Lin, J., Tang, C. Y., Ye, W., Sun, S., Hamdan, S. H., Volodin, A., et al. (2015a). Unravelling flux behavior of superhydrophilic loose nanofiltration membranes during textile wastewater treatment. Journal of Membrane Science, 493, 690–702.
Lin, J., Ye, W., Zeng, H., Yang, H., Shen, J., Darvishmanesh, S., et al. (2015b). Fractionation of direct dyes and salts in aqueous solution using loose nanofiltration membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 477, 183–193.
Liu, S., Wang, Q. H., Sun, T. C., Wu, C., & Shi, Y. (2012). The effect of different types of micro-bubbles on the performance of the coagulation flotation process for coke waste-water. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 87(2), 206–215.
Malik, P. K. (2004). Dye removal from wastewater using activated carbon developed from sawdust: Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 113(1), 81–88.
Mänttäri, M., Kuosa, M., Kallas, J., & Nyström, M. (2008). Membrane filtration and ozone treatment of biologically treated effluents from the pulp and paper industry. Journal of Membrane Science, 309(1), 112–119.
Mao, N., Wang, M., & Ho, Y. (2010). A bibliometric study of the trend in articles related to risk assessment published in Science Citation Index. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 16(4), 801–824.
Meyer, T., & Edwards, E. A. (2014). Anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill wastewater and sludge. Water Research, 65, 321–349.
Michalak, I., Chojnacka, K., & Witek-Krowiak, A. (2013). State of the art for the biosorption process—A review. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 170(6), 1389–1416.
Moletta, R. (2005). Winery and distillery wastewater treatment by anaerobic digestion. Water Science and Technology, 51(1), 137–144.
Mu, Y., Rabaey, K., Rozendal, R. A., Yuan, Z., & Keller, J. (2009). Decolorization of azo dyes in bioelectrochemical systems. Environmental Science and Technology, 43(13), 5137–5143.
Mudhoo, A., Garg, V. K., & Wang, S. (2012). Removal of heavy metals by biosorption. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 10(2), 109–117.
Nataraj, S. K., Hosamani, K. M., & Aminabhavi, T. M. (2009). Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis thin film composite membrane module for the removal of dye and salts from the simulated mixtures. Desalination, 249(1), 12–17.
Nawrocki, J., & Kasprzyk-Hordern, B. (2010). The efficiency and mechanisms of catalytic ozonation. Applied Catalysis, B: Environmental, 99(1), 27–42.
Niu, B. B., Hong, S., Yuan, J. F., Peng, S., Wang, Z., & Zhang, X. (2014). Global trends in sediment-related research in earth science during 1992–2011: A bibliometric analysis. Scientometrics, 98(1), 511–529.
Oke, I. A., Olarinoye, N. O., & Adewusi, S. (2008). Adsorption kinetics for arsenic removal from aqueous solutions by untreated powdered eggshell. Adsorption-Journal of the International Adsorption Society, 14(1), 73–83.
Oller, I., Malato, S., & Sánchez-Pérez, J. A. (2011). Combination of advanced oxidation processes and biological treatments for wastewater decontamination—A review. Science of the Total Environment, 409(20), 4141–4166.
Palmeiro-Sánchez, T., Del Río, A. V., Mosquera-Corral, A., Campos, J. L., & Méndez, R. (2013). Comparison of the anaerobic digestion of activated and aerobic granular sludges under brackish conditions. Chemical Engineering Journal, 231, 449–454.
Parsa, J. B., Golmirzaei, M., & Abbasi, M. (2014). Degradation of azo dye CI Acid Red 18 in aqueous solution by ozone-electrolysis process. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 20(2), 689–694.
Perchet, G., Merlina, G., Revel, J., Hafidi, M., Richard, C., & Pinelli, E. (2009). Evaluation of a TiO2 photocatalysis treatment on nitrophenols and nitramines contaminated plant wastewaters by solid-phase extraction coupled with ESI HPLC–MS. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 166(1), 284–290.
Persson, O. (1994). The intellectual base and research fronts of JASIS 1986–1990. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 45(1), 31–38.
Persson, O., Danell, R., & Schneider, J. W. (2009). How to use Bibexcel for various types of bibliometric analysis. Celebrating Scholarly Communication Studies: A Festschrift for Olle Persson at his 60th Birthday, 9–24.
Prieto-Rodriguez, L., Miralles-Cuevas, S., Oller, I., Agüera, A., Puma, G. L., & Malato, S. (2012). Treatment of emerging contaminants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) effluents by solar photocatalysis using low TiO2 concentrations. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 211, 131–137.
Putra, E. K., Pranowo, R., Sunarso, J., Indraswati, N., & Ismadji, S. (2009). Performance of activated carbon and bentonite for adsorption of amoxicillin from wastewater: Mechanisms, isotherms and kinetics. Water Research, 43(9), 2419–2430.
Qian, F., He, M., Song, Y., Tysklind, M., & Wu, J. (2015). A bibliometric analysis of global research progress on pharmaceutical wastewater treatment during 1994–2013. Environmental Earth Sciences, 73(9), 4995–5005.
