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Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment
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Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 11024

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiajia Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Interests: nanomaterials for drinking water control; pollution water purification; Fenton/Fenton-like technology; photocatalysis; solid waste recycling
Prof. Dr. Yaocheng Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources & Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Interests: photocatalytic degradation; organic pollutant control; wastewater remediation; graphite carbon nitride; non-metallic photocatalyst; biochar; advanced oxidation processes; persulfate activation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce a new Special Issue in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) on “Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment”. This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the most recent advancements in the field of environmental functional materials applied to wastewater treatment and will publish selected contributions on the design, preparation, and application of environmental functional materials and the state of novel methodologies and innovative techniques in wastewater treatment. 

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • Inorganic nonmetallic materials in wastewater treatment;
  • Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in wastewater treatment;
  • Covalent organic framework in wastewater treatment;
  • High-performance structural ceramics and composites in wastewater treatment;
  • Biomaterials in wastewater treatment;
  • Layered double hydroxide (LDH) in wastewater treatment.

Dr. Jiajia Wang
Prof. Dr. Yaocheng Deng
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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

  • membrane technology
  • photocatalysis
  • Fenton and Fenton-like oxidation process
  • adsorption
  • wastewater remediation

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1838 KiB  
Communication
Influence of Zinc and Humic Acids on Dye Adsorption from Water by Two Composts
by Remigio Paradelo, Paula García, Alba González, Khaled Al-Zawahreh and Maria Teresa Barral
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5353; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075353 - 31 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1355
Abstract
Searching for alternative low-cost biosorbents for the removal of textile dyes from wastewater is currently an important subject of research. In this work, we have investigated how the presence of other contaminants in textile wastewaters can affect dye adsorption by biosorbents. We tested [...] Read more.
Searching for alternative low-cost biosorbents for the removal of textile dyes from wastewater is currently an important subject of research. In this work, we have investigated how the presence of other contaminants in textile wastewaters can affect dye adsorption by biosorbents. We tested the adsorption of three dyes of different types: Basic Violet 10 (BV10), Acid Blue 113 (AB113) and Direct Blue 71 (DB71) by two different composts—municipal solid waste compost and pine bark compost—in the presence of Zn (5 mg L−1) or dissolved organic matter (100 mg humic acids L−1) in batch experiments. Dye adsorption capacity for both composts followed the following sequence: BV10 > AB113 > DB71. In general, dye sorption at the equilibrium was adequately described by the Freundlich model, but not always by the Langmuir model, which did not allow for the estimation of maximum retention capacities in all cases. In general, these were around 1 mg g−1 for DB71, 2 mg g−1 for AB113, and 40 mg g−1 for BV10. Municipal solid waste compost had slightly higher affinity than pine bark compost for the anionic dyes AB113 and DB71, whereas for the cationic dye BV10, pine bark compost presented a much higher adsorption capacity (41.7 mg g−1 versus 6.8 mg g−1). The presence of Zn or dissolved organic matter in the solutions at typical wastewater concentrations did not decrease the dye adsorption capacity of the composts. This result is positive both for the real application of composts to real textile wastewaters and for the validity of the results of biosorbent performance obtained with single-dye solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment)
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16 pages, 8640 KiB  
Article
Efficiency Recycling and Utilization of Phosphate from Wastewater Using LDHs-Modified Biochar
by Chunxia Ding, Xiuyu Long, Guangyong Zeng, Yu Ouyang, Bowen Lei, Rongying Zeng, Jing Wang and Zhi Zhou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3051; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043051 - 9 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1360
Abstract
The excessive application of phosphate fertilizers easily causes water eutrophication. Phosphorus recovery by adsorption is regarded as an effective and simple intervention to control water bodies’ eutrophication. In this work, a series of new adsorbents, layered double hydroxides (LDHs)-modified biochar (BC) with different [...] Read more.
The excessive application of phosphate fertilizers easily causes water eutrophication. Phosphorus recovery by adsorption is regarded as an effective and simple intervention to control water bodies’ eutrophication. In this work, a series of new adsorbents, layered double hydroxides (LDHs)-modified biochar (BC) with different molar ratios of Mg2+ and Fe3+, were synthesized based on waste jute stalk and used for recycling phosphate from wastewater. The prepared LDHs-BC4 (the molar ratio of Mg/Fe is 4:1) has significantly high adsorption performance, and the recovery rate of phosphate is about 10 times higher than that of the pristine jute stalk BC. The maximum adsorption capacity of LDHs-BC4 for phosphate was 10.64 mg-P/g. The main mechanism of phosphate adsorption mainly includes electrostatic attraction, ion exchange, ligand exchange, and intragranular diffusion. Moreover, the phosphate-adsorbed LDHs-BC4 could promote mung bean growth, which indicated the recovery phosphate from wastewater could be used as a fertilizer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment)
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17 pages, 5206 KiB  
Article
Low-Temperature Reduction Synthesis of γ–Fe2O3−x@biochar Catalysts and Their Combining with Peroxymonosulfate for Quinclorac Degradation
by Mei-e Zhong, Gongsong Tong, Jingchun Sun, Nan Zhou, Chunxia Ding, Xiangying Liu, Austin Merchant and Xuguo Zhou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16790; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416790 - 14 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1348
Abstract
Biochar loading mixed–phase iron oxide shows great advantages as a promising catalyst owing to its eco–friendliness and low cost. Here, γ–Fe2O3−x@biochar (E/Fe–N–BC) composite was successfully prepared by the sol–gel method combined with low–temperature (280 °C) reduction. The Scanning Electron [...] Read more.
Biochar loading mixed–phase iron oxide shows great advantages as a promising catalyst owing to its eco–friendliness and low cost. Here, γ–Fe2O3−x@biochar (E/Fe–N–BC) composite was successfully prepared by the sol–gel method combined with low–temperature (280 °C) reduction. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) result indicated that γ–Fe2O3−x particles with the size of approximately 200 nm were well–dispersed on the surface of biochar. The CO derived from biomass pyrolysis is the main reducing component for the generation of Fe (II). The high content of Fe (II) contributed to the excellent catalytic performance of E/Fe–N–BC for quinclorac (QNC) degradation in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The removal efficiency of 10 mg/L of QNC was 100% within 30 min using 0.3 g/L γ–Fe2O3−x@biochar catalyst and 0.8 mM PMS. The radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis confirmed that •OH and SO4•− were the main radicals during the degradation of QNC. The facile and easily mass–production of γ–Fe2O3−x@biochar with high catalytic activity make it a promising catalyst to activate PMS for the removal of organic pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment)
