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Catalytic Elimination of Toxic Environmental Pollutants and Toxic Recalcitrant Organic...
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Catalytic Elimination of Toxic Environmental Pollutants and Toxic Recalcitrant Organic Compounds from Aqueous Solution

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 5387

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Seshibe S. Makgato

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
Interests: advanced oxidation processes; biological wastewater treatment; combined chemical and biological treatment system; clean coal technologies; waste to energy; emissions reduction techniques
Prof. Dr. Evans Martin Nkhalambayausi Chirwa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Water Utilization and Environmental Engineering Division, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Interests: biochemical engineering; bioseparation; environmental biotechnology; wastewater engineering; bioremediation activated sludge; biosorption; anaerobic culture biofilms biodegradation; advanced oxidation processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Catalysts (IF 4.501) is launching a Special Issue titled “Catalytic elimination of toxic environmental pollutants from aqueous solution” in collaboration with Prof Seshibe S. Makgato (University of South Africa, South Africa) and Prof. Evans M. Chirwa-Nkhalayambausi (University of Pretoria, South Africa). Environmental pollution is a global issue that is negatively affecting human development. Humans are being exposed to a wide range of pollutants, including industrial and environmental toxicants, such as toxic metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, and some other organic air pollutants, as a result of rapid industrialization and urbanization, increasing the burden of disease and death, especially in developing countries. Rapid urbanization, industrialization, modern agricultural practices, and other human anthropogenic activities are the leading factors that cause environmental pollution. These activities discharge an enormous amount of toxic pollutants into the environment such as air, water, and soil ecosystems and cause harmful diseases to the plants, humans, and animals in the surrounding ecosystems. On the other hand, water quality has deteriorated because of the direct release of wastes from agriculture, households, and industries into water sources such as rivers, ponds, etc. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and pioneering reviews on the domain of toxic environmental pollutants and toxic recalcitrant organic compounds aiming at reducing both toxic environmental pollutants and toxic recalcitrant organic compounds. More specifically, experimental, simulation, and numerical studies will be included in this Special Issue, with the emphasis to be given to the improvement in treatment performance and understanding of unknown mechanisms by combining existing green technologies and enhanced treatment technologies. Moreover, this Special Issue welcomes pioneering review studies that summarize and discuss the latest trends in the field of sustainable toxic environmental pollutants and toxic recalcitrant organic compounds.

The studies may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Catalytic removal of environmental pollutants such as NOx, COx, SOx, chlorinated, and other organic compounds;
  • Knowledge of catalysts used to reduce environmental pollution, especially as it relates to industrial processes;
  • All steps involved in creating novel, economically viable environmental catalysts, including their preparation, characterisation, activation, deactivation, and regeneration;
  • New catalysts and electrocatalysts for fuel cells, as well as new catalytic pathways and procedures for the generation of clean energy such as hydrogen generation by catalytic fuel processing;
  • Catalytic reactions that transform waste into usable items;
  • Advanced applications of sustainable manufacturing in the biomedical field;
  • Applications of photocatalytic processes and fundamental knowledge of photocatalysts to environmental issues;
  • New catalysts and catalytic combustion technologies;
  • New non-enzymatic catalytic reactions of biomass constituents.

Prof. Dr. Seshibe S. Makgato
Prof. Dr. Evans Martin Nkhalambayausi Chirwa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • photocatalysis
  • environmental remediation
  • new catalyst
  • Fenton’s reagent
  • degradation mechanism
  • UV/visible light activation
  • toxic recalcitrant

