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Advanced Materials and Photoreactors for Environmental Applications

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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 August 2023) | Viewed by 7655

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Aymen Amine Assadi

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Guest Editor

Laboratory "Sciences Chimiques de Rennes"– Team "Chimie et Ingénierie des Procédés", 11 allée de Beaulieu, CS 50837, 35708 Rennes, CEDEX 7, France
Interests: chemical and environmental engineering; process intensification; photocatalysis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the UN 2030 SDGs, water purification and sanitation are urgently needed. New intensified techniques for water and air treatment are under investigation. Among these methods, photocatalysis alone or combined with other processes is showing huge potential for micropollutants removal and bio-contaminant disinfection.

Many studies devoted to the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ suspensions have been published. Other materials have been used for pollutant degradation and/or microbial inactivation in water and air. During the last decade, attention has been drawn towards the design, synthesis, and intensification of active catalysts. This attention allows the enhancement of the photocatalytic processes.

We invite authors to contribute original research articles and review articles that seek to address the mechanisms and significance of photocatalytic materials for environmental remediation. Particular interest will be given to papers exploring the combination of photocatalysis with other techniques (e.g., adsorption, Fenton, plasma, ozonation, and biological treatment).

In particular, the topics of interest include but are not restrained to:

Antimicrobial photocatalysts;

Combined system for water/wastewater/ air treatment removal;

Photocatalyst coatings;

Mass transfer and photocatalytic reactor modelling;

Photocatalysis for water/wastewater/ air treatment removal.

Dr. Aymen Assadi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

photocatalytic materials
combined systems
environment
materials characterization
mass transfer
Kinetic modelling

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 3219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photocatalytic Activity of Silicon Nanowires Decorated with PbS Nanoparticles Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition for Efficient Wastewater Treatment

by Faisal K. Algethami, Khaled Trabelsi, Anouar Hajjaji, Mohamed B. Rabha, Lotfi Khezami, Mohamed R. Elamin, Brahim Bessais and My Ali El Khakani

Materials 2022, 15(14), 4970; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15144970 - 17 Jul 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1360

Abstract

The present work aims to study the photocatalytic properties of nanohybrids composed of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) decorated with PbS nanoparticles (NPs). The elaborated material was intended to be utilized in wastewater treatment. The SiNWs were elaborated from the Metal Assisted Chemical Etching route (MACE), while the PbS NPs were deposited at room temperature onto SiNWs using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The influence of decorating SiNWs (having different lengths) with PbS-NPs on their structural, morphological, optoelectronic, and photocatalytic properties was scrutinized. PbS/SiNWs nanohybrids exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation towards Black Amido (BA) dye for 20 µm SiNWs length and 0.2% of BA volume concentration. These optimized conditions may insinuate that this nanocomposite-like structure is a promising efficient photocatalytic systems contender, cost-effective, and recyclable for organic compound purification from wastewaters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials and Photoreactors for Environmental Applications)

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13 pages, 2740 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Advanced Photocatalytic Treatment of Wastewater Using Immobilized Titanium Dioxide as a Photocatalyst in a Pilot-Scale Reactor: Process Intensification

by Abdoulaye Kane, Achraf Amir Assadi, Atef El Jery, Ahmad K. Badawi, Hamza Kenfoud, Oussama Baaloudj and Aymen Amin Assadi

Materials 2022, 15(13), 4547; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15134547 - 28 Jun 2022

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 2250

Abstract

In many nations, particularly those experiencing water scarcity, novel approaches are being applied to clean wastewater. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is the most widely used of these approaches because it entails the decomposition of organic molecules into water and carbon dioxide, which is a more ecologically benign process. In our study, we studied the photocatalytic degradation process on the effluent flumequine. This treatment is made through a solar pilot reactor in the presence of immobilized titanium dioxide with three light intensities and two types of water as solvents. A variety of factors that might influence the rate of deterioration, such as flow rate, light intensity, and initial concentration, have been investigated. The maximal degradation of flumequine was achieved at more than 90% after 2.5 h under optimal conditions (an initial concentration of 5 mg/L, three lamp light intensities, and a flow rate of 29 L/h). By combining the oxidized agent H₂O₂ with this process, the photocatalytic activity was improved further to 97% under the same conditions. The mineralization of this product has also been tested using total organic carbon (TOC) analysis. A high mineralization rate has been recorded at around 50% for a high initial concentration (20 mg/L) at a flow rate of 126 L/h. The results demonstrated the highly effective removal of flumequine and the efficacy of this photocatalytic system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials and Photoreactors for Environmental Applications)

