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Gels
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Advanced Hydrogel for Water Treatment (2nd Edition)
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Advanced Hydrogel for Water Treatment (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 3007

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chun Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College and Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Interests: advanced oxidation technology; industrial refractory organic wastewater treatment; sludge dewatering; flocculants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are grateful to all authors, reviewers, and readers for their responses to the first edition of our Special Issue on “Advanced Hydrogel for Water Treatment”. You can access these articles for free using the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/Gels_Water_treatment

In recent years, the shortage of freshwater resources as well as the contamination of aqueous environments are urgent problems worldwide. The development of effective technologies for freshwater harvesting and water decontamination have become an urgent research hotspot. Hydrogel, as a novel floatable, durable, anti-fouling, and suitable recycling material with a porous 3D network structure, is an effective adsorbent, able to enhance the photothermal solar efficiency conversion and removal of series of pollutants from water in desalination and decontaminants during water treatment, respectively. Hydrogel, which exhibits excellent pollutant adsorption capacity, water holding capacity, water adsorption capacity, and reversible swelling ability, has potential application value in water treatment at a large scale.

This Special Issue focuses on the preparation of physical and chemical hydrogel, as well as the application of hydrogel for desalination and decontaminant in water purification process, for example, seawater desalination, atmospheric condensation, various pollutants adsorption, and oil–water separation.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Water.

Prof. Dr. Chun Zhao
Guest Editor

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. Gels 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 2100 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

  • hydrogel
  • desalination
  • atmospheric condensation
  • heavy metal ions
  • organics removal
  • water treatment

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 7728 KB  
Article
Adsorption Characteristics of Bacterial Cellulose Membranes Toward Methylene Blue Dye in Aqueous Environment
by Zimu Hu, Christopher R. Brewer, Austin J. Pyrch, Ziyu Wang, Dhanush U. Jamadgni, Wendy E. Krause and Lucian A. Lucia
Gels 2025, 11(9), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090721 - 10 Sep 2025
Abstract
Water pollution has escalated to critical levels in recent years as evident by the multiplicity of contaminants found in potable water sources. A point-source major contributor is the textile industry, which discharges substantial amounts of dye into rivers and lakes. Bacterial cellulose (BC), [...] Read more.
Water pollution has escalated to critical levels in recent years as evident by the multiplicity of contaminants found in potable water sources. A point-source major contributor is the textile industry, which discharges substantial amounts of dye into rivers and lakes. Bacterial cellulose (BC), a renewable and low-cost nanocellulose material, has emerged as a potential solution addressing dye removal from these contaminated waters. Methylene Blue (MB) was selected as a representative dye for our adsorption studies. As a baseline for evaluating efficacy, BC was dried using three different methods: freeze-drying, oven-drying, and room-temperature drying. The adsorptive behavior of these dried BC samples toward MB in an aqueous environment was evaluated. Furthermore, to elucidate the structure–property relationship of dried BC, several characterization techniques were employed. Our studies revealed that freeze-dried BC exhibited the highest initial adsorption rate, while oven-dried BC demonstrated the overall highest adsorption capacity. Moreover, the adsorption data corresponded well with pseudo-second-order and Freundlich isotherm models. This investigation provides a comprehensive understanding of how BC, dried through different methods, performs in the adsorption of MB by establishing a baseline for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogel for Water Treatment (2nd Edition))
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15 pages, 4589 KB  
Article
Development of a Novel Nanoclay-Doped Hydrogel Adsorbent for Efficient Removal of Heavy Metal Ions and Organic Dyes from Wastewater
by Hang Zhao, Mengmeng Xie, Siyu He, Saishi Lin, Shige Wang and Xiuying Liu
Gels 2025, 11(4), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040287 - 14 Apr 2025
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 733
Abstract
Rapid industrialization has led to significant environmental challenges, particularly in wastewater treatment, where the removal of heavy metal ions and organic dyes is critical. This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a high-performance hydrogel adsorbent, (nanoclay)x@poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) hydrogel [...] Read more.
Rapid industrialization has led to significant environmental challenges, particularly in wastewater treatment, where the removal of heavy metal ions and organic dyes is critical. This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a high-performance hydrogel adsorbent, (nanoclay)x@poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) hydrogel adsorbent (denoted as NxPP, x = 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80), for the efficient removal of heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Fe3+, and Zn2+) and organic dyes (Methylene blue, as a typical example) from wastewater. The hydrogel was prepared using a one-pot method, combining γ-PGA and PEI with varying amounts of nanoclay. The N80PP hydrogel demonstrated exceptional adsorption capacities, achieving 224.37 mg/g for Cu2+, 236.60 mg/g for Fe3+, and 151.95 mg/g for Zn2+ within 30 min, along with 88.18 mg/g for Methylene blue within 5 h. The incorporation of nanoclay significantly enhanced the mechanical properties, with compressive strength reaching 560.49 kPa. The hydrogel exhibited excellent reusability, maintaining high adsorption capacity after five cycles. The adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model, and the isotherms fit the Freundlich model, indicating a multilayer adsorption mechanism. This study highlights the potential of NxPP hydrogels as a versatile and sustainable solution for wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogel for Water Treatment (2nd Edition))
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21 pages, 8997 KB  
Article
Cellulose Nanofiber Aerogel from Banana Peduncle Modified with Graphene Oxide as Bio-Adsorbent for Lead and Chromium Ions
by Anjar Priyatmojo, Riza Wirawan, Husaini Ardy, Dita Puspitasari, Putri P. P. Asri and Lia A. T. W. Asri
Gels 2025, 11(2), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11020095 - 28 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1662
Abstract
Textile industry waste contains high concentrations of heavy metals such as Pb(II) and Cr(VI) that must be reduced before they are released to the environment. The adsorption method is one way to reduce the heavy metal content. In this work, we develop a [...] Read more.
Textile industry waste contains high concentrations of heavy metals such as Pb(II) and Cr(VI) that must be reduced before they are released to the environment. The adsorption method is one way to reduce the heavy metal content. In this work, we develop a porous cellulose nanofiber (CNF) aerogel modified with graphene oxide (GO) as an alternative aerogel adsorbent for Pb(II) and Cr(VI). Cellulose was extracted from banana peduncle, a biomass waste that remains largely underutilized. The addition of GO aims to increase the adsorption properties. The aerogel adsorbents were synthesized by varying the ultrasonication time to 45 min for CNF 45 and 60 min for CNF 60, and the amount of GO added to 1 mL and 2 mL. The aerogel adsorbents were successfully prepared using the freeze-drying method with CNF45, CNF60, CNF45/GO1, CNF45/GO2, CNF60/GO1, and CNF60/GO2 variations. CNF was successfully isolated from a banana peduncle with an average diameter of 44.16 nm for 45 min (CNF 45) and an average diameter of 14.6 nm for 60 min (CNF 60) of ultrasonication. Chemical treatment and ultrasonication reduced the crystallinity index value of cellulose by 73% and 61% for CNF 45 and CNF 60, respectively. CNF aerogel has a very low shrinkage rate (<7%), resulting in a larger surface area. CNF60/GO2 obtained the optimum adsorption ability for Pb(II) metal at a concentration of 100 ppm and 27.27 mg/g at 30 min. On the other hand, the adsorption ability of Cr(VI) metal was obtained by CNF60/GO2 at a concentration of 100 ppm and 13.48 mg/g at 30 min. SEM images show that all aerogel adsorbents are porous, with a porosity value range of 96–98%. In conclusion, CNF60/GO2 proved to be the most effective aerogel adsorbent, offering the potential for heavy metal removal from industrial wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogel for Water Treatment (2nd Edition))
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Review

