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Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2023) | Viewed by 25266

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Seyyed Alireza Hashemi

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Guest Editor

Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites Laboratory, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Interests: nanotechnology; advanced materials; graphene; biosensors; water treatment

Dr. Farhad Ahmadijokani

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Guest Editor

Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites Laboratory, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Interests: wastewater treatment; gas separation; metal–organic frameworks (MOFs); polymers; friction composites

Dr. Ahmadreza Ghaffarkhah

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Guest Editor

Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites Laboratory, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Interests: nanomaterials; polymers; aerogels; advanced sensors; EMI shielding; heat and mass transfer; wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heterogeneous photocatalysis is generally applied for treating water and wastewater containing refractory organic contaminants with the purpose of reusing it via achieving complete mineralization of the compounds under mild conditions, such as ambient temperature and pressure. Photocatalysis is a green and energy-efficient protocol that has attracted tremendous attention owing to its potential merits, such as its low cost, nontoxic nature, availability, stability, strong photoactivity activity, and reusability, making it a versatile approach for the effective treatment of wastewater streams. Additionally, nanostructures and advanced nanomaterials are potential candidates for effective treatment and purification of wastewater from hazardous chemicals, dyes, heavy metals, and so on. These adjustable structures can be specifically designed to absorb target analytes or pollutants until drinking water standards are reached. This Special Issue focuses on the design and development of advanced photocatalytic and nanostructures to remove toxic pollutants from water systems. We welcome both review and experimental papers falling within the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. Seyyed Alireza Hashemi
Dr. Farhad Ahmadijokani
Dr. Ahmadreza Ghaffarkhah
Guest Editors

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Keywords

heterogeneous photocatalysis
visible photoactivity
mechanism
nanostructures
nanomaterials
wastewater treatment

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 6702 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Cefixime from Wastewater Using a Superb nZVI/Copper Slag Nanocomposite: Optimization and Characterization

by Atefeh Moridi, Samad Sabbaghi, Jamal Rasouli, Kamal Rasouli, Seyyed Alireza Hashemi, Wei-Hung Chiang and Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi

Water 2023, 15(10), 1819; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15101819 - 10 May 2023

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2785

Abstract

Nowadays, hospital wastewater contains a high concentration of toxic pharmaceutical contaminants, posing a significant threat to the environment, and human and animal life. Cefixime (CFX) is one such toxic contaminant that has a detrimental impact on both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, it is essential to remove this compound using non-toxic and environmentally friendly procedures to ensure healthy drinking water. In this study, a low-cost and eco-friendly nano adsorbent (nZVI/copper slag) was synthesized and characterized using FESEM, XRD, EDX, FTIR, and zeta potential to remove CFX from wastewater. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effects of experimental factors including adsorbent dosage (2–10 g/L), pollutant concentration (10–30 mg/L), pH (2–10), and contact time (10–50 min) for efficient CFX elimination. The optimal conditions (adsorbent dosage: 7.79 g/L, pollutant concentration: 19.42 mg/L, pH: 4.59, and reaction time: 36.17 min) resulted in 98.71% CFX removal. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics data showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models were appropriate for CFX elimination. Furthermore, the nano adsorbent demonstrated 90% CFX elimination after up to six repeated cycles in regeneration and reusability testing. Finally, the nZVI/CS nano adsorbent can be an effective and promising solution for removing CFX from wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water)

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22 pages, 6836 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Photocatalytic Decolorization of Direct Red16 from an Aqueous Solution Using B-ZnO/TiO₂ Nano Photocatalyst: Synthesis, Characterization, Process Modeling, and Optimization

by Saba Abdulmunem Habeeb, Ali Akbar Zinatizadeh and Hadis Zangeneh

Water 2023, 15(6), 1203; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15061203 - 20 Mar 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2196

