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Catalysts
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Remediation of Natural Waters by Photocatalysis
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Remediation of Natural Waters by Photocatalysis

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 7211

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tamara B. Ivetić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: condensed matter physics; functional materials; metal oxides; electro-ceramics; luminescence powders; nanomaterials; structure, optical and electrical characterization; photocatalysis; environmental protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Remediation of Natural Waters by Photocatalysis”, focuses on the latest advances in photocatalytic remediation of natural waters. Algal blooms causing eutrophication, depletion of essential oxygen levels for aquatic biota with mass killing of fish and harmful cyanotoxin production, along with other toxic organic and inorganic pollution originating from untreated waste discharges, industrial wastewater disposal, and agriculture runoff, are all present and globally growing environmental problems that affect every part of life on Earth, including human health, water resources, and aquatic ecosystems, as well as the socio-economic development of countries that especially rely on the scale of aquacultural production such as fish farming. We particularly invite papers with topics that include the synthesis and characterization of state-of-the-art nano-biocomposite materials with improved durability, reusability, and sun-driven efficiency in the photocatalytic removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, micro-toxins including cyanotoxins, mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals from water. Papers investigating green chemistry principles for the phyto- or fungal synthesis of innovative photocatalysts are particularly welcome. In addition, we invite comprehensive papers with results on current trends, challenges, and prospects of real-time water pollution monitoring and the application of photocatalytic treatment using microreactor systems for natural water remediation.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, heterogeneous photocatalysis, synthesis and characterization of inorganic–organic hybrids of nano-biocomposites, green chemistry, phyto- and fungal synthesis, monitoring and protection of aquatic ecosystems, water remediation of microtoxins, and photoreactors for wastewater treatment.

The format of welcomed articles includes full papers, short communications, and reviews.

Submit your paper and select the journal Catalysts and Special Issue “Remediation of Natural Waters by Photocatalysis” through the MDPI submission system. Please contact the Guest Editor or Journal Editor (maeve.yue@mdpi.com) with any questions. Papers are published continuously, and we will be happy to receive your submission once you have completed it.

Dr. Tamara B. Ivetić
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. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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

  • photocatalysis
  • hybrid inorganic-organic materials
  • nanomaterials
  • green chemistry
  • phyto- and fungal synthesis
  • biological activity
  • chitin/chitosan
  • antimicrobial activity
  • environment monitoring and protection
  • harmful algal blooms
  • ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphorus, cyanotoxins, heavy metals removal
  • photoreactors
  • wastewater treatment

