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Design and Synthesis of Novel Adsorbents for Pollutant Removal

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 2932

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Guest Editor
Institute of Geotechnics Slovak Academy of Sciences, 45, Watsonova Str., 04001 Kosice, Slovakia
Interests: material characterization; hybrid materials; surface chemistry; sol–gel techniques; adsorption and adsorbents; wastewater treatment; tailored surface creation; nanocomposites
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the leading global environmental issues facing humanity today is air and water pollution. The World Health Organization estimates that polluted air is the cause of about 7 million deaths per year, and contaminated water is about 5 million. This explains why the creation of new materials for air and water purification is still relevant.

Adsorption processes and adsorbents themselves represent good alternatives to other methods of pollution removal due to the fact that they only (ad)sorb harmful substances and do not produce by-products; they can be regenerated and their design can be aimed at creating necessary linkers and pore sizes for the selective extraction of certain compounds. Therefore, this Special Issue is devoted to the creation of high-performance adsorbents of different types (natural and synthetic), porosity, and the nature of surface groups, which can be used for specific interactions with pollutants. It would also be interesting to consider silica, zeolites, coal, oxides, resins, etc. Many adsorbents have already been studied and reported; for this reason, preference will be given to materials with selective adsorption, large values of sorption capacity, low cost, the possibility of regeneration, mechanical strength, and ease of use.

Dr. Inna V. Melnyk
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • wastewater treatment
  • adsorbents
  • sustainable materials
  • adsorption mechanisms
  • surface chemistry
  • selective adsorption

