Carbon Compounds of Environmental Significance

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust. Carbon combines with other elements to form inorganic and organic compounds, which play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning, providing services necessary for human well-being. However, some carbon-containing compounds generated largely through anthropogenic activities become environmental pollutants that harm ecosystems and human health. These carbon-based pollutants can be classified into the following categories:

• Greenhouse gases, mainly methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂);
• Petroleum hydrocarbons from oil-related industries;
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from various applications;
• Pesticides from agricultural and other applications;
• Pharmaceuticals;
• Plastics particularly micro(nano)plastics;
• Perfluoroalkyl substances.

On the other hand, carbon-rich compounds such as biochar/activated carbons and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been recognized as promising materials for the remediation of degraded and contaminated environments, being used in wastewater treatment, the cleaning up of heavy metal(loid)-contaminated soils, etc. Therefore, understanding the recent advancement in carbon compound research in relation to the environment is of great scientific and practical significance.

The scope of this Special Issue includes but is not limited to the following topics:

• Sources and mitigation of CO₂ and CH₄ emissions;
• Characterization of environmental compartments contaminated by carbon-based pollutants;
• Environmental processes of carbon-based pollutants;
• Toxicological assessment and environmental impacts of carbon-based pollutants;
• Remediation of environmental compartments contaminated by carbon-based pollutants;
• Characterization and applications of biochar materials for environmental remediation;
• Characterization and applications of MOFs for environmental remediation.

Prof. Dr. Chu Xia Lin
Dr. Indika Herath
Guest Editors

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