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Applications of Nanoparticles in the Environmental Sciences
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Applications of Nanoparticles in the Environmental Sciences

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 4031

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jason G. Parsons

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Earth, Environmetnal, and Marine Sciences, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX 78521, USA
Interests: nanomaterials; electrocatalysis; catalysis; environmental chemistry; LIBS; nanotoxicity
Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
Interests: nanomaterials; LIBs; catalysis; nanotoxicity; electrocatalysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The application of nanomaterials continues to grow across multiple disciplines. There are many potential benefits from their use as well as numerous potential risks associated with their applications.

These benefits may come from the potential applications in environmental remediation, important catalysis environmental reactions (such as enhanced advanced oxidation processes or photocatalysis), energy storage (battery technology or capacitor technology), energy production, and catalysis, as well as the application of nano-fertilizers and nano-based cleaning technologies, among others. The negative effects arise from the use of nanomaterials and are typically caused by the accumulation of nanoparticles in the environment and within various organisms released in various environments.

This Special Issue is intended to look at the potential environmental advantages from the use of nanoparticles in all areas of environmental sciences as well as the fate and/or transport of these materials in the environment.

Prof. Dr. Jason G Parsons
Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi
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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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

  • nanotechnology
  • nanoparticles
  • environmental chemistry
  • nanotechnology-based energy storage
  • environmentally relevant catalysis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 5458 KiB  
Article
Efficiency of H2O2-Modified Ferrite Process for High-Concentration PVA Removal and Magnetic Nanoparticle Formation
by Yu-Chih Fu and Vincent K. S. Hsiao
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 3367; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15063367 - 19 Mar 2025
Viewed by 174
Abstract
High-concentration polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) wastewater from 3D printing applications presents significant treatment challenges due to PVA’s water solubility, chemical stability, and resistance to biodegradation. In this study, we investigated the enhanced removal of high-concentration PVA (3–7 g/L) using a modified ferrite process with [...] Read more.
High-concentration polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) wastewater from 3D printing applications presents significant treatment challenges due to PVA’s water solubility, chemical stability, and resistance to biodegradation. In this study, we investigated the enhanced removal of high-concentration PVA (3–7 g/L) using a modified ferrite process with H2O2 pre-oxidation, while simultaneously exploring the formation and properties of magnetic precipitates. The effects of PVA concentration, reaction conditions, and thermal treatment (100 °C and 650 °C) on the magnetic precipitates were studied through XRD, TEM, FTIR, and magnetic measurements. Results showed that H2O2 pre-oxidation effectively maintained the system pH and improved PVA removal efficiency, achieving a COD reduction of 83% after two-stage treatment for 7 g/L PVA solution. XRD and TEM analyses revealed that precipitates formed at 100 °C consisted of dispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles within PVA fibrous networks, while calcination at 650 °C led to the formation of rod-like structures and agglomerated particles. The magnetic properties varied significantly with treatment conditions, exhibiting the highest saturation magnetization of 10.30 emu/g for sample calcinated at 100 °C. This study demonstrates the potential of the modified ferrite process for treating high-concentration PVA wastewater while producing recoverable magnetic nanoparticles, providing a dual-function approach to address environmental challenges posed by the 3D printing industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Nanoparticles in the Environmental Sciences)
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20 pages, 16228 KiB  
Article
Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Graphene Oxide/Zinc Hydroxide Nanocomposites
by Jo Ann Sanchez, Luis Materon, Jason G. Parsons and Mataz Alcoutlabi
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(14), 6274; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14146274 - 18 Jul 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1821
Abstract
Graphene and graphene oxide have shown good antibacterial activity against different bacterial species due to their unique physicochemical properties. Graphene oxide (GO) has been widely used to load metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) to minimize their surface energy during processing and preparation, [...] Read more.
Graphene and graphene oxide have shown good antibacterial activity against different bacterial species due to their unique physicochemical properties. Graphene oxide (GO) has been widely used to load metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) to minimize their surface energy during processing and preparation, hence reducing their aggregation. In this work, GO was effectively synthesized and coated with different concentrations of zinc hydroxide Zn (OH)x using the precipitation method to prepare a GO/Zn (OH)x hybrid composite. The Zn (OH)x NPs and GO/Zn (OH)x nanocomposites were synthesized and characterized using various methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Coating GO with Zn (OH)x NPs resulted in improved aggregation of Zn (OH)x NPs as well as enhanced antibacterial activity of GO against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Additionally, the effect of Zn (OH)x coating on the antibacterial properties of the GO/Zn (OH)x composite was systematically investigated. The synergistic effects of GO and Zn (OH)x NPs resulted in enhanced antibacterial properties of the composites compared to the pristine GO material. In addition, increasing the Zn (OH)x wt. % concentration led to an increased inhibition zone of the GO/Zn (H)x composite against Bacillus megaterium and E. coli bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Nanoparticles in the Environmental Sciences)
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Review

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37 pages, 5110 KiB  
Review
Magnetic Cobalt and Other Types of Ferrite Nanoparticles: Synthesis Aspects and Novel Strategies for Application in Wastewater Treatment (Review)
by Agne Sukoviene, Saqib Ali, Arunas Jagminas and Simonas Ramanavicius
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15020857 - 16 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1489
Abstract
Magnetic ferrite nanoparticles have a broad application in wastewater treatment, and the interest in applying these particles specifically in waste treatment is growing. However, the gap in understanding how ferrite properties that are controllable through synthesis methods affect wastewater treatment efficiency needs to [...] Read more.
Magnetic ferrite nanoparticles have a broad application in wastewater treatment, and the interest in applying these particles specifically in waste treatment is growing. However, the gap in understanding how ferrite properties that are controllable through synthesis methods affect wastewater treatment efficiency needs to be better explained. In this review, we assess the analysis of the most impactful publications to highlight the controllable ferrite nanoparticles’ properties through the different synthesis methods and their parameters connected to wastewater treatment efficiency. For a long time, ferrite nanoparticles were seen as adsorbents suitable for physically removing pollutants, but recent studies show that these nanostructures could be suitable for UV and visible light-induced photocatalytic decomposition of contaminants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Nanoparticles in the Environmental Sciences)
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