The Application of Biopolymer Composites in Water Treatment

The industrial development of the humanity brings not only beneficial aspects but also negative impacts related to the pollution of soil, air and water. This reality poses a new challenge to science and engineering fields: solving the problem of increasing pollution. In this direction, many modern studies are devoted to fighting water pollution, and for this purpose, new materials have been developed. The rational design of these new materials is essential, because some materials can cause secondary pollution upon treating material the at the end of its life. Thus, the materials used for water treatment should posses biocompatibility and biodegradability; the most appropriate are biopolymers. Moreover, biopolymers avoid the use of fossil fuels, which are being depleted by continued use. As a result, many materials for water treatment are based on biopolymers, such as chitosan, alginate, bio-cellulose, etc., especially biopolymer composites, which show enhanced mechanical and physical–chemical properties. As the water treatment procedures are based on surface processes that take place at the material–water interface, articles with high specific surfaces are preferred, such as fibers, membranes or hydrogels. Research in this field is developing very quickly, hence the need for this Special Issue of Applied Sciences. We invite you to publish your work in this Special Issue and look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Andrei Sarbu
Dr. Anita-Laura Chiriac
Dr. Anamaria Zaharia
Guest Editors

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