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5817 KiB  
Article
Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye Using a CuS/ZnS p-n Heterojunction Nanocomposite under Visible-Light Irradiation
by Rachel Mugumo, Emmanuel Ichipi, Shepherd M. Tichapondwa and Evans M. Nkhalambayausi Chirwa
Catalysts 2023, 13(8), 1184; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13081184 - 3 Aug 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1451
Abstract
The aim of this work was to investigate a new, simple, one-pot combustion synthesis technique for creating sulphur-based CuS/ZnS p-n heterojunction nanocomposite photocatalysts. This study examined the photocatalytic activity and reusability of these nanocomposites in removing rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible-light irradiation. [...] Read more.
The aim of this work was to investigate a new, simple, one-pot combustion synthesis technique for creating sulphur-based CuS/ZnS p-n heterojunction nanocomposite photocatalysts. This study examined the photocatalytic activity and reusability of these nanocomposites in removing rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible-light irradiation. Various methods of characterisation were employed to determine the properties of the materials, including particle morphology, crystalline phases, and bandgap energy. The intrinsic reaction parameters, such as catalyst loading, the pH level of the solution, and initial pollutant concentration, were varied to establish the optimal photodegradation conditions. The results showed that a binary CuS/ZnS catalyst with a 10 g L−1 loading, at pH 5, degraded 97% of 5 ppm RhB dye after 270 min of visible light irradiation. Additionally, this composite catalyst exhibited excellent chemical stability and reusability, achieving 83% RhB dye removal after five recycling runs. Scavenger tests identified the photogenerated holes (h+) and superoxide free radicals (•O2) as the primary reactive species responsible for degradation. This study provides valuable insight into the design of highly efficient nanomaterials for removing organic pollutants in wastewater, and a possible reaction mechanism is proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Elimination of Toxic Environmental Pollutants and Toxic Recalcitrant Organic Compounds from Aqueous Solution)
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20 pages, 3128 KiB  
Article
Fabrication and Application of Ag, Black TiO2 and Nitrogen-Doped 3D Reduced Graphene Oxide (3D Black TiO2/Ag/N@rGO) Evaporator for Efficient Steam Generation
by Fisseha A. Bezza, Samuel A. Iwarere, Shepherd M. Tichapondwa and Evans M. N. Chirwa
Catalysts 2023, 13(3), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13030514 - 2 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1678
Abstract
The scarcity of fresh water, which is aggravated by rapid economic development and population growth, is a major threat to the modern world. Solar-driven interfacial desalination and steam generation is a promising strategy that localizes heat at the air-water interface through appropriate thermal [...] Read more.
The scarcity of fresh water, which is aggravated by rapid economic development and population growth, is a major threat to the modern world. Solar-driven interfacial desalination and steam generation is a promising strategy that localizes heat at the air-water interface through appropriate thermal management and demonstrates efficient photothermal performance. In the current study, Ag, black TiO2, and nitrogen-doped 3D reduced graphene oxide (3D black TiO2/Ag/N@rGO) hierarchical evaporator was fabricated, and its morphology, elemental composition, porosity, broadband solar absorption potential, photothermal performance, and interfacial desalination potential were assessed. The 3D solar evaporator showed efficient solar absorption over the entire broadband UV-visible near-infrared (UV-Vis NIR) region and demonstrated 99% photothermal conversion efficiency and potential freshwater generation of 1.43 kg·m−2 h−1. The specific surface area and porosity analyses demonstrated an ultrahigh specific surface area, high pore volume, and a mesoporous structure, with a predominant pore diameter of 4 nm. The strong photothermal performance can be attributed to the nitrogen doping of the rGO, which boosted the electrocatalytic and photothermal activity of the graphene through the activation of the excess free-flowing π electrons of the sp2 configuration of the graphene; the broadband solar absorption potential of the black TiO2; and the localized surface plasmon resonance effect of the AgNPs, which induced hot electron generation and enhanced photothermal conversion. Hence, the high photothermal conversion efficiency attained can be attributed to the synergistic photothermal performances of the individual components and the high interfacial surface area, abundant heat, and mass transfer microcavities of the 3D hierarchical porous solar absorber, offering multiple reflections of light and enhanced solar absorption. The study highlights the promising potential of the 3D evaporator for real-word interfacial desalination of seawater, helping to solve the water shortage problem sustainably. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Elimination of Toxic Environmental Pollutants and Toxic Recalcitrant Organic Compounds from Aqueous Solution)
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23 pages, 8402 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis of AuNPs by Crocus caspius—Investigation of Catalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants, Their Cytotoxicity, and Antimicrobial Activity
by Seyedeh Roya Alizadeh, Pourya Biparva, Hamid Reza Goli, Barkat Ali Khan and Mohammad Ali Ebrahimzadeh
Catalysts 2023, 13(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13010063 - 28 Dec 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1607
Abstract
Biogenic methods are an effective alternative to chemical methods in the preparation of nanoparticles. Our study used Crocus caspius extract to synthesize gold nanoparticles (CC-AuNPs) in a green manner. The eco-friendly synthesis of AuNPs was conducted by optimizing the temperature and concentration of HAuCl [...] Read more.
Biogenic methods are an effective alternative to chemical methods in the preparation of nanoparticles. Our study used Crocus caspius extract to synthesize gold nanoparticles (CC-AuNPs) in a green manner. The eco-friendly synthesis of AuNPs was conducted by optimizing the temperature and concentration of HAuCl4 and extract. Synthesized CC-AuNPs were characterized using TEM, SEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The prepared CC-AuNPs were detected with a size of around 22.66 ± 1.67 nm. The FT-IR analysis of the biomolecules involved in synthesizing CC-AuNPs was performed. Additionally, these biomolecules capped on the AuNPs were revealed by TG/DTA analysis. The EDX study demonstrated the existence of elemental gold. The biosynthesized CC-AuNPs were effectively applied as green catalysts to reduce three organic pollutant dyes—methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), and 4-nitrophenol. In the biological evaluations, the free radical scavenging activity of the eco-friendly CC-AuNPs (DPPH assay) indicated an IC50 value of 29.22 ± 0.47 µg/mL. They displayed effective antibacterial activity against several bacterial strains. Their anticancer activity against AGS and MCF-7 cells showed IC50 concentrations at 48.2 µg/mL and 51.76 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, CC-AuNPs presented excellent antileishmanial activity (IC50 = 13.92 µg/mL). Therefore, the green AuNPs are efficient in biomedicine and nanobiotechnology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Elimination of Toxic Environmental Pollutants and Toxic Recalcitrant Organic Compounds from Aqueous Solution)
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