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Nanomaterials
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Advances and Recent Trends in Functional Membranes and Nanostructured Materials...
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Advances and Recent Trends in Functional Membranes and Nanostructured Materials for Environmental Applications

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2024 | Viewed by 2510

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Krešimir Košutić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 19, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: membrane technology
Prof. Dr. Sandra Babic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, 10020 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: liquid chromatography; environmental analytical chemistry; environmental analysis; sample preparation; chromatography; mass spectrometry; high-performance liquid chromatography; analytical chemistry instrumentation; analytical method development; extraction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The role of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes as functional materials used in water treatment is essential for meeting the highest standards (gold standards) regarding the quality of drinking water and water intended for specific industries (pharmaceutical and electronic). Their application in the removal of new organic-origin pollutants has been confirmed since their separation ability was proven to be very effective in many cases. However, the challenges are still vast considering the complex rejection mechanisms of RO membranes, i.e., their separation. We hereby invite relevant research groups that deal with the development and modification of energy-saving membranes and nanostructured materials, and their characterization and application in the removal of emerging pollutants, for example, harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs) that are produced in the treatment of drinking water via the classic chlorination process.

Coupling membrane processes with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) represents the latest research trend in water treatment and its intensification, with the aim of completely removing DBPs that are formed by classical water disinfection procedures with chlorine and chlorine-like disinfectants.

This Special Issue will accept innovative research (full papers and short communications) and review manuscripts that cover (but are not limited to) the following topics:

  • Structural characterization of functional membranes;
  • Application of functional membranes for water treatment (emerging pollutants, disinfection by-products, etc.);
  • Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured materials for environmental applications;
  • Coupling of membrane processes and AOPs for advanced water treatment (emerging pollutants, disinfection by-products, etc.).

Prof. Dr. Krešimir Košutić
Prof. Dr. Sandra Babic
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. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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

  • nanomaterials
  • membranes
  • water treatment
  • environmental applications
  • pollutants
  • disinfection by-products
  • adsorption

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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24 pages, 7321 KiB  
Article
Catalytic Ozonation of Pharmaceuticals Using CeO2-CeTiOx-Doped Crossflow Ultrafiltration Ceramic Membranes
by Nikoletta Tsiarta, Silvia Morović, Vilko Mandić, Ivana Panžić, Roko Blažic, Lidija Ćurković and Wolfgang Gernjak
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(13), 1163; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14131163 - 7 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1102
Abstract
The removal of persistent organic micropollutants (OMPs) from secondary effluent in wastewater treatment plants is critical for meeting water reuse standards. Traditional treatment methods often fail to adequately degrade these contaminants. This study explored the efficacy of a hybrid ozonation membrane filtration (HOMF) [...] Read more.
The removal of persistent organic micropollutants (OMPs) from secondary effluent in wastewater treatment plants is critical for meeting water reuse standards. Traditional treatment methods often fail to adequately degrade these contaminants. This study explored the efficacy of a hybrid ozonation membrane filtration (HOMF) process using CeO2 and CeTiOx-doped ceramic crossflow ultrafiltration ceramic membranes for the degradation of OMPs. Hollow ceramic membranes (CM) with a 300 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) were modified to serve as substrates for catalytic nanosized metal oxides in a crossflow and inside-out operational configuration. Three types of depositions were tested: a single layer of CeO2, a single layer of CeTiOx, and a combined layer of CeO2 + CeTiOx. These catalytic nanoparticles were distributed uniformly using a solution-based method supported by vacuum infiltration to ensure high-throughput deposition. The results demonstrated successful infiltration of the metal oxides, although the yield permeability and transmembrane flow varied, following this order: pristine > CeTiOx > CeO2 > CeO2 + CeTiOx. Four OMPs were examined: two easily degraded by ozone (carbamazepine and diclofenac) and two recalcitrant (ibuprofen and pCBA). The highest OMP degradation was observed in demineralized water, particularly with the CeO2 + CeTiOx modification, suggesting O3 decomposition to hydroxyl radicals. The increased resistance in the modified membranes contributed to the adsorption phenomena. The degradation efficiency decreased in secondary effluent due to competition with the organic and inorganic load, highlighting the challenges in complex water matrices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Recent Trends in Functional Membranes and Nanostructured Materials for Environmental Applications)
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24 pages, 30669 KiB  
Article
Maximizing N-Nitrosamine Rejection via RO Membrane Plugging with Hexylamine and Hexamethylenediamine
by Silvia Morović, Katarina Marija Drmić, Sandra Babić and Krešimir Košutić
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(13), 1117; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14131117 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 965
Abstract
The rapid expansion of urban areas and the increasing demand for water resources necessitate substantial investments in technologies that enable the reuse of municipal wastewater for various purposes. Nonetheless, numerous challenges remain, particularly regarding disinfection by-products (DBPs), especially carcinogenic compounds such as N [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of urban areas and the increasing demand for water resources necessitate substantial investments in technologies that enable the reuse of municipal wastewater for various purposes. Nonetheless, numerous challenges remain, particularly regarding disinfection by-products (DBPs), especially carcinogenic compounds such as N-nitrosamines (NTRs). To tackle the ongoing issues associated with reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, this study investigated the rejection of NTRs across a range of commercially available RO membranes. In addition, the research aimed to improve rejection rates by integrating molecular plugs into the nanopores of the polyamide (PA) layer. Hexylamine (HEX) and hexamethylenediamine (HDMA), both linear chain amines, have proven to be effective as molecular plugs for enhancing the removal of NTRs. Given the environmental and human health concerns associated with linear amines, the study also aimed to assess the feasibility of diamine molecules as potential alternatives. The application of molecular plugs led to changes in pore size distribution (PSD) and effective pore number, resulting in a decrease in membrane permeability (from 5 to 33%), while maintaining levels suitable for RO processes. HEX and HDMA exhibited a positive effect on NTR rejection with ACM1, ACM5 and BW30LE membranes. In particular, NDMA rejection, the smallest molecule of the tested NTRs, with ACM1 was improved by 65.5% and 70.6% after treatment with HEX and HDMA, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Recent Trends in Functional Membranes and Nanostructured Materials for Environmental Applications)
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