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16 pages, 17479 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of g-C3N4/Ag3PO4/TiO2/PVDF Membrane with Remarkable Self-Cleaning Properties for Rhodamine B Removal
by Renguo Liu, Xue Li, Jinhui Huang, Haoliang Pang, Qiongfang Wan, Kun Luo, Ya Pang and Lingyu Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15551; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315551 - 23 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1421
Abstract
g-C3N4/Ag3PO4/TiO2 nanocomposite materials were loaded onto a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane using a phase inversion method to obtain a photocatalytic flat membrane for dye removal. The morphology, structure, and photocatalytic activity of the g-C [...] Read more.
g-C3N4/Ag3PO4/TiO2 nanocomposite materials were loaded onto a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane using a phase inversion method to obtain a photocatalytic flat membrane for dye removal. The morphology, structure, and photocatalytic activity of the g-C3N4/Ag3PO4/TiO2 nanoparticles and composite membrane were evaluated. The g-C3N4/Ag3PO4/TiO2/PVDF membrane exhibited superior morphology, hydrophilic properties, and antifouling performance compared with the raw PVDF membrane. Four-stage filtration was performed to evaluate the self-cleaning and antifouling capacity of the g-C3N4/Ag3PO4/TiO2/PVDF membrane. Upon irradiating the composite membrane with visible light for 30 min, its irreversible fouling resistance (Rir) was low (9%), and its flux recovery rate (FRR) was high (71.0%) after five filtration cycles. The removal rate of rhodamine B (RhB) from the composite membrane under visible light irradiation reached 98.1% owing to the high photocatalytic activity of the membrane, which was superior to that of raw PVDF membrane (42.5%). A mechanism of photocatalytic composite membranes for RhB degradation was proposed. Therefore, this study is expected to broaden prospects in the field of membrane filtration technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment)
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17 pages, 6556 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Performance of Ball-Milled Silk Fibroin Films for Simultaneous Adsorption of Eight Pharmaceuticals from Water
by Hlobsile Kgomo, Simiso Dube and Mathew Muzi Nindi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14922; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214922 - 13 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1344
Abstract
Pollutants mainly exist as multicomponent mixtures in the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to synthesize low-cost adsorbents that can simultaneously adsorb multiple compounds. This work presents the prospect of the adsorption of multiclass pharmaceuticals from the aqueous environment using an adsorbent derived from [...] Read more.
Pollutants mainly exist as multicomponent mixtures in the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to synthesize low-cost adsorbents that can simultaneously adsorb multiple compounds. This work presents the prospect of the adsorption of multiclass pharmaceuticals from the aqueous environment using an adsorbent derived from silk fibroin of the wild silkworm Argema mimosae. The adsorbent was prepared by dissolving degummed silk fibroin and the resultant solution was cast to obtain films that were ball-milled to powder. FTIR results revealed bands corresponding to N-H and C=O stretching vibrations. Particle size distribution data generally showed two size groups in the range of 50–90 nm and 250–625 nm. The study focused on the adsorptive removal of multiple compounds consisting of eight pharmaceuticals representing various classes including a β-blocker (pindolol), anesthetic (lidocaine), stimulant (caffeine), antiviral (nevirapine), steroid (estriol), anti-epileptic (carbamazepine), and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (naproxen). The adsorption process was best fitted to the pseudo-second-order isotherm and an overall match to the Freundlich model. Thermodynamic parameters suggested that the process was mainly exothermic and more spontaneous at lower temperatures. The performance of the adsorbent was further evaluated using environmental waters and the adsorbent demonstrated good potential for simultaneous adsorption of multicomponent pharmaceuticals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment)
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13 pages, 4581 KiB  
Article
Grafting of R4N+-Bearing Organosilane on Kaolinite, Montmorillonite, and Zeolite for Simultaneous Adsorption of Ammonium and Nitrate
by Wang Peng, Zhanpeng Cui, Hongyan Fu, Hongkai Cao, Ming Chen, Dachao Zhang, Wuhui Luo and Sili Ren
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12562; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912562 - 1 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1415
Abstract
Modification of aluminosilicate minerals using a R4N+-bearing organic modifier, through the formation of covalent bonds, is an applicable way to eliminate the modifier release and to maintain the ability to remove cationic pollutants. In this study, trimethyl [3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl] [...] Read more.
Modification of aluminosilicate minerals using a R4N+-bearing organic modifier, through the formation of covalent bonds, is an applicable way to eliminate the modifier release and to maintain the ability to remove cationic pollutants. In this study, trimethyl [3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl] ammonium chloride (TM) and/or dimethyl octadecyl [3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl] ammonium chloride (DMO) were used to graft three aluminosilicate minerals, including calcined kaolinite (Kaol), montmorillonite (Mt), and zeolite (Zeol), and the obtained composites were deployed to assess their performance in regard to ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) adsorption. Grafting of TM and/or DMO had little influence on the crystal structures of Kaol and Zeol, but it increased the interlayer distance of Mt due to the intercalation. Compared to Kaol and Zeol, Mt had a substantially greater grafting concentration of organosilane. For Mt, the highest amount of loaded organosilane was observed when TM and DMO were used simultaneously, whereas for Kaol and Zeol, this occurred when only DMO was employed. 29Si-NMR spectra revealed that TM and/or DMO were covalently bonded on Mt. As opposed to NO3−, the amount of adsorbed NH4+ was reduced after TM and/or DMO grafting while having little effect on the adsorption rate. For the grafted Kaol and Zeol, the adsorption of NH4+ and NO3− was non-interfering. This is different from the grafted Mt where NH4+ uptake was aided by the presence of NO3−. The higher concentration of DMO accounted for the larger NO3− uptake, which was accompanied by improved affinity. The results provide a reference for grafting aluminosilicate minerals and designing efficient adsorbents for the co-adsorption of NH4+ and NO3−. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment)
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Review

