Sustainable Treatment and Resource Recovery of Energetic Wastewater: An Integrated Approach for Environmental Remediation and Circular Economy

Energetic wastewater, characterized by its acute toxicity and complex composition, poses significant environmental risks if discharged untreated. Stringent regulatory standards and growing emphasis on sustainable practices have advanced wastewater reuse as a critical strategy. This study conducted a systematic review of energetic wastewater management in China by synthesizing regulatory frameworks, technical specifications, and peer-reviewed research. Our analysis reveals that energetic wastewater harbors recoverable resources, including nitrogen compounds and residual energetic materials, which can be reclaimed using tailored processes. Membrane separation technologies demonstrate exceptional efficacy in pollutant removal, achieving compliance with stringent water reuse criteria. Advanced adsorbents, such as functional hydrogels and porous polymers, enable selective recovery of nitroaromatics with >90% efficiency. Electrochemical oxidation systems synergistically degrade organic pollutants and recover nitrogen via ammonia stripping, achieving 85% total nitrogen conversion. Hybrid approaches combining Fenton oxidation with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) enhance treatment efficiency, reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 95% within 2 h. Although supercritical water oxidation achieves near-complete mineralization, its economic viability is constrained by high energy demands (>30 MPa and 400°C). Comparative technoeconomic analysis identified membrane-adsorption integrated systems as optimal solutions, offering dual benefits of 75% operational cost reduction and 60% resource recovery rates. Building upon industrial wastewater reuse protocols, we propose a modular treatment train incorporating sequential stages of physicochemical pretreatment, targeted resource extraction, and advanced oxidation, achieving 99% contaminant removal while enabling closed-loop material circulation. This integrated framework reduces freshwater consumption by 40%, decreases carbon footprint by 25%, and aligns with circular economy principles, establishing a paradigm for sustainable management of hazardous industrial effluents.