Surface Engineered Natural Zeolites and Clays for Improved Pollutants Removal

Dear Colleagues,

The current investigations on zeolites (clinoptilolite) for the removal of various kinds of aqueous pollutants lead to the conclusion that this natural resource can be considered an alternative cost-effective adsorption material, either with or without surface treatment, depending on the type of water to be purified. Several discussed chemical treatments necessary for the enhancement of their adsorption performance for various water pollutants would certainly increase the price of these commodities as a consequence of the use of chemicals and energy consumption, however, they are not as high as those of the currently marketed commercial products. In contrast to the clays, the surface of which has so far been coated with surfactant modifiers, natural zeolitic minerals modified with hydrophobic long-chain amines present a fairly new potential in water protection, especially due to their superior hydraulic characteristics, which are absent in clays. Studies showed that a mixture of some natural minerals, such as bentonite, mordenite, and clinoptilolite in the form of compact layers with a thickness of some tens of centimeters may satisfactorily act as buffer materials to protect against radioactive contamination for many years, respectively. A zeolitic nanocomposite may be defined hereto as a combination of various, potentially nanosized substances immobilized onto the surface of the inorganic, e.g., zeolite carrier to avail advantages of both zeolitic and embedded constituents as well. Accordingly, such technique can be used to modify organic or inorganic materials and such hybrids should therefore be considered as the new generation of composites that may encompass a wide variety of applications. The conversion of inorganic ion exchange materials into hybrid nanoscale ion exchangers is considered to be now-a-day the latest development of discipline. The nanomaterials are drawing a great attention as they exhibit a high efficiency and rate of sorption with short diffusion path toward environmental pollutants. Advances in nanoscale science and engineering are today providing unprecedent opportunities to develop more cost effective and environmentally acceptable water purification processes, respectively. Finally, for the water purification, besides the metal-containing nanoparticles, carbonaceous materials and dendrimers, also the zeolites are being evaluated recently as the most progressive functional and nanosized materials of this millenium. In the light of these considerations, this Special Issue invites the latest advances in the synthesis of  new surface engineered  natural zeolites and clays in order to provide local markets with cost-effective as well as efficient adsorption materials for environmental pollutants removal. Consequently, submissions dealing with synthesis and synthesized material characterization for adsorption process of pollutants removal are welcome and encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Eva Chmielewská
Guest Editor

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• natural zeolite clinoptilolite versus montmorillonite
• aqueous pollutants removal
• surface treatment and multifunctional upgrading
• material characterization with recent analytical techniques
• adsorption process mathematically described
• clays and zeolites compared for adsorption (removal) efficiency