Abstract

The aim of this study was to modify the TiO₂ photocatalyst with different amounts of ZnO (0.25, 0.5, and 1 wt. %) and B (1, 5, and 10 wt. %), as B-ZnO/TiO₂, for mineralization and photodegradation of direct red 16 (DR16). B-ZnO/TiO₂ was synthesized by the sol-gel method and the composite with 5 wt. % of B and 0.5 wt. % of ZnO was selected as the optimal composition, based on DR16 removal experiments. Th results showed that the removal efficiencies for optimum amounts of B and ZnO were 47 and 87 % in B-TiO₂ and B-ZnO/TiO₂ composition, respectively. The structural and chemical characteristics, modeling and optimization of the operating variables, adsorptive behavior, and reusability of the synthesized photocatalyst were evaluated. The acquired findings confirmed the generation of an amorphous phase with a low recombination rate and an improvement of photodegradation efficiency under visible light irradiation. The effects of (NH₄)₂S₂O₈, H₂O₂, KCl, and KHCO₃ salts on dye photocatalytic removal were evaluated, and the maximum positive effect was observed using (NH₄)₂S₂O₈. The results of optimization of the operational variables and their optimum values proved that an increase in B-ZnO/TiO₂ loading, reaction time, LED intensity, and a decrease in DR16 concentration and initial pH, improved the removal efficiency. The maximum DR16 degradation (100%) was obtained in the presence of 10 ppm DR16 and 1 g/L B_5%-ZnO_0.5%/TiO₂, at pH 3, under visible light irradiation, after 200 min. The DR16 adsorption process by the B-ZnO/TiO₂ followed a pseudo-second-order model. The mechanism of the photodegradation of DR16 dye was ascribed to the absorbed h⁺ and OH⁻ active species. According to the results, the B-ZnO/TiO₂ photocatalyst can be considered as a promising candidate for actual dye removal under visible light irradiation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water)

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17 pages, 4430 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study on Photocatalytic Performance of TiO₂ Doped with Different Amino Acids in Degradation of Antibiotics

by Hadis Zangeneh, Seyyed Alireza Mousavi, Parisa Eskandari, Ehsan Amarloo, Javad Farghelitiyan and Sahar Mohammadi

Water 2023, 15(3), 535; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15030535 - 29 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2714

Abstract

In this study, three different reusable photocatalysts containing different amino acids as a source of non-metals, including L-Arginine, L-Proline, and L-Methionine, have been synthesized for the first time. Using a kinetic study and degradation efficiency test, these visible driven photocatalysts were investigated for their photocatalytic activity in removing antibiotics, including metronidazole (MNZ) and cephalexin (CEX). The morphology, structure and optical properties of the fabricated catalysts were characterized by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS)/mapping, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL) and UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) analyses. Based on the results of the PL analysis, it was confirmed that doping TiO₂ with amino acids containing C, N, and S inhibited the recombination of induced electrons and holes. Among the three catalysts, L-Arginine-TiO₂ demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity for antibiotic degradation, followed by L-Proline-TiO₂. According to the response surface methodology (RSM), the optimum operating conditions were a concentration of 50 mg/L MNZ, pH = 4, and catalyst concentration = 1.5 g/L under 90 min of irradiation time. At this condition, 99.9% of MNZ and 81% of TOC were removed. In addition, 97.2% of CEX and 75% TOC were eliminated at the optimum conditions of 1g/L catalyst concentration, 50 mg/L CEX concentration, at neutral pH, and after 120 min irradiation. L-Arginine (1 wt.%)-TiO₂ was tested for stability and reusability, and it showed that after five cycles, 10% of its performance had been lost. The role of reactive species in photocatalysis was identified and ^•OH had the most significant impacts on MNZ and CEX photodegradation. Antibiotic degradation efficiency was adversely affected by the presence of anions and humic acid, but this reduction was not significant for inorganic anions, as only 13% of degradation was lost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water)

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19 pages, 8484 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study on Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Visible Light-Active Nanostructures for Degradation of Oxytetracycline and COD Removal of Licorice Extraction Plant Wastewater

by Hadis Zangeneh, Seyyed Alireza Mousavi, Parisa Eskandari, Ehsan Amarloo, Javad Farghelitiyan and Mohammad Reza Zamani

Water 2023, 15(2), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15020290 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2459

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur dopants on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ for degradation of oxytetracycline (OTC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal from licorice extraction plant wastewater (LEPW). Three novel visible-light-responsive nanostructures, including L-Histidine-TiO₂, L-Methionine-TiO₂ and L-Asparagine-TiO₂, were successfully synthesized. The results showed that the modification of TiO₂ with these three amino acids made the catalyst active in the visible light region and reduced the recombination rate of e⁻/h⁺ pairs according to PL analysis. The photodegradation efficiency of L-Histidine (2 wt.%)-TiO₂ was 100% and 94% for OTC and COD, respectively. It showed the highest photocatalytic activity under illumination, compared to L-Methionine (1.5 wt.%)-TiO₂ and L-Asparagine (2 wt.%)-TiO₂. Synthesized composites were characterized with SEM, XRD, FTIR, DRS, and PL analyses. The biological oxygen demand to COD (BOD₅/COD) ratio for treated LEPW was determined to be 0.5–0.6, confirming the enhanced biodegradability of the treated effluent. The effect of the independent variables, namely, initial concentration of OTC and COD, catalyst dosage, irradiation time, pH of solution, and light intensity, on the photocatalytic process was evaluated by Response Surface Methodology (RSM), and the optimum value of each independent parameter for maximum degradation of OTC and COD by L-Histidine (2 wt.%)-TiO₂ was determined. The radical trapping experiment was performed with various scavengers in order to propose a photocatalytic mechanism, showing that hydroxyl radicals were the main active species. L-Histidine (2 wt.%)-TiO₂ showed a stable and reusable structure even after four cycles of COD removal under the following optimal conditions of [COD]: 300 mg/L, [catalyst]: 1 g/L, light intensity: 25 W/cm² at pH = 4 after 180 min irradiation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water)