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21 pages, 1668 KB  
Review
Hemicellulosic Biogels: A Fundamentally New Sustainable Platform Approach to Address Societal Grand Challenges
by Ali Ayoub and Lucian Lucia
Gels 2025, 11(9), 722; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090722 - 10 Sep 2025
Abstract
The global issues of resource depletion and environmental pollution have led to increased interest in a circular bioeconomy focusing on converting renewable biomass into functional biomaterials. This article explores the transformative potential of hemicellulosic biogels as a sustainable platform to address critical societal [...] Read more.
The global issues of resource depletion and environmental pollution have led to increased interest in a circular bioeconomy focusing on converting renewable biomass into functional biomaterials. This article explores the transformative potential of hemicellulosic biogels as a sustainable platform to address critical societal challenges, such as water scarcity, food solutions and environmental pollution. Derived from hemicelluloses, an abundant and underutilized polysaccharide in lignocellulose biomass, these biogels offer a fundamentally new approach to developing high-performance, ecofriendly based materials. The review examines their development, characterization, and diverse applications in water treatment, food, agriculture, adhesive and coating systems. In water treatment, these gels exhibit exceptional performance, demonstrating a maximum NaCl uptake of 0.26 g/g and rapid pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetics for desalination. They also show high selectivity for heavy metal removal, with a remarkable binding capacity for lead if 2.9 mg/g at pH 5. For adhesive and coating applications, hemicellulose crosslinked with ammonium zirconium carbonate (AZC) forms water-resistant gels that significantly enhance paper properties, including gloss, smoothness, liquid resistance, and adhesive strength. Furthermore, hemicellulosics exhibit controlled biodegradation in physiological solutions while maintaining their mechanical integrity, underscoring their broad application promise. Overall, this review highlights how hemicellulose-based hydrogels can transform a low-value byproduct from biorefinery into high-performance solutions, contributing significantly to a sustainable economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogel for Water Treatment (2nd Edition))
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