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Research Progress in Nanomaterials for Environmental Remediation
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Research Progress in Nanomaterials for Environmental Remediation

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2025) | Viewed by 5387

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniela Caschera

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Guest Editor
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials CNR-ISMN, Strada Provinciale 35 d, N°9, Montelibretti, 00010 Roma, Italy
Interests: hybrid organic-inorganic nanocomposites; smart textiles; biosensor; metal and metal oxide nanoparticles; plasma technologies; plasma surface treatments; active functional coatings; environmental remediation; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Roberta G. Toro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
Interests: nanomaterials; photocatalysis; metal oxide nanoparticles stabilized by organic molecules and natural polymers for wastewater treatment application; thin films; metal–organic chemical vapor deposition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria Rosaria Plutino

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Guest Editor
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, ISMN—CNR, URT Messina, c/o Department of ChiBioFarAm, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Interests: materials chemistry; green chemistry; nanotechnology; environmental remediation; advanced materials; functional coating; colloidal nanoparticles; smart and hi-tech textiles; (waste)water treatment; multifunctional hybrid materials and nanocomposites; sensing technologies; bio-based blended polymers; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water contamination is one of the most serious threats to human health and ecosystems on a global scale. The quality of drinking water has gradually deteriorated globally due to population increase, fast industrialization, climate change, and a lack of effective water quality management. Numerous dangerous environmental pollutants, both organic and inorganic, have become a significant global issue in water bodies. Chemical precipitation, ion exchange, adsorption, membrane filtration, coagulation–flocculation, flotation, and electrochemical processes have all been used to treat water and wastewater.

Nanotechnology has shown considerable promise in the realm of water treatment, boosting the effectiveness and efficiency of water decontamination while also providing a sustainable method of securing water supply. Various carbon-, metal-, metal-oxide-, silica-based nanomaterials for water remediation have been studied and tested in the realm of material science. The development of environmentally sustainable nanomaterials with distinct advantages, such as high efficiency and selectivity, earth abundance, recyclability, low-cost manufacturing processes, and stability, has been prioritized in recent years, even though several significant challenges and constraints remain unresolved.

This Special Issue places a special emphasis on recent progress in safe-by-design nanomaterials and the enhancement of their adsorption, photocatalytic, and antibacterial properties (i.e., thorough their synthesis and functionalization by green and/or sustainable approaches) for their application as innovative and eco-friendly solutions for water decontamination.

Dr. Daniela Caschera
Dr. Roberta G. Toro
Dr. Maria Rosaria Plutino
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Materials 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 2600 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

