Adsorption and Remediation of Emerging Pollutants from Water and Soil

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Separations".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 3773

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: the environmental process of emerging pollutants; sorption of antibiotics; detection and separation of microplastic

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In our rapidly evolving world, the challenge of maintaining clean water and soil resources has never been more critical. Industrial advancements, urbanization, and the continuous introduction of novel chemicals into our environment have led to the emergence of new pollutants that pose significant threats to our ecosystems and human health.

The focus of our Special Issue, "Adsorption and Remediation of Emerging Pollutants from Water and Soil", is to highlight cutting-edge research and developments in the field of environmental science, particularly concerning the latest methodologies and technologies employed in the adsorption and remediation of the emerging pollutants including persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disruptors, antibiotics, and microplastics. We aim to compile a comprehensive collection of papers that shed light on novel adsorbents, innovative remediation techniques, and the mechanisms underlying the effective removal of pollutants from water and soil environments.

We are calling for submissions from researchers, scholars, and practitioners who are working at the forefront of environmental science and engineering. We welcome original research articles that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Novel adsorbents for the efficient removal of emerging pollutants;
  • Advanced oxidation processes for water and soil remediation;
  • Bioremediation strategies and their effectiveness in pollutant removal;
  • Nanotechnology applications in the detection and remediation of pollutants;
  • The impact of emerging pollutants on ecosystems and human health.

This Special Issue aims to serve as a platform for the dissemination of significant findings and the exchange of knowledge among researchers dedicated to protecting our environment from the adverse effects of emerging pollutants. Your contributions will undoubtedly enrich the scientific community's understanding and pave the way for innovative solutions to these pressing environmental challenges.

Dr. Xiaoying Guo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • novel adsorbents
  • removal of emerging pollutants
  • emerging pollutant detection
  • remediation of water and soil pollution
  • environmental risks of emerging pollutants