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12 pages, 3858 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of TiO₂ Nanotubes (TiO₂-NTs) with Ag Silver Nanoparticles (Ag-NPs): Photocatalytic Performance for Wastewater Treatment under Visible Light

by Achraf Amir Assadi, Sarra Karoui, Khaled Trabelsi, Anouar Hajjaji, Walid Elfalleh, Achraf Ghorbal, Mounir Maghzaoui and Aymen Amin Assadi

Materials 2022, 15(4), 1463; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041463 - 16 Feb 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2311

Abstract

In this work, we present the influence of the decoration of TiO₂ nanotubes (TiO₂-NTs) with Ag silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on the photocatalysis of emerging pollutants such as the antibiotic diclofenac sodium. The Ag-NPs were loaded onto the TiO₂-NTs by the anodization of metallic titanium foils. Diclofenac sodium is an emerging pollutant target of the pharmaceutical industry because of its negative environmental impact (high toxicity and confirmed carcinogenicity). The obtained Ag-NP/TiO₂-NT nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission spectroscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In order to study the photocatalytic behavior of Ag-NPs/TiO₂-NTs with visible cold LEDs, the possible photocatalytic mechanism of antibiotic degradation with reactive species (O₂°⁻ and OH°) was detailed. Moreover, the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model was used to correlate the experimental results with the optimized catalyst. Likewise, reuse tests showed the chemical stability of the catalyst. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials and Photoreactors for Environmental Applications)

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13 pages, 4441 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of TiO₂ Nanotubes (TiO₂-NTs) Decorated with Platine Nanoparticles (Pt-NPs): Photocatalytic Performance for Simultaneous Removal of Microorganisms and Volatile Organic Compounds

by Lotfi Khezami, Imen Lounissi, Anouar Hajjaji, Ahlem Guesmi, Aymen Amine Assadi and Brahim Bessais

Materials 2021, 14(23), 7341; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14237341 - 30 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1706

Abstract

This work reports on the effect of TiO₂ nanotubes (TiO₂-NTs), decorated wih platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs), on the removal of bacteria and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Pt-NPs were loaded onto the TiO₂-NTs using the electrodeposition method at four decoration times (100, 200, 300, and 600 s). The realized Pt-NPs/TiO₂-NTs nanocomposites were used for the degradation of cyclohexane, a highly toxic and carcinogenic VOC pollutant in the chemical industry. The achieved Pt-NPs/TiO₂-NTs nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. To understand the photocatalytic and antibacterial behavior of the Pt-NPs/TiO₂-NTs, simultaneous treatment of Escherichia coli and cyclohexane was conducted while varying the catalyst time decoration. We noticed a complete bacterial inactivation rate with 90% VOC removal within 60 min of visible light irradiation. Moreover, the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model correlated well with the experimental results of the photocatalytic treatment of indoor air. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials and Photoreactors for Environmental Applications)

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Review

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19 pages, 2592 KiB

Open AccessReview

Preconcentration and Removal of Pb(II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Graphene-Based Nanomaterials

by Krystyna Pyrzynska

Materials 2023, 16(3), 1078; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16031078 - 26 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1244

Abstract

Direct determination of lead trace concentration in the presence of relatively complex matrices is often a problem. Thus, its preconcentration and separation are necessary in the analytical procedures. Graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted significant interest as potential adsorbents for Pb(II) preconcentration and removal due to their high specific surface area, exceptional porosities, numerous adsorption sites and functionalization ease. Particularly, incorporation of magnetic particles with graphene adsorbents offers an effective approach to overcome the separation problems after a lead enrichment step. This paper summarizes the developments in the applications of graphene-based adsorbents in conventional solid-phase extraction column packing and its alternative approaches in the past 5 years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials and Photoreactors for Environmental Applications)

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