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 7030 KiB  
Article
Experimental Design and Numerical Optimization of Photochemical Oxidation Removal of Tetracycline from Water Using Fe3O4-Supported Fruit Waste Activated Carbon
by Manasik M. Nour, Maha A. Tony, Hossam A. Nabwey and Shaaban M. Shaaban
Catalysts 2025, 15(4), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15040351 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 390
Abstract
The ever-increasing importance of sustainable environmental remediation calls for academics’ contribution to satisfy such a need. The 3R’s criteria of recover, recycle and reuse is designed to sustain the waste stream to produce a valuable product. In this regard, the circular economy looks [...] Read more.
The ever-increasing importance of sustainable environmental remediation calls for academics’ contribution to satisfy such a need. The 3R’s criteria of recover, recycle and reuse is designed to sustain the waste stream to produce a valuable product. In this regard, the circular economy looks to deliver banana peel waste as a photocatalyst for pharmaceutical effluent oxidation, which we investigated in this study. Banana peel waste is treated thermally and chemically then augmented with magnetite nanoparticles and labeled as ACBP-Fe3O4. The mixture is characterized through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the composition of the composite material is attained by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and then introduced as a Fenton catalyst. The notable oxidation of tetracycline (TC), evaluated by TC removal and chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) oxidation tenancy, is achieved. The effectiveness of the operational parameters is also assessed and the most influenced parameters are optimized through numerical optimization based on a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) tool. The effects of initial pH value, ACBP-Fe3O4 and H2O2 concentrations on the oxidation efficiency of the Tetracycline were optimized at pH 6.6 and 350 mg/L and 43 g/L for H2O2 and ACBP-Fe3O4, respectively. Thermodynamics and kinetics were also studied and the experimental and model data revealed the reaction is spontaneous and exothermic in nature and follows the first-order reaction kinetics. Also, the thermodynamic results the reaction proceeds at a low energy barrier of 34.33 kJ mol−1. Such a system introduces the role of engineers and academics for a sustainable world without a waste stream. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remediation of Natural Waters by Photocatalysis)
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16 pages, 971 KiB  
Article
Sol-Gel Synthesis of TiO2 from TiOSO4 (Part 2): Kinetics and Photocatalytic Efficiency of Methylene Blue Degradation Under UV Irradiation
by Hayat Khan
Catalysts 2025, 15(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15010064 - 13 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1224
Abstract
The sol-gel process was used to create titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, a nanocrystalline semiconductor. How several synthesis factors, such as titanium precursor concentration, annealing temperature, and peptization temperature, affected the structural and morphological properties of TiO2 nanoparticles were thoroughly explored. [...] Read more.
The sol-gel process was used to create titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, a nanocrystalline semiconductor. How several synthesis factors, such as titanium precursor concentration, annealing temperature, and peptization temperature, affected the structural and morphological properties of TiO2 nanoparticles were thoroughly explored. X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), measurements of the specific surface area and pore size using the BET method, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were all used in this investigation. The specific surface area determined by BET analysis decreased with increasing calcination temperature. The XRD analysis showed that a composite sample consisting mainly of anatase with minor brookite phases was obtained when the titanium precursor concentration ranged between 0.2 and 0.4 M, whereas a concentration of 0.5 M resulted in the formation of pure anatase. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized TiO2 powders under different operational parameters was evaluated for the common commercial textile dye, i.e., methylene blue (MB). It was experimented that the model pollutant decoloration follows the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L-H) model. In view of this detailed research work, it was observed that the TiO2 produced with a titanium precursor concentration of 0.3 M, a pH value of 5 during the peptization step, and an annealing temperature of 600 °C were found to be the best conditions for this catalytic degradation process. When used in conjunction with a TiO2 concentration of 0.04 g/L and a reactor suspension pH value of 6.0, the TiO2 catalyst produced a stunning 98% degradation of methylene blue under these circumstances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remediation of Natural Waters by Photocatalysis)
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15 pages, 3350 KiB  
Article
Innovative Black TiO2 Photocatalyst for Effective Water Remediation Under Visible Light Illumination Using Flow Systems
by Mahzad Yaghmaei, Daliane R. C. da Silva, Nelson Rutajoga, Sara Currie, Yiran Li, Morgan Vallieres, Maria Jazmin Silvero, Neeraj Joshi, Bowen Wang and Juan C. Scaiano
Catalysts 2024, 14(11), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14110775 - 1 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4953
Abstract
Contaminated drinking water is a major health hazard in large urban areas as well as remote communities. Several pollutants detected in rivers and lakes are hormone disruptors that are harmful to consumers as well as aquatic life. In this contribution, we present a [...] Read more.
Contaminated drinking water is a major health hazard in large urban areas as well as remote communities. Several pollutants detected in rivers and lakes are hormone disruptors that are harmful to consumers as well as aquatic life. In this contribution, we present a new material, synthesized using novel green technologies, designed for solar- or LED-driven degradation of pollutants. This material is based on a glass fiber support, loaded with black TiO2, a modified form of TiO2 with strong visible light absorption and without any toxic metal or non-metal dopants. This photocatalyst is fully compatible with flow applications. The effectiveness of the catalyst is demonstrated with crocin and 17β-estradiol, the former being a natural carotenoid used as a screening tool and the latter being a common hormonal disruptor. Our work shows that under visible light illumination, our supported black TiO2 can degrade these water contaminants with greater efficiency than conventional TiO2. We envision that our findings can contribute to the production of inexpensive, large-scale solar or LED-based water decontamination systems that could be rapidly deployed to sites in need. Operation of such systems would require minimal training and could be monitored remotely. In addition to the catalyst’s non-toxicity and inflow compatibility, the material also has a long shelf life and is easy and inexpensive to produce, making it an attractive candidate for developing water treatment devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remediation of Natural Waters by Photocatalysis)
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