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Polymers
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Advanced Polymer Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatment
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Advanced Polymer Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2024) | Viewed by 4481

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yangxin Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
Interests: porous polymer materials; polymer composite materials; porous polymer membranes; adsorption; separation; heterogeneous catalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water is what makes our planet so unique. Almost everything on earth relies on it. Having clean water is vital for individuals, our society and the whole ecological environment. However, water pollution has become one of the most serious environmental problems for decades. The pollutants in water, including dyes, heavy metal ions, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and other toxic molecules, have impacted humans directly and indirectly. So, it is necessary to find the proper strategies to efficiently treat water and wastewater. To date, various methods have been developed for water and wastewater treatment, such as adsorption, ion exchange, electrochemical reaction, and membrane filtration. While polymer materials have played prominent roles in all these approaches. This Special Issue entitled “Advanced Polymer Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatment” seeks innovative and high-quality research works and topics focusing on the latest advances in polymer materials for water and wastewater treatment.

Dr. Yangxin Wang
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. Polymers 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 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

  • polymer materials
  • water treatment
  • wastewater treatment
  • water remediation
  • separation
  • adsorption
  • filtration

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3445 KiB  
Article
Antibiofilm Effects of Modifying Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membranes with Polyethylenimine, Poly(acrylic acid) and Graphene Oxide
by Mario Castillo-Ruiz, Constanza Negrete, Juan Pablo Espinoza, Iván Martínez, Leslie K. Daille, Christopher González and Bárbara Rodríguez
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3418; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233418 - 5 Dec 2024
Viewed by 433
Abstract
Biofouling in membrane filtration systems poses significant operational challenges, leading to decreased permeate flux. The aim of this work was to study the anti-biofilm properties of new nanofiltration membranes produced via layer-by-layer, LBL, assembly by coating a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support with a [...] Read more.
Biofouling in membrane filtration systems poses significant operational challenges, leading to decreased permeate flux. The aim of this work was to study the anti-biofilm properties of new nanofiltration membranes produced via layer-by-layer, LBL, assembly by coating a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support with a polyethylenimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid)/graphene oxide (PAA-GO) mixture. The membranes were characterized according to contact angle, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy and their Z-potential. Biofilm quantification and characterization were carried out using crystal violet staining and SEM, while bacterial viability was assessed by using colony-forming units. The membrane with three bilayers ((PAA-PEI)3/PVDF) showed a roughness of 77.78 nm. The incorporation of GO ((GO/PAA-PEI)3/PVDF) produced a membrane with a smoother surface (roughness of 26.92 nm) and showed salt rejections of 16% and 68% for NaCl and Na2SO4, respectively. A significant reduction, ranging from 82.37 to 77.30%, in biofilm formation produced by S. aureus and E. coli were observed on modified membranes. Additionally, the bacterial viability on the modified membranes was markedly reduced (67.42–99.98%). Our results show that the modified membranes exhibited both antibiofilm and antimicrobial capacities, suggesting that these properties mainly depend on the properties of the modifying agents, as the initial adherence on the membrane surface was not totally suppressed, but the proliferation and formation of EPSs were prevented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Polymer Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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13 pages, 2323 KiB  
Article
Silica-Based Composite Sorbents for Heavy Metal Ions Removal from Aqueous Solutions
by Ramona Ciobanu, Florin Bucatariu, Marcela Mihai and Carmen Teodosiu
Polymers 2024, 16(21), 3048; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16213048 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 856
Abstract
Weak polyelectrolyte chains are versatile polymeric materials due to the large number of functional groups that can be used in different environmental applications. Herein, one weak polycation (polyethyleneimine, PEI) and two polyanions (poly(acrylic acid), PAA, and poly(sodium methacrylate), PMAA) were directly deposited through [...] Read more.
Weak polyelectrolyte chains are versatile polymeric materials due to the large number of functional groups that can be used in different environmental applications. Herein, one weak polycation (polyethyleneimine, PEI) and two polyanions (poly(acrylic acid), PAA, and poly(sodium methacrylate), PMAA) were directly deposited through precipitation of an inter-polyelectrolyte coacervate onto the silica surface (IS), followed by glutaraldehyde (GA) crosslinking and extraction of polyanions chains. Four core–shell composites based on silica were synthesized and tested for adsorption of lead (Pb2+) and nickel (Ni2+) as model pollutants in batch sorption experiments on the laboratory scale. The sorbed/desorbed amounts depended on the crosslinking degree of the composite shell, as well as on the type of anionic polyelectrolyte. After multiple loading/release cycles of the heavy metal ions, the maximum sorption capacities were situated between 5–10 mg Pb2+/g composite and 1–6 mg Ni2+/g composite. The strong crosslinked composites (r = 1.0) exhibited higher amounts of heavy metal ions (Me2+) sorbed than the less crosslinked ones, with less PEI on the surface but with more flexible chains being more efficient than more PEI with less flexible chains. Core–shell composites based on silica and weak polyelectrolytes could act as sorbent materials, which may be used in water or wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Polymer Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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21 pages, 6224 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Zinc Phthalocyanine/PVDF-HFP System for Reducing Biofouling in Water Desalination: DFT Theoretical and MolDock Investigations
by Bassem Jamoussi, Mohhamed Naif M. Al-Sharif, Lassaad Gzara, Hussam Organji, Talal B. Almeelbi, Radhouane Chakroun, Bandar A. Al-Mur, Naief H. M. Al Makishah, Mohamed H. F. Madkour, Fahed A. Aloufi and Riyadh F. Halawani
Polymers 2024, 16(12), 1738; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16121738 - 19 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1358
Abstract
Fouling and biofouling remain significant challenges in seawater desalination plants. One practical approach to address these issues is to develop anti-biofouling membranes. Therefore, novel hybrid zinc phthalocyanine/polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc/PVDF-HFP) membranes were prepared by electrospinning to evaluate their properties against biofouling. The [...] Read more.
Fouling and biofouling remain significant challenges in seawater desalination plants. One practical approach to address these issues is to develop anti-biofouling membranes. Therefore, novel hybrid zinc phthalocyanine/polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc/PVDF-HFP) membranes were prepared by electrospinning to evaluate their properties against biofouling. The hybrid nanofiber membrane was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The theoretical calculations of PVDF-HFP, Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc), and Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc/PVDF-HFP nanofibers were performed using a hybrid functional RB3LYP and the 6-31 G (d,p) basis set, employing Gaussian 09. DFT calculations illustrated that the calculated physical and electronic parameters ensured the feasibility of the interaction of PVDF-HFP with Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc via a halogen–hydrogen bond, resulting in a highly stable and remarkably reactive structure. Moreover, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps were drawn to identify the reactive regions of the Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc and PVDF-HFP/Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc nanofibers. Molecular docking analysis revealed that Zn(4-PPOx)4Pc has highest binding affinity (−8.56 kcal/mol) with protein from S. aureus (1N67) mainly with ten amino acids (ASP405, LYS374, GLU446, ASN406, ALA441, TYR372, LYS371, TYR448, LYS374, and ALA442). These findings highlight the promising potential of Zn(4-PPOx) 4Pc/PVDF-HFP nanocomposite membranes in improving the efficiency of water desalination by reducing biofouling and providing antibacterial properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Polymer Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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Review