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 802 KiB  
Article
Influence of Organic Carbon from Weathered Sediments on Triclocarban Distribution in Environmental Aqueous Systems
by Ion Ion, Raluca Madalina Senin and Alina Catrinel Ion
Separations 2024, 11(9), 255; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11090255 - 25 Aug 2024
Viewed by 554
Abstract
In this study, the chemical distribution of triclocarban (TCC), in natural aqueous systems, between water and sediment, with different chemical compositions of the aqueous phase and different percentages of organic carbon (OC%) in the sediments is presented. The influences of the temperature, of [...] Read more.
In this study, the chemical distribution of triclocarban (TCC), in natural aqueous systems, between water and sediment, with different chemical compositions of the aqueous phase and different percentages of organic carbon (OC%) in the sediments is presented. The influences of the temperature, of the composition of the aqueous matrices of natural waters and (OC%) in the sediment over the solubility of triclocarban, and its distribution coefficient Kd values were studied. log KD at 25 °C varied between 1.94 and 3.27 for a sediment with 5.50% OC and between 3.95 and 5.93% for a sediment with 6.75% OC, in the studied aqueous systems, with different concentrations of OC in the sediment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adsorption and Remediation of Emerging Pollutants from Water and Soil)
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15 pages, 7166 KiB  
Article
The Pollution Characteristics and Fate of Microplastics in Typical Wastewater Treatment Systems in Northern China
by Yi Ma, Zhenkang Bao, Shangying Cai, Qiong Wang, Beibei Dou, Xiangyu Niu, Qingzhen Meng, Penghao Li and Xiaoying Guo
Separations 2024, 11(6), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11060177 - 6 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 863
Abstract
This study focuses on the occurrence status and removal efficiency of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant processes. Analysis of effluent and sludge samples from the Wulongkou and Shuangqiao wastewater treatment plants in Zhengzhou revealed an overall microplastic removal efficiency of 95.64% and 92.53%, [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the occurrence status and removal efficiency of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant processes. Analysis of effluent and sludge samples from the Wulongkou and Shuangqiao wastewater treatment plants in Zhengzhou revealed an overall microplastic removal efficiency of 95.64% and 92.53%, respectively, indicating the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants in reducing microplastic emissions. Microplastics primarily exist in forms such as fiber, fragment, floc, film, and grain. Fibers are predominant in the effluent of the Wulongkou plant, while fibers and films predominate in the effluent of the Shuangqiao plant. Moreover, microplastics are predominantly sized below 500 μm, with larger microplastics (2–5 mm) exhibiting higher removal efficiencies after secondary treatment. Analysis of microplastic types revealed that PE is the most common type in the effluent of the Wulongkou plant, while the Shuangqiao plant predominantly contains PE and PA66. The abundance of microplastics in sludge samples was found to be 6.4 ± 0.8 items/g and 11.3 ± 2.3 items/g, highlighting sludge as an important sink for microplastics. Surface analysis of microplastics revealed characteristics such as wrinkles and cracks, with energy-dispersive spectroscopy indicating significant adsorption of heavy metal elements such as Zn, Hg, and Pb onto microplastic surfaces in sludge. These findings underscore the importance of microplastic removal in wastewater treatment processes and provide scientific evidence for the control and management of microplastic pollution in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adsorption and Remediation of Emerging Pollutants from Water and Soil)
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22 pages, 3840 KiB  
Article
Remediation of Methyl Orange Dye in Aqueous Solutions by Green Microalgae (Bracteacoccus sp.): Optimization, Isotherm, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Studies
by Ahmad Al Shra’ah, Abdullah T. Al-Fawwaz, Mohammed M. Ibrahim and Eid Alsbou
Separations 2024, 11(6), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11060170 - 30 May 2024
Viewed by 923
Abstract
This study aims to assess the ability of old, immobilized fresh, and free fresh green microalgae (a Bracteacoccus sp.) to remove methyl orange (MO) dye from aqueous solutions. The effects of four factors, including initial MO concentration (5–25 mg L−1), adsorbent [...] Read more.
This study aims to assess the ability of old, immobilized fresh, and free fresh green microalgae (a Bracteacoccus sp.) to remove methyl orange (MO) dye from aqueous solutions. The effects of four factors, including initial MO concentration (5–25 mg L−1), adsorbent dose (0.02–0.10 g mL−1), temperature (4–36 °C), and contact time (5–95 min), were examined. The Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to determine the number of required experiments and the optimal conditions expected to provide the highest removal percentage of MO dye from aqueous solutions. The experimental data were applied to four isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R), and Temkin isotherm models) and three kinetic models (pseudo–first–order, pseudo–second–order, and Elovich kinetic models). The results indicate that the highest removal of MO (97%) could be obtained in optimal conditions consisting of an initial MO concentration of 10.0 mg L−1, an adsorbent dose of 0.10 g mL−1, a temperature of 20 °C, and a contact time of 75 min. Moreover, the experimental data were best fitted by the Langmuir and Temkin isotherm models and followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The interaction between MO and the Bracteacoccus sp. was confirmed by UV and ESI/MS analyses, indicating that MO removal occurred via both sorption and degradation processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adsorption and Remediation of Emerging Pollutants from Water and Soil)
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Review

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24 pages, 10774 KiB  
Review
Achievements in Preparation of Cyclodextrin–Based Porous Materials for Removal of Pollutants
by Kaiyue Bao, Anyun Zhang, Yiyao Cao and Lei Xu
Separations 2024, 11(5), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11050143 - 7 May 2024
Viewed by 1057
Abstract
Cyclodextrin–based porous materials have been widely applied in removing various organic pollutants from water environments, due to their unique physical and chemical properties, like the size–matching effect and hydrophobic interaction. Large numbers of hydroxyl groups in its external structure give cyclodextrin a high [...] Read more.
Cyclodextrin–based porous materials have been widely applied in removing various organic pollutants from water environments, due to their unique physical and chemical properties, like the size–matching effect and hydrophobic interaction. Large numbers of hydroxyl groups in its external structure give cyclodextrin a high solubility in water, but the existence of these hydroxyl groups also endows cyclodextrin with the ability to be chemically modified with various functional groups to reduce its solubility in water and, meanwhile, to develop some novel functionalized cyclodextrin–based porous materials for selective removal of the target organic pollutants. This review focuses on the recent development in the synthesis of cyclodextrin–based porous materials (crosslinked cyclodextrin polymers and immobilized cyclodextrins), as well as highlighting their applications and mechanisms in the removal of dyes, endocrine disruptors, and mixed pollutants from water. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives in related research fields are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adsorption and Remediation of Emerging Pollutants from Water and Soil)
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