Research on emerging pollutants in wastewater: Bibliometric analysis

In recent years, due to the enormous threats posed by emerging pollutants to aquatic ecosystems, scholars have increasingly focused on the study of emerging pollutants to ensure the safety of aquatic ecosystems. This paper uses the bibliometrix package to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 1000 papers published between 2008 and 2024 in the field of emerging pollutants (EPs) wastewater treatment, retrieved through the online version of the Web of Science Core Collection database. It analyzes some basic characteristics of the retrieved literature, such as the number of annual publications, publication types, and sources, with China, India, and Spain contributing the most related publications. By analyzing highly cited literature, we can conclude that "pharmaceuticals" and "personal care products" have become focal points in recent years. This indicates a growing academic interest in detecting and removing such pollutants. The European Commission proposed water policies in 2000 and 2013 to control surface water quality standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prioritized 126 substances for regulation and has set concentration limits for them. China has formulated the "14th Five-Year Plan for Ecological and Environmental Protection" (2021–2025) to assess and monitor chemicals of environmental concern and identify new high-risk pollutants. Currently, gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) is widely regarded as the preferred method for measuring EPs in aquatic environments, but the efficiency of detection technologies remains a problem. In recent years, various advanced treatment technologies have been proposed, such as oxidation processes, constructed wetlands, and enzymatic treatment, but the application effectiveness of these treatment technologies remains unsatisfactory. Therefore, detecting and removing emerging pollutants from wastewater remains a significant research challenge.