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22 pages, 10790 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Thallium Removal from Water Environment by Metal Oxide Material
by Xiaoyi Ren, Haopeng Feng, Mengyang Zhao, Xin Zhou, Xu Zhu, Xilian Ouyang, Jing Tang, Changwu Li, Jiajia Wang, Wangwang Tang and Lin Tang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 3829; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053829 - 21 Feb 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2185
Abstract
Thallium is widely used in industrial and agricultural development. However, there is still a lack of systematic understanding of its environmental hazards and related treatment methods or technologies. Here, we critically assess the environmental behavior of thallium in aqueous systems. In addition, we [...] Read more.
Thallium is widely used in industrial and agricultural development. However, there is still a lack of systematic understanding of its environmental hazards and related treatment methods or technologies. Here, we critically assess the environmental behavior of thallium in aqueous systems. In addition, we first discuss the benefits and limitations of the synthetic methods of metal oxide materials that may affect the practicality and scalability of TI removal from water. We then assess the feasibility of different metal oxide materials for TI removal from water by estimating the material properties and contaminant removal mechanisms of four metal oxides (Mn, Fe, Al, and Ti). Next, we discuss the environmental factors that may inhibit the practicality and scalability of Tl removal from water. We conclude by highlighting the materials and processes that could serve as more sustainable alternatives to TI removal with further research and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Environmental Functional Materials in Wastewater Treatment)
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