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Environmental Applications and Implications of Nanotechnology

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2017) | Viewed by 72848

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yongsheng Chen

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Guest Editor

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 200 Bobby Dodd Way, Atlanta, GA 30332-0373, USA
Interests: high-density algal cultivation; crop protection; membrane technology for water/wastewater treatment and water and nutrient recycling for algal biomass production; life cycle analysis (LCA) of biofuel production
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks submissions that address environmental applications and implications of nanotechnology. To make green nanotechnology, this Special Issue will focus on environmental applications of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and biosynthesized nanomaterials (BNMs) such as inorganic nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms, fungi, algae and plants. At the same time, we will also cover difference between ENMs and BNMs in terms of their environmental applications, behavior and effects including interactions between these nanomaterials and natural organic matter and their physicochemical transformation in aquatic environment.

Dr. Yongsheng Chen
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. 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

biosynthesis
nanomaterials
environmental applications
environmental behavior

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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5016 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Plant Mediated Green Synthesis of CuO Nanoparticles: Comparison of Toxicity of Engineered and Plant Mediated CuO Nanoparticles towards Daphnia magna

by Sadia Saif, Arifa Tahir, Tayyaba Asim and Yongsheng Chen

Nanomaterials 2016, 6(11), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6110205 - 09 Nov 2016

Cited by 136 | Viewed by 17161

Abstract

Research on green production methods for metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) is growing, with the objective to overcome the potential hazards of these chemicals for a safer environment. In this study, facile, ecofriendly synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles was successfully achieved using aqueous extract of Pterospermum acerifolium leaves. P. acerifolium-fabricated CuO nanoparticles were further characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Plant-mediated CuO nanoparticles were found to be oval shaped and well dispersed in suspension. XPS confirmed the elemental composition of P. acerifolium-mediated copper nanoparticles as comprised purely of copper and oxygen. DLS measurements and ion release profile showed that P. acerifolium-mediated copper nanoparticles were more stable than the engineered CuO NPs. Copper oxide nanoparticles are used in many applications; therefore, their potential toxicity cannot be ignored. A comparative study was performed to investigate the bio-toxic impacts of plant-synthesized and engineered CuO nanoparticles on water flea Daphnia. Experiments were conducted to investigate the 48-h acute toxicity of engineered CuO NPs and plant-synthesized nanoparticles. Lower EC₅₀ value 0.102 ± 0.019 mg/L was observed for engineered CuO NPs, while 0.69 ± 0.226 mg/L was observed for plant-synthesized CuO NPs. Additionally, ion release from CuO nanoparticles and 48-h accumulation of these nano CuOs in daphnids were also calculated. Our findings thus suggest that the contribution of released ions from nanoparticles and particles/ions accumulation in Daphnia needs to be interpreted with care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications and Implications of Nanotechnology)

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8681 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Polyvinylidene Fluoride Tree-Like Nanofiber Membrane for Microfiltration

by Zongjie Li, Weimin Kang, Huihui Zhao, Min Hu, Na Wei, Jiuan Qiu and Bowen Cheng

Nanomaterials 2016, 6(8), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6080152 - 19 Aug 2016

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5519

Abstract

A novel polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) tree-like nanofiber membrane (PVDF-TLNM) was fabricated by adding tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC) into a PVDF spinning solution via one-step electrospinning. The structure of the prepared membranes was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and pore size analysis, and the hydrophilic property and microfiltration performance were also evaluated. The results showed that the tree-like nanofiber was composed of trunk fibers and branch fibers with diameters of 100–500 nm and 5–100 nm, respectively. The pore size of PVDF-TLNM (0.36 μm) was smaller than that of a common nanofiber membrane (3.52 μm), and the hydrophilic properties of the membranes were improved significantly. The PVDF-TLNM with a thickness of 30 ± 2 μm showed a satisfactory retention ratio of 99.9% against 0.3 μm polystyrene (PS) particles and a high pure water flux of 2.88 × 10⁴ L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ under the pressure of 25 psi. This study highlights the potential benefits of this novel PVDF tree-like nanofiber membrane in the membrane field, which can achieve high flux rates at low pressure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications and Implications of Nanotechnology)

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Review

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2569 KiB

Open AccessReview

Behavior and Potential Impacts of Metal-Based Engineered Nanoparticles in Aquatic Environments

by Cheng Peng, Wen Zhang, Haiping Gao, Yang Li, Xin Tong, Kungang Li, Xiaoshan Zhu, Yixiang Wang and Yongsheng Chen

Nanomaterials 2017, 7(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano7010021 - 22 Jan 2017

Cited by 119 | Viewed by 9748

Abstract

The specific properties of metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) have not only led to rapidly increasing applications in various industrial and commercial products, but also caused environmental concerns due to the inevitable release of NPs and their unpredictable biological/ecological impacts. This review discusses the environmental behavior of metal-based NPs with an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms and kinetics. The focus is on knowledge gaps in the interaction of NPs with aquatic organisms, which can influence the fate, transport and toxicity of NPs in the aquatic environment. Aggregation transforms NPs into micrometer-sized clusters in the aqueous environment, whereas dissolution also alters the size distribution and surface reactivity of metal-based NPs. A unique toxicity mechanism of metal-based NPs is related to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the subsequent ROS-induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, aggregation, dissolution and ROS generation could influence each other and also be influenced by many factors, including the sizes, shapes and surface charge of NPs, as well as the pH, ionic strength, natural organic matter and experimental conditions. Bioaccumulation of NPs in single organism species, such as aquatic plants, zooplankton, fish and benthos, is summarized and compared. Moreover, the trophic transfer and/or biomagnification of metal-based NPs in an aquatic ecosystem are discussed. In addition, genetic effects could result from direct or indirect interactions between DNA and NPs. Finally, several challenges facing us are put forward in the review. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications and Implications of Nanotechnology)

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1156 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Green Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles and Their Environmental Applications and Implications

by Sadia Saif, Arifa Tahir and Yongsheng Chen

Nanomaterials 2016, 6(11), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6110209 - 12 Nov 2016

Cited by 433 | Viewed by 39345

Abstract

Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have also led to the development of novel nanomaterials, which ultimately increase potential health and environmental hazards. Interest in developing environmentally benign procedures for the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles has been increased. The purpose is to minimize the negative impacts of synthetic procedures, their accompanying chemicals and derivative compounds. The exploitation of different biomaterials for the synthesis of nanoparticles is considered a valuable approach in green nanotechnology. Biological resources such as bacteria, algae fungi and plants have been used for the production of low-cost, energy-efficient, and nontoxic environmental friendly metallic nanoparticles. This review provides an overview of various reports of green synthesised zero valent metallic iron (ZVMI) and iron oxide (Fe₂O₃/Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (NPs) and highlights their substantial applications in environmental pollution control. This review also summarizes the ecotoxicological impacts of green synthesised iron nanoparticles opposed to non-green synthesised iron nanoparticles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications and Implications of Nanotechnology)

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