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Review

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36 pages, 16448 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in MXene-Based Nanocomposites for Wastewater Purification and Water Treatment: A Review

by Zahra Pouramini, Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi, Aziz Babapoor, Seyyed Alireza Hashemi, Nelson Pynadathu Rumjit, Shivani Garg, Shakeel Ahmed and Wei-Hung Chiang

Water 2023, 15(7), 1267; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071267 - 23 Mar 2023

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6440

Abstract

The increase in pollutants such as hazardous refractory contaminants, organic dyes, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides entering water resources on a large scale due to global population growth and industrialization has become a significant health concern worldwide. The two-dimensional (2D) MXene material is a new type of transition metal carbide or carbonitride material, which has demonstrated the capability to adsorb various heavy contaminants, particularly metals such as chromium, copper, lead, and mercury. In addition, MXenes have a tunable band gap (0.92–1.75 eV) and exhibit good thermal stability and considerable damage resistance, which means that they are well suited as adsorbents for waste removal. In this review article, MXene nanocomposites are introduced for the removal of pollutants from water. The idea of water remediation, the applications of MXene-based nanocomposites, and the effects on the degradation of water and wastewater contaminants are reviewed. Future trends in MXene-based nanocomposites for water treatment and environmental applications will also be discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water)

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20 pages, 3453 KiB

Open AccessReview

Bioremediation Treatment of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons for Environmental Sustainability

by Marjan Salari, Vahid Rahmanian, Seyyed Alireza Hashemi, Wei-Hung Chiang, Chin Wei Lai, Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi and Ahmad Gholami

Water 2022, 14(23), 3980; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233980 - 6 Dec 2022

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4915

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) distributed in air and soil are harmful because of their carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and teratogenicity. Biodegradation is an environmentally friendly and economical approach to control these types of contaminants and has become an essential method for remediating environments contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The bacteria are isolated and identified using a mineral nutrient medium containing PAHs as the sole source of carbon and energy and biochemical differential tests. Thus, this study focuses on some bacteria and fungi that degrade oil and hydrocarbons. This study provides a comprehensive, up-to-date, and efficient overview of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminant bioremediation considering hydrocarbon modification by microorganisms, emphasizing the new knowledge gained in recent years. The study shows that petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants are acceptably biodegradable by some microorganisms, and their removal by this method is cost-effective. Moreover, microbial biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants utilizes the enzymatic catalytic activities of microorganisms and increases the degradation of pollutants several times compared to conventional methods. Biological treatment is carried out in two ways: microbial stimulation and microbial propagation. In the first method, the growth of indigenous microorganisms in the area increases, and the pollution is eliminated. In the second method, on the other hand, there are no effective microorganisms in the area, so these microorganisms are added to the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water)

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26 pages, 4837 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Plasmonic Chemically Modified Bioactive Membrane Applications for the Removal of Water Pollution

by Sina Yaghoubi, Aziz Babapoor, Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi, Seyyed Alireza Hashemi, Ahmad Gholami, Chin Wei Lai and Wei-Hung Chiang

Water 2022, 14(22), 3616; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14223616 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2830

Abstract

Population growth has reduced the available freshwater resources and increased water pollution, leading to a severe global freshwater crisis. The decontamination and reuse of wastewater is often proposed as a solution for water scarcity worldwide. Membrane technology is a promising solution to the problems currently facing the water and wastewater treatment industry. However, another problem is the high energy costs required to operate systems which use membranes for water treatment. In addition, membranes need to be replaced frequently due to fouling and biofouling, which negatively affect water flow through the membranes. To address these problems, the researchers proposed membrane modification as a solution. One of the exciting applications of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) is that they can be used to modify the surface of membranes to yield various properties. Positive feedback was reported on plasmonic-modified membranes as means of wastewater treatment. However, a fundamental gap exists in studies of plasmonic membranes’ performance and applications. Given the importance of membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment, this paper reviews recent advances in the development of plasmonic chemically modified bioactive membranes and provides a perspective for future researchers interested in investigating modified membranes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalytic Processes and Advanced Nanostructures for Remediation of Contaminated Water)

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