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6305 KiB  
Article
Advanced Photodegradation of Azo Dye Methyl Orange Using H2O2-Activated Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO Composite under UV Treatment
by Oksana Makota, Erika Dutková, Jaroslav Briančin, Jozef Bednarcik, Maksym Lisnichuk, Iryna Yevchuk and Inna Melnyk
Molecules 2024, 29(6), 1190; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29061190 - 07 Mar 2024
Viewed by 617
Abstract
The Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO composite was synthesized via the simultaneous deposition of SiO2 and ZnO onto pre-prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Physicochemical methods (TEM, EDXS, XRD, SEM, FTIR, PL, zeta potential measurements, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption) revealed [...] Read more.
The Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO composite was synthesized via the simultaneous deposition of SiO2 and ZnO onto pre-prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Physicochemical methods (TEM, EDXS, XRD, SEM, FTIR, PL, zeta potential measurements, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption) revealed that the simultaneous deposition onto magnetite surfaces, up to 18 nm in size, results in the formation of an amorphous shell composed of a mixture of zinc and silicon oxides. This composite underwent modification to form Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO*, achieved by activation with H2O2. The modified composite retained its structural integrity, but its surface groups underwent significant changes, exhibiting pronounced catalytic activity in the photodegradation of methyl orange under UV irradiation. It was capable of degrading 96% of this azo dye in 240 min, compared to the initial Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO composite, which could remove only 11% under identical conditions. Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO* demonstrated robust stability after three cycles of use in dye photodegradation. Furthermore, Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO* exhibited decreased PL intensity, indicating an enhanced efficiency in electron-hole pair separation and a reduced recombination rate in the modified composite. The activation process diminishes the electron-hole (e)/(h+) recombination and generates the potent oxidizing species, hydroxyl radicals (OH˙), on the photocatalyst surface, thereby playing a crucial role in the enhanced photodegradation efficiency of methyl orange with Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO*. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Synthesis of Novel Adsorbents for Pollutant Removal)
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20 pages, 2498 KiB  
Article
Aminated Rapeseed Husks (Brassica napus) as an Effective Sorbent for Removing Anionic Dyes from Aqueous Solutions
by Tomasz Jóźwiak and Urszula Filipkowska
Molecules 2024, 29(4), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29040843 - 14 Feb 2024
Viewed by 540
Abstract
The study investigated the effect of modifying rapeseed husks with ammonia and epichlorohydrin on their sorption capacity against anionic reactive dyes: Reactive Black 5 (RB5) and Reactive Yellow 84 (RY84). Its scope included sorbents characterization (FTIR, pHPZC), determination of pH influence [...] Read more.
The study investigated the effect of modifying rapeseed husks with ammonia and epichlorohydrin on their sorption capacity against anionic reactive dyes: Reactive Black 5 (RB5) and Reactive Yellow 84 (RY84). Its scope included sorbents characterization (FTIR, pHPZC), determination of pH influence on the sorption effectiveness of dyes, the adsorption kinetics of dyes, as well as the maximum sorption capacity. The study proved that the reaction of rapeseed husk biomass with ammonia can lead to its amination, namely to the introduction of amine functional groups into the material’s structure. The sorption effectiveness of RB5 and RY84 on the tested sorbents was the highest in the pH range of 2–3. The dye sorption kinetics was well described by the pseudo-second-order model. The sorption equilibrium time ranged from 90 to 180 min, and depended on the initial concentration of dyes and the number of amino groups on the sorbent’s surface. The most efficient of the sorbents tested were rapeseed husks pre-activated with epichlorohydrin and then aminated with ammonia. Their sorption capacity determined for RB5 and RY84 was 135.83 mg/g and 114.23 mg/g, respectively, which was 794% and 737% higher than that of the non-modified husks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Synthesis of Novel Adsorbents for Pollutant Removal)
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17 pages, 2852 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Pt(II) and Pt(IV) Adsorption from a Water Solution on Biochar Originating from Honeycomb Biomass
by Kinga Morlo, Rafał Olchowski and Ryszard Dobrowolski
Molecules 2024, 29(2), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29020547 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 715
Abstract
Novel CO2- and H3PO4-modified biochars were successfully synthesized from raw honeycomb biomass. They were characterized via several instrumental techniques. The optimal Pt(II) and Pt(IV) adsorption onto the studied biochars was reached for the initial pH of 1.5 [...] Read more.
Novel CO2- and H3PO4-modified biochars were successfully synthesized from raw honeycomb biomass. They were characterized via several instrumental techniques. The optimal Pt(II) and Pt(IV) adsorption onto the studied biochars was reached for the initial pH of 1.5 and a contact time of 5 min (Pt(II)) and 24–48 h (Pt(IV)). The highest static adsorption capacities for Pt(II) and Pt(IV) were obtained for the H3PO4-modified biochar: 47 mg g−1 and 35 mg g−1, respectively. The Freundlich model described the Pt(II) adsorption isotherms onto both materials and the Pt(IV) adsorption isotherm onto the CO2-activated material, and the Langmuir model was the best fitted to the Pt(IV) adsorption isotherm onto the H3PO4-activated biochar. The best medium for the quantitative desorption of the Pt form from the H3PO4-modified biochar was 1 mol L−1 thiourea in 1 mol L−1 HCl. The adsorption mechanism of both the studied ions onto the synthesized H3PO4-modified biochar was complex and should be further investigated. The H3PO4-modified biochar was successfully applied for the first time for Pt(IV) removal from a spent automotive catalyst leaching solution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Synthesis of Novel Adsorbents for Pollutant Removal)
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20 pages, 4944 KiB  
Article
Ecofriendly Synthesis of Magnetic Composites Loaded on Rice Husks for Acid Blue 25 Decontamination: Adsorption Kinetics, Thermodynamics, and Isotherms
by Fozia Batool, Samia Kanwal, Hafsa Kanwal, Sobia Noreen, Mohamed S. Hodhod, Muhammad Mustaqeem, Gulnaz Sharif, Hafiza Komal Naeem, Javeria Zahid and Abdel-Rhman Z. Gaafar
Molecules 2023, 28(20), 7124; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28207124 - 17 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 758
Abstract
Addressing the growing need for methods for ecofriendly dye removal from aqueous media, this study explores the potential of rice husks coated with iron oxide (Fe2O3@RH composites) for efficient Acid Blue 25 decontamination. The adsorption potential of Acid Blue [...] Read more.
Addressing the growing need for methods for ecofriendly dye removal from aqueous media, this study explores the potential of rice husks coated with iron oxide (Fe2O3@RH composites) for efficient Acid Blue 25 decontamination. The adsorption potential of Acid Blue 25 is analyzed using raw rice husks and Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the literature, but their enhanced removal capacity by means of Fe2O3@RH composites is reported for the first time in this study. Fe2O3@RH composites were analyzed by using analytical techniques such as TGA, SEM, FTIR, BET, and the point of zero charge (pH(PZC)). The Acid Blue 25 adsorption experiment using Fe2O3@RH composites showed maximum adsorption at an initial concentration of Acid Blue 25 of 80 ppm, a contact time of 50 min, a temperature of 313 K, 0.25 g of Fe2O3@RH composites, and a pH of 2. The maximum percentage removal of Acid Blue 25 was found to be 91%. Various linear and nonlinear kinetic and isothermal models were used in this study to emphasize the importance and necessity of the adsorption process. Adsorption isotherms such as the Freundlich, Temkin, Langmuir, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) models were applied. The results showed that all the isotherms were best fitted on the data, except the linear form of the D–R isotherm. Adsorption kinetics such as the intraparticle kinetic model, the Elovich kinetic model, and the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were applied. All the kinetic models were found to be best fitted on the data, except the PSO model (types II, III, and IV). Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG° (KJ/mol), ΔH° (KJ/mol), and ΔS° (J/K*mol) were studied, and the reaction was found to be exothermic in nature with an increase in the entropy of the system, which supported the adsorption phenomenon. The current study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the adsorption process and its underlying mechanisms through characterization, the optimization of the conditions, and the application of various models. The findings of the present study suggest practical applications of this method in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Synthesis of Novel Adsorbents for Pollutant Removal)
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