  • smart nanomaterials
  • nanohybrids
  • nanocomposites
  • green chemistry
  • sustainable technologies
  • water remediation
  • circular economy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4474 KB  
Article
Oil Sorption Capacity of Recycled Polyurethane Foams and Their Mechanically Milled Powders
by Pierluigi Cossari, Daniela Caschera and Paolo Plescia
Materials 2026, 19(1), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19010166 - 2 Jan 2026
Viewed by 596
Abstract
Polyurethane (PU) is widely recognized for its efficient oil sorption properties. However, this capacity is highly dependent on its intrinsic chemical composition and morphological structure, which can be altered by mechanical or chemical treatments commonly applied before using it as a sorbent. In [...] Read more.
Polyurethane (PU) is widely recognized for its efficient oil sorption properties. However, this capacity is highly dependent on its intrinsic chemical composition and morphological structure, which can be altered by mechanical or chemical treatments commonly applied before using it as a sorbent. In this study, we present a comprehensive investigation of the oil sorption behavior of both soft and rigid PU foams, and their blade-milled ground (BMG) counterparts obtained by mechanical treatment of several recycled PU-based products, including seats, mattresses, side panels of cars, packaging components, and insulating panels of refrigerators and freezers. We found that blade milling the soft PU foams leads to a significant reduction in oil sorption capacity proportional to the extent of grinding. Pristine soft PU foams and BMG-PUs with intermediate particle size (−250 μm–1 mm) exhibited the highest oil uptake (20–30 g/g), whereas the finest fraction (5 μm–250 μm) showed a lower capacity (3–7 g/g). In contrast, rigid PU foams showed consistently low oil sorption (~5 g/g), with negligible differences between the original and ground materials. At the macroscopic level, optical and morphological analyses revealed the collapse of the 3D porous network and a reduction in surface area. On the microscopic scale, spectroscopic, structural, and thermal analyses confirmed phase separation and rearrangement of hard and soft segmented domains within the polymer matrix, suggesting a different mechanism for oil sorption in BMG-PU. Despite reduced performance compared to pristine foams, BMG-PU powders, especially those with intermediate dimensions and originating from soft PU foams, present a viable, low-cost, and sustainable alternative for oil sorption applications, including oil spill remediation, while offering an effective strategy for effective recycling of PU foam wastes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Nanomaterials for Environmental Remediation)
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18 pages, 7895 KB  
Article
Construction of Z-Scheme ZIF67/NiMoO4 Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Antibiotic Pollutants
by Kandasamy Sasikumar, Ramar Rajamanikandan and Heongkyu Ju
Materials 2024, 17(24), 6225; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17246225 - 20 Dec 2024
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
The rational design of heterojunction photocatalysts enabling fast transportation and efficient separation of photoexcited charge carriers is the key element in visible light-driven photocatalyst systems. Herein, we develop a unique Z-scheme heterojunction consisting of NiMoO4 microflowers (NMOF) and ZIF67, referred to as [...] Read more.
The rational design of heterojunction photocatalysts enabling fast transportation and efficient separation of photoexcited charge carriers is the key element in visible light-driven photocatalyst systems. Herein, we develop a unique Z-scheme heterojunction consisting of NiMoO4 microflowers (NMOF) and ZIF67, referred to as ZINM (composite), for the purpose of antibiotic degradation. ZIF67 was produced by a solution process, whereas NMOF was synthesized via coprecipitation with a glycine surfactant. The NMOF exhibited a monoclinic phase with a highly oriented, interconnected sheet-like morphology. The ZINM showed better optical and charge transfer characteristics than its constituents, ZIF67 and NiMoO4. Consequently, the developed heterojunction photocatalysts exhibited superior photocatalytic redox capability; the ZINM30 (the composite with 30 wt.% of NiMoO4 loaded) could degrade 91.67% of tetracycline and 86.23% of norfloxacin within 120 min. This enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributable to the reduced bandgap (Egap = 2.01 eV), unique morphology, high specific surface area (1099.89 m2/g), and intimate contact between ZIF67 and NiMoO4, which facilitated the establishment of the Z-scheme heterojunction. Active species trapping tests verified that •O2− and h+ were the primary species, supporting the proposed degradation mechanism. This work highlights a valid Z-scheme ZIF67/NiMoO4 heterojunction system for efficient carrier separation and, therefore, enhanced photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Nanomaterials for Environmental Remediation)
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17 pages, 4600 KB  
Article
Efficient Photodegradation of Thiocyanate Ions in Mining Wastewater Using a ZnO-BiOI Heterojunction
by Darlington C. Ashiegbu, David Nkhoesa, Rudolph Erasmus and Herman Johanes Potgieter
Materials 2024, 17(15), 3832; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17153832 - 2 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1817
Abstract
Mining industries have long relied on cyanidation as the primary method for gold extraction, but this process generates thiocyanates as a problematic byproduct, posing challenges for wastewater treatment and recycling. The stability of thiocyanates makes their reduction or elimination in mining wastewater difficult. [...] Read more.
Mining industries have long relied on cyanidation as the primary method for gold extraction, but this process generates thiocyanates as a problematic byproduct, posing challenges for wastewater treatment and recycling. The stability of thiocyanates makes their reduction or elimination in mining wastewater difficult. In this study, a p-n heterojunction of ZnO and BiOI was created and evaluated for its ability to photodegrade thiocyanate ions under simulated solar conditions. Various analytical techniques revealed a highly porous structure with a sponge-like morphology and agglomeration in the synthesized heterojunction. The compound exhibited crystalline patterns without impurity peaks, a slight red shift in absorbance, and Type IV isotherm adsorption. The synthesized heterostructure achieved the complete destruction of thiocyanate ions in less than 30 min. The investigation of different process parameters indicated that the destruction of the contaminant by the heterostructure was influenced by the initial thiocyanate concentration, which decreased as the thiocyanate concentration increased. The peak photodestruction reaction was observed at pH 7. By applying a pseudo-first-order kinetic model, it was found that increasing the catalyst mass to 15 mg raised the rate constant from 0.188 to 0.420 min−1, while increasing the pH to 10 led to a 3.5-fold reduction. The strong correlation between the observed data and the predicted values of the pseudo-first-order kinetic model was indicated by the observed (R2) values. The findings of this study hold potential significance for mining industries, as it offers a potential solution for eliminating cyanide and thiocyanates from mining wastewater. The elimination of thiocyanate generation in the cyanidation process is crucial for mining companies, making this study valuable for the industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Nanomaterials for Environmental Remediation)
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