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Separations
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Materials from Biomass and Waste for Adsorption Applications
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Materials from Biomass and Waste for Adsorption Applications

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials in Separation Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 6026

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marija M. Vukčević

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: biosorbents; carbon materials; material synthesis and functionalization; characterization; adsorption processes; solid phase extraction; fibrous textile waste; water treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mobilization of pollutants in the environment has become a critical issue, due to increasing global population pressures and intensified industrial activities, leading to greater discharge of effluents into the environment. These effluents typically contain a variety of hazardous organic and inorganic substances, such as heavy metals, pesticides, dyes, pharmaceutical residues, phenols, hormones, etc., posing significant environmental concerns. Purifying contaminated water effectively remains a primary focus, with adsorption emerging as a pivotal technology due to its simplicity and high efficiency. At the same time, the use of low-cost, renewable materials as adsorbents has the potential to render the adsorption process economically viable.

This Special Issue is dedicated to innovative research and recent advancements in utilizing unmodified, modified, and functionalized biomass and waste materials as potent adsorbents to address water pollution challenges. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: the modification and characterization of adsorbents derived from various biomass and waste materials; adsorption studies on inorganic and organic pollutants; thermodynamic, equilibrium, and kinetic studies of adsorption; adsorption mechanism analysis; the process design of pollutant removal using theoretical calculation methods, modeling, and simulation; and regeneration and recovery assessments. Authors are encouraged to submit original research papers, reviews, and short communications in these areas.

Dr. Marija M. Vukčević
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. Separations 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 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

  • adsorption
  • biosorption
  • biomass
  • waste materials
  • materials modification
  • organic pollutants
  • inorganic pollutants
  • water purification
  • adsorption mechanism

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4646 KiB  
Article
Hazelnut Shells as a Tenable Biosorbent for Basic Red 18 Azo Dye Removal
by Naji Agilee, Tijana Spasojević, Milica Delić, Đorđe Ogrizović, Isabel R. Gria, Nevena Prlainović and Maja Đolić
Separations 2024, 11(12), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11120343 - 2 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1242
Abstract
The increasing pollution from the textile industry, particularly organic azo dyes, presents a significant environmental challenge, necessitating the development of effective and sustainable treatment methods. This study investigates the adsorption potential of hazelnut shells (raw—RHSs; modified—MHSs) for the removal of organic azo dyes [...] Read more.
The increasing pollution from the textile industry, particularly organic azo dyes, presents a significant environmental challenge, necessitating the development of effective and sustainable treatment methods. This study investigates the adsorption potential of hazelnut shells (raw—RHSs; modified—MHSs) for the removal of organic azo dyes from aqueous solutions. As biomass, hazelnut shells are biodegradable and represent a sustainable alternative to synthetic adsorbents, thereby reducing the ecological footprint. Through a series of batch adsorption experiments, the influence of various parameters, including pH, contact time, concentration, and temperature, on adsorption capacity was examined. Characterization of the hazelnut shells was conducted using optical microscopy and ATR-FTIR, XRF, and XRD spectroscopy, confirming its suitability as a biosorbent. The analyzed isotherms showed that adsorption onto RHSs was best fitted by the Freundlich model, while adsorption onto MHSs was best fitted by the Temkin model. Kinetic studies demonstrated that the adsorption process is well described by the pseudo-second-order model, suggesting that chemical adsorption plays a significant role. The maximal adsorption capacity was 62.11 mg/g for RHSs and 80.65 mg/g for MHSs, highlighting the potential of hazelnut shells as an abundant, low-cost, and eco-friendly adsorbent. Furthermore, recycling studies indicated the feasibility of the adsorbent, underscoring its practical applicability in real scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials from Biomass and Waste for Adsorption Applications)
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20 pages, 11422 KiB  
Article
Modified Fly Ash as an Adsorbent for the Removal of Pharmaceutical Residues from Water
by Marija Vukčević, Dušan Trajković, Marina Maletić, Miljana Mirković, Aleksandra Perić Grujić and Dragana Živojinović
Separations 2024, 11(12), 337; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11120337 - 26 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1194
Abstract
In this work, different methods for fly ash modification were applied to obtain an adsorbent for the efficient removal of selected pharmaceuticals from a multiclass aqueous solution. Morphological and surface properties of the modified fly ash samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, [...] Read more.
In this work, different methods for fly ash modification were applied to obtain an adsorbent for the efficient removal of selected pharmaceuticals from a multiclass aqueous solution. Morphological and surface properties of the modified fly ash samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and point of zero charge, and the influence of the applied modifications was determined by comparison with the results obtained for unmodified fly ash. Experimental parameters of the adsorption of the pharmaceutical onto the modified fly ash were optimized, and special attention was paid to the influence of different parameters on the adsorption capacities. Multivariate methods of analysis, such as artificial neural networks, applied to the obtained results showed that the contact time, the initial concentration of the pharmaceutical solution, and the pH value had the strongest influence on the adsorption process. Fly ash modified with chitosan and magnetic iron oxide showed the best adsorption properties (removal efficiency above 80% for the majority of the selected pharmaceuticals), and artificial neural networks confirmed its susceptibility to the modeling process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials from Biomass and Waste for Adsorption Applications)
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25 pages, 6867 KiB  
Article
Mineral Heterostructures for Simultaneous Removal of Lead and Arsenic Ions
by Tijana Spasojević, Mirjana Ćujić, Vesna Marjanović, Zlate Veličković, Maja Kokunešoski, Aleksandra Perić Grujić and Maja Đolić
Separations 2024, 11(11), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11110324 - 9 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1063
Abstract
This study focuses on Pb2+ and As(V) adsorption on mineral heterostructures based on a mixture of Si, Fe, and Ti oxides (MOHs). Various techniques were performed to analyze the morphological and structural properties of the synthesized metal oxide samples. In addition to [...] Read more.
This study focuses on Pb2+ and As(V) adsorption on mineral heterostructures based on a mixture of Si, Fe, and Ti oxides (MOHs). Various techniques were performed to analyze the morphological and structural properties of the synthesized metal oxide samples. In addition to the experimental optimization of the parameters determined by the response surface method (RSM), the effects of pH, adsorbent dosage, temperature, and contact duration on the batch and column system adsorption efficiency of single-component and simultaneous lead and arsenate removal were tested. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Weber–Morris model were more relevant to the adsorption on the metal(loid)s. The adsorption of Pb2+ was related to the Langmuir isotherm model, while the adsorption of As(V) was fitted to the Freundlich isotherm model. The thermodynamic parameters indicate the spontaneity of the adsorption process with a low endothermic character. The MOHs were more effective in removing Pb2+ and As(V) in the multi-component system (87.7 and 46.1%, respectively) than in the single-component system (56.3 and 23.4%, respectively). This study demonstrates that mineral heterostructures can be effectively used to remove cations and anions from water systems, and due to their fast kinetics, they can be applied to the needs of rapid interventions after pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials from Biomass and Waste for Adsorption Applications)
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18 pages, 5440 KiB  
Article
Eco-Friendly Green Approach to the Biosorption of Hazardous Dyes from Aqueous Solution on Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) Biomass
by Natalija Nedić, Tamara Tadić, Bojana Marković, Aleksandra Nastasović, Aleksandar Popović and Sandra Bulatović
Separations 2024, 11(11), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11110310 - 28 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1040
Abstract
The presented research includes the preparation, characterization, and implementation of magnetic biosorbent (Fe3O4/RWB), obtained from ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) biomass. Fe3O4/RWB was examined for the removal of a hazardous dye, malachite green (MG), from [...] Read more.
The presented research includes the preparation, characterization, and implementation of magnetic biosorbent (Fe3O4/RWB), obtained from ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) biomass. Fe3O4/RWB was examined for the removal of a hazardous dye, malachite green (MG), from an aqueous solution in a batch system. The effects of the experimental parameters—initial dye concentration (10–300 mg/L), contact time (0–120 min), biosorbent dose (1–5 g/L), initial pH (2–10), ionic strength (0–1 mol/L), and temperature (298–318 K) on dye biosorption—were studied. The results showed that increases in biosorbent dose, contact time, and initial pH led to an increase in biosorption efficiency, while the increase in initial dye concentration, the ionic strength, and temperature had the opposite effect. The biosorption kinetics for MG on Fe3O4/RWB were analyzed with pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich kinetic models, while the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models were used for equilibrium data analysis. It was observed that the MG biosorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, whereas the Langmuir model was the best fit for the equilibrium biosorption data of MG, with a Qmax of 34.1 mg/g. the desorption of MG from Fe3O4/RWB indicated reusability in five adsorption/desorption cycles, good performance, and potential in practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials from Biomass and Waste for Adsorption Applications)
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Review

