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Marginalized communities lack full participation in social, economic, and political life, and they disproportionately bear the burden of environmental and health risks. This special issue of Environmental Engineering Science, the official journal of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), reports research on the unique environmental challenges faced by historically marginalized communities around the world. The results of community-based participatory research with an Afro-descendant community in Columbia, Native American communities in Alaska, United States, villagers in the Philippines, disadvantaged communities in California, United States, rural communities in Mexico and Costa Rica, homeless encampments in the San Diego River (United States) watershed entrepreneurs in Durban, South Africa, and remote communities in the island nation of Fiji are presented. The research reported in this special issue is transdisciplinary, bringing engineers together with anthropologists, sociologists, economists, and public health experts. In the 13 articles in this special issue, some of the topics covered include inexpensive technologies for water treatment, novel agricultural strategies for reversing biodiversity losses, and strategies for climate change adaptation. In addition, one article covered educational strategies for teaching ethics to prepare students for humanitarian engineering, including topics of poverty, sustainability, social justice, and engineering decisions under uncertainty. Finally, an article presented ways that environmental engineering professors can engage and promote the success of underrepresented minority students and enable faculty engaged in community-based participatory research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to undergo surface modification allows them to form nanocomposites (NCs) with materials such as polymers, metal nanoparticles, biomolecules, and metal oxides. The biocidal nature, protein fouling resistance, and fouling release properties of CNT-NCs render them the perfect material for biofouling prevention. At the same time, the cytotoxicity of CNT-NCs can be reduced before applying them as substrates to promote biofilm formation in environmental biotechnology applications. This paper reviews the potential prospects of CNT-NCs to accomplish two widely varying objectives in environmental engineering applications: (i) preventing biofouling, and (ii) promoting the formation of desirable biofilms on materials surface. This paper addresses practical issues such as costs, risks to human health, and ecological impacts that are associated with the application, development and commercialization of CNT-NC technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "spotlight" column draws attention to selected articles in I Environmental Engineering Science i , the official journal of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP). Dixon I et al. i ([2]) assessed the use of a high solids anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) method for treating food waste, yard waste, and biosolids individually as well as through codigestion. Chen I et al. i ([1]) examined an ozonation step for enhancing the feasibility of biodegradation processes designed to treat total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and the associated total organic carbon. [Extracted from the article]

The "spotlight" column draws attention to selected articles in I Environmental Engineering Science i ( I EES i ), the official journal of the I Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors i ( I AEESP i ). These nanomaterials include hematite, magnetite, ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite-alpha, hydroxyapatite (HAP), brucite, and four different titanium dioxides. As expected, the chemical oxygen demand exerted by all the fluids decreased over time; however, a significant recalcitrant fraction was observed for four of the six amended fluids. [Extracted from the article]

• A current body of knowledge on methanotrophs for CH 4 mitigation was reviewed. • Point sources and feasibility of CH 4 in wastewater treatment plants. • CH 4 oxidation can be coupled with a reduction of O 2 , NO 3 −, and electrodes. • Bioproducts from CH 4 find use in many environmental engineering applications. • Methanotrophs can valorize stranded CH 4 from hydraulically fractured shales. Wastewater and waste management sectors alone account for 18% of the anthropogenic methane (CH 4) emissions. This study presents a critical overview of methanotrophs ("methane oxidizing microorganisms") for valorizing typically discarded CH 4 from environmental engineering applications, focusing on wastewater treatment plants. Methanotrophs can convert CH 4 into valuable bioproducts including chemicals, biodiesel, DC electricity, polymers, and S-layers, all under ambient conditions. As discarded CH 4 and its oxidation products can also be used as a carbon source in nitrification and annamox processes. Here we discuss modes of CH 4 assimilation by methanotrophs in both natural and engineered systems. We also highlight the technical challenges and technological breakthroughs needed to enable targeted CH 4 oxidation in wastewater treatment plants. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]