Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Efficient Remediation of Emerging Organic Pollutants (EOPs) and Heavy Metals Contaminated Water
A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Separations".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2025 | Viewed by 44
Special Issue Editors
Interests: bioremediation; nanotechnology; photocatalysis; nanophotocatalysis; nano bioremediation; physicochemical remediation; solar desalination; biotechnology; nanobiotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biochemical engineering; bioseparation; environmental biotechnology; chemical reaction engineering; environmental engineering; microbial biotechnology; wastewater engineering; bioremediation; activated sludge; wastewater biosorption; anaerobic culture; biofilms; biodegradation; advanced oxidation processes.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Conventional wastewater treatment plants often struggle to effectively remove emerging micro-contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors. Nano-remediation technologies, including nanoadsorption and nanophotocatalysis, represent a promising approach that combines advanced remediation with nanotechnology, offering innovative solutions to addressing these challenges. Nanoparticles have shown remarkable potential as alternatives to traditional treatment methods due to their efficiency in adsorbing or photocatalytically degrading organic pollutants and their ability to photoreduce inorganic pollutants, effectively eliminating a wide range of hazardous contaminants, including polyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds, steroids, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, azo dyes, and heavy metals. However, the aggregation and agglomeration of nanoparticles continues to limit the efficient use of their large surface area. To address this, combining nano-based adsorbents with large-surface-area carbonaceous materials has proven effective. In particular, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have garnered attention as versatile adsorbents for removing heavy metals and anionic pollutants from wastewater. The diverse oxygen-containing functional groups of graphene oxide enable it to effectively trap anionic pollutants, enhancing its adsorption capacity. Furthermore, rGO and rGO-based metallic photocatalysts could be used as photocatalysts to degrade organic pollutants and reduce heavy metals, broadening their application in water treatment technologies. This Special Issue will focus on the capabilities of graphene-based nanocomposite adsorbents and photocatalysts for remediating both organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater. The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the application of graphene-based nanocomposite adsorbents and photocatalysts for remediating emerging organic and inorganic pollutants and heavy metal-contaminated media. As such, it is my pleasure to invite you to contribute your research articles, communications, or reviews to this Special Issue, which hopes to address a wide range of pollutants and innovative remediation strategies.
Dr. Fisseha Andualem Bezza
Prof. Dr. Evans Martin Nkhalambayausi Chirwa
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- nanophotocatalysts
- nanoadsorbents
- emerging pollutants
- heavy metals
- polyaromatic hydrocarbon compound
- nanoparticles/composite nanoadsorbents
- endocrine-disrupting chemicals
- nanophotocatalysis
- rGO-based metallic photocatalyst
- adsorption modelling
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