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40 pages, 7643 KiB  
Review
Sulfonated Pentablock Copolymer (NexarTM) for Water Remediation and Other Applications
by Simona Filice, Viviana Scuderi and Silvia Scalese
Polymers 2024, 16(14), 2009; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16142009 - 13 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1331
Abstract
This review focuses on the use of a sulfonated pentablock copolymer commercialized as NexarTM in water purification applications. The properties and the use of sulfonated copolymers, in general, and of NexarTM, in particular, are described within a brief reference focusing [...] Read more.
This review focuses on the use of a sulfonated pentablock copolymer commercialized as NexarTM in water purification applications. The properties and the use of sulfonated copolymers, in general, and of NexarTM, in particular, are described within a brief reference focusing on the problem of different water contaminants, purification technologies, and the use of nanomaterials and nanocomposites for water treatment. In addition to desalination and pervaporation processes, adsorption and photocatalytic processes are also considered here. The reported results confirm the possibility of using NexarTM as a matrix for embedded nanoparticles, exploiting their performance in adsorption and photocatalytic processes and preventing their dispersion in the environment. Furthermore, the reported antimicrobial and antibiofouling properties of NexarTM make it a promising material for achieving active coatings that are able to enhance commercial filter lifetime and performance. The coated filters show selective and efficient removal of cationic contaminants in filtration processes, which is not observed with a bare commercial filter. The UV surface treatment and/or the addition of nanostructures such as graphene oxide (GO) flakes confer NexarTM with coating additional functionalities and activity. Finally, other application fields of this polymer are reported, i.e., energy and/or gas separation, suggesting its possible use as an efficient and economical alternative to the more well-known Nafion polymer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Polymer Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatment)
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