Rajeshwari, K. V., Balakrishnan, M., Kansal, A., Lata, K., & Kishore, V. (2000). State-of-the-art of anaerobic digestion technology for industrial wastewater treatment. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 4(2), 135–156.
Samhaber, W. M., & Nguyen, M. T. (2014). Applicability and costs of nanofiltration in combination with photocatalysis for the treatment of dye house effluents. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology, 5(1), 476–484.
Seidel, H., Löser, C., Zehnsdorf, A., Hoffmann, P., & Schmerold, R. (2004). Bioremediation process for sediments contaminated by heavy metals: Feasibility study on a pilot scale. Environmental Science and Technology, 38(5), 1582–1588.
Seredych, M., & Bandosz, T. J. (2007). Removal of cationic and ionic dyes on industrial-municipal sludge based composite adsorbents. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 46(6), 1786–1793.
Stamatelatou, K., Kopsahelis, A., Blika, P. S., Paraskeva, C. A., & Lyberatos, G. (2009). Anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewater in a periodic anaerobic baffled reactor (PABR) followed by further effluent purification via membrane separation technologies. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 84(6), 909–917.
Tan, J., Fu, H., & Ho, Y. (2014). A bibliometric analysis of research on proteomics in science citation index expanded. Scientometrics, 98(2), 1473–1490.
Thomson Reuters (2015). Quartiles in JCR on the InCites Platform, http://ipscience-help.thomsonreuters.com/incitesLiveJCR/JCRGroup/jcrJournalProfile/jcrJournalProfileRank.html.
Van Aken, P., Van den Broeck, R., Degrève, J., & Dewil, R. (2015). The effect of ozonation on the toxicity and biodegradability of 2,4-dichlorophenol-containing wastewater. Chemical Engineering Journal, 280, 728–736.
Wagner-Döbler, I. (2003). Pilot plant for bioremediation of mercury-containing industrial wastewater. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 62(2–3), 124–133.
Wang, M., Liu, D., Jia, J., & Zhang, X. (2015). Global trends in soil monitoring research from 1999–2013: A bibliometric analysis. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B: Soil and Plant Science, 65(6), 483–495.
Wang, J., Liu, G., Lu, H., Jin, R., & Zhou, J. (2013a). Degradation of 1-amino-4-bromoanthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid using combined airlift bioreactor and TiO2-photocatalytic ozonation. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 88(5), 970–974.
Wang, L., Wang, Q., Zhang, X., Cai, W., & Sun, X. (2013b). A bibliometric analysis of anaerobic digestion for methane research during the period 1994–2011. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 15(1), 1–8.
Wu, F., Hu, X., Fan, J., Liu, E., Sun, T., Kang, L., et al. (2013). Photocatalytic activity of Ag/TiO2 nanotube arrays enhanced by surface plasmon resonance and application in hydrogen evolution by water splitting. Plasmonics, 8(2), 501–508.
Yagub, M. T., Sen, T. K., Afroze, S., & Ang, H. M. (2014). Dye and its removal from aqueous solution by adsorption: A review. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 209, 172–184.
Young, L., & Yu, J. (1997). Ligninase-catalysed decolorization of synthetic dyes. Water Research, 31(5), 1187–1193.
Zhang, G., Xie, S., & Ho, Y. (2009). A bibliometric analysis of world volatile organic compounds research trends. Scientometrics, 83(2), 477–492.
Zhang, X., Zhao, W., Qiu, N., Tommy, J. L., & An, H. (2014a). Water environment management at home and abroad research situation and enlightenment. Modeling and Computation in Engineering, III, 117.
Zhang, B., Liu, Y., Tian, C., Wang, Z., Cheng, M., Chen, N., & Feng, C. (2014b). A bibliometric analysis of research on upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) from 1983 to 2012. Scientometrics, 100(1), 189–202.
Zhang, L., Xu, L., He, J., & Zhang, J. (2014c). Preparation of Ti/SnO2-Sb electrodes modified by carbon nanotube for anodic oxidation of dye wastewater and combination with nanofiltration. Electrochimica Acta, 117, 192–201.
Zheng, T., Wang, Q., Zhang, T., Shi, Z., Tian, Y., Shi, S., et al. (2015a). Microbubble enhanced ozonation process for advanced treatment of wastewater produced in acrylic fiber manufacturing industry. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 287, 412–420.
Zheng, T., Wang, J., Wang, Q., Meng, H., & Wang, L. (2015b). Research trends in electrochemical technology for water and wastewater treatment. Applied Water Science,. doi:10.1007/s13201-015-0280-4.
Zhu, J., Tian, M., Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., & Liu, J. (2015). Fabrication of a novel “loose” nanofiltration membrane by facile blending with Chitosan-Montmorillonite nanosheets for dyes purification. Chemical Engineering Journal, 265, 184–193.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2012ZX07201002-6).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zheng, T., Wang, J., Wang, Q. et al. A bibliometric analysis of industrial wastewater research: current trends and future prospects. Scientometrics 105, 863–882 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1736-x
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1736-x