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17 pages, 313 KiB  
Review
Competitive Adsorption of Metal Ions by Lignocellulosic Materials: A Review of Applications, Mechanisms and Influencing Factors
by Morgana Macena, Helena Pereira, Luísa Cruz-Lopes, Lucas Grosche and Bruno Esteves
Separations 2025, 12(3), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations12030070 - 16 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 656
Abstract
The rapid expansion of industrial and agricultural activities in recent years has significantly contributed to water pollution leading to a decline in water quality and the need for effective treatment and reuse strategies. Metal contamination in water bodies poses severe environmental and health [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of industrial and agricultural activities in recent years has significantly contributed to water pollution leading to a decline in water quality and the need for effective treatment and reuse strategies. Metal contamination in water bodies poses severe environmental and health risks, making the development of cost-effective and sustainable remediation methods essential. Among the various treatment approaches, biosorption using biological adsorbents has emerged as a promising alternative due to its low cost and high efficiency. However, while the adsorption mechanisms of single metals are well understood, the competitive interactions between multiple metal ions during the sorption process remain less explored. In this review, we analyze the competitive biosorption of metals in multi-metallic wastewater systems. Key factors influencing metal removal, such as pH, contact time, biosorbent dosage, and initial metal concentration, are discussed, along with the intrinsic properties of biosorbents and metal ions that affect sorption efficiency. Additionally, we highlight recent studies on agroforestry byproducts as effective biosorbents for metal removal, showcasing their potential for sustainable water treatment. Heavy metals pose significant risks even at low concentrations, necessitating robust regulations and advanced treatment technologies; biomass byproducts, as cost-effective biosorbents, can be optimized through pre-treatment, activation, pH and temperature control, and particle size reduction, while effectively managing competitive multi-metal adsorption remains crucial for industrial effluent treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials from Biomass and Waste for Adsorption Applications)
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