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Sustainability
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Advances in Adsorption for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants
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Advances in Adsorption for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 2067

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Pinto Luiz Antonio de Almeida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial Technology Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Food, Federal University of Rio Grande FURG, Rio Grande 96203-900, RS, Brazil
Interests: chemical and food engineering; sustainable industrial processes and advanced materials; adsorption technologies; food drying; separation processes; wastewater treatment; waste valorization; green chemistry; the development and characterization of biopolymers; chitosan, and nanomaterials for environmental and food industry applications; reaction kinetics; heterogeneous catalysis; advanced oxidation processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Janaína Oliveira Gonçalves

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Colombia
Interests: adsorption; biopolymers; environment; food dyes; contaminant removal; microwaves; water treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Nauro Silveira Junior

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Food, Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil
Interests: chemical engineering and environmental science; thermodynamics; catalysis; process optimization; the production of biodiesel from various feedstocks; purification of by-products; waste treatmen

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores recent advances in adsorption techniques for removing emerging contaminants from aquatic systems, addressing challenges and solutions for environmental remediation. With the increasing presence of complex pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, personal care products, and pesticides, the need for efficient and sustainable treatment technologies is becoming ever more critical. Research in this area has the potential to significantly impact the environment. Therefore, adsorption is a promising approach due to its effectiveness in capturing a wide range of contaminants and its applicability under various environmental conditions.

This Special Issue brings together original articles from renowned researchers, focusing on three main aspects: developing innovative adsorbent materials, specific applications for removing various pollutants, and emerging technologies that optimize adsorption processes. We welcome articles following on, but not limited to, the following:

  • Development and characterization of new adsorbent materials, such as biochar and modified composites;
  • Application of adsorption techniques for removing pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals;
  • Kinetic and isotherm modeling for the optimization of adsorption processes;
  • Chemical and physical modification of adsorbents to improve efficiency in pesticide capture;
  • Use of adsorbent materials in wastewater and industrial effluent treatment;
  • Adsorption approaches in the remediation of soils contaminated with pesticides;
  • Sustainability and life cycle assessment of adsorption technologies;
  • Innovative strategies for scaling up adsorption processes from laboratory to industrial applications.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to enrich the literature and promote the development of effective technologies for environmental protection.

Prof. Dr. Pinto Luiz Antonio de Almeida
Prof. Dr. Janaína Oliveira Gonçalves
Prof. Dr. Nauro Silveira Junior
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 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. Sustainability 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 2400 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 techniques
  • emerging contaminants
  • pesticides
  • adsorbent materials
  • environmental remediation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 3859 KiB  
Article
As(III) Removal via Combined Addition of Mg- and Ca-Based Adsorbents and Comparison to As(V) Removal via Those Mechanisms
by Hajime Sugita, Kazuya Morimoto, Takeshi Saito and Junko Hara
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 757; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020757 - 19 Jan 2025
Viewed by 725
Abstract
Damage to human health caused by As-contaminated water can be prevented using proper As-removal techniques, such as employing excellent arsenic adsorbents. In this study, the combined addition of Mg- and Ca-based adsorbents was investigated for the efficient removal of As from contaminated water. [...] Read more.
Damage to human health caused by As-contaminated water can be prevented using proper As-removal techniques, such as employing excellent arsenic adsorbents. In this study, the combined addition of Mg- and Ca-based adsorbents was investigated for the efficient removal of As from contaminated water. Following a previous study on As(V), As-removal tests targeting As(III) and several additional tests, including X-ray diffraction analysis, were conducted to clarify the mechanism of the improved performance of the combined-addition As removal. Similarly as for As(V), the combined additions of both MgCO3 + CaO and MgCO3 + Ca(OH)2 improved As(III)-removal performance while inhibiting the leaching of base material components; however, they did not remove As(III) as effectively as As(V). The differences in the removal ratios of As(V) and As(III) in these combined additions were concluded to be primarily due to the different As-removal mechanisms. Mg(OH)2 and CaCO3 were generated, and As(III) was incorporated into the generated precipitate of Mg(OH)2 but not into that of CaCO3. Conversely, As(V) was incorporated into both Mg(OH)2 and CaCO3. Additionally, MgCO3 + Ca(OH)2 was evaluated as a more efficient combined-addition method because MgCO3 + Ca(OH)2 exhibited a higher As-removal ratio value than MgO + CaO. Proposals have been made to remove As(III) using activated carbon modified with heavy metals or transition elements, or concrete waste grafted with polymers, but these methods are complicated to prepare, costly, and involve the risk of leaching of harmful components. Adsorbents that use general Mg and Ca components as their base material do not contain such harmful components. The Mg- and Ca-based adsorbents are readily available and low-cost, and, best of all, there is no concern that they will leach harmful components. Therefore, widespread use of Mg- and Ca-based adsorbents as a measure against arsenic contamination could greatly contribute to a sustainable society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Adsorption for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants)
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14 pages, 2980 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Removal of Chloroquine from Aqueous Solutions Using Microwave-Activated Cassava Biochar Derived from Agricultural Waste
by Janaína Oliveira Gonçalves, Bruna Silva de Farias, Estefani Cardillo Rios, Anelise Christ Ribeiro, Kamila da Rosa Acosta, Carla Pereira Wenderroschs Gomes and Tito Roberto Cadaval Junior
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9854; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229854 - 12 Nov 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1066
Abstract
This study presents a sustainable solution for the removal of the emerging contaminant chloroquine from aqueous solutions, utilizing biochar synthesized from cassava waste through a rapid, single-step microwave activation process. By repurposing cassava waste, a prevalent agricultural by-product, this method aligns with circular [...] Read more.
This study presents a sustainable solution for the removal of the emerging contaminant chloroquine from aqueous solutions, utilizing biochar synthesized from cassava waste through a rapid, single-step microwave activation process. By repurposing cassava waste, a prevalent agricultural by-product, this method aligns with circular economy principles, promoting the sustainable reuse of waste materials. Characterization of the biochar demonstrated a highly porous, crystalline structure optimized for adsorption applications. Adsorption studies demonstrated optimal performance at 45 °C, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 39 mg g−1 in the Langmuir model. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed that the process was spontaneous, endothermic, and consistent with physisorption. Kinetic experiments revealed that 200 rpm agitation provided the most favorable conditions. Notably, the biochar demonstrated substantial reusability, maintaining up to 70% of its adsorption capacity over five desorption cycles. This sustainable adsorbent stands out as a practical, eco-friendly option for removing pharmaceutical contaminants while also corroborating with the beneficial reuse of agricultural by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Adsorption for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants)
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