Special Issue "The Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Water"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Petros Kokkinos
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Caratheodory 1, University Campus, GR-26504, Patras, Greece
Interests: wastewater reuse; wastewater microbiology; wastewater management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanotechnology can support effective strategies for the treatment, use, and reuse of water and the development of next-generation water supply systems. Nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes/graphitic carbon nitride composites, graphene-based composites, metal oxides and composites, metal-organic frameworks, etc. have been used for the removal of different categories of pollutants, including pharmaceutically active compounds, personal care products, organic micropollutants, as well as for the disinfection of microbial targets (bacteria, viruses, protozoa, etc.), in water and wastewater matrices. The present Special Issue will focus on the application of nanomaterials for the removal of emerging pollutants from water. The characteristics and efficacy of nanoengineered materials, as well as performance limitation issues (e.g., toxicity, operating conditions, and reuse) for their practical application in water and wastewater treatment on large scale will be covered. Contributions are welcome.

Dr. Petros Kokkinos
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 papers will be 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 1900 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

  • nanomaterials
  • carbon-based
  • graphene
  • metal-organic frameworks
  • metal oxides
  • composites
  • catalytic processes
  • emerging pollutants
  • degradation
  • disinfection
  • microorganisms
  • pharmaceuticals
  • personal care products
  • organic micropollutants

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using Zinc Oxide Nanorods Grown on Activated Carbon Fibers
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4729; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094729 - 23 Apr 2021
Viewed by 498
Abstract
In this work, the synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic performance of zinc oxide/activated carbon fiber nanocomposites prepared by hydrothermal method were investigated. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) were deposited as seeds on porous activated carbon fiber (ACF) substrates. Then, zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO-NR) were successfully [...] Read more.
In this work, the synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic performance of zinc oxide/activated carbon fiber nanocomposites prepared by hydrothermal method were investigated. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) were deposited as seeds on porous activated carbon fiber (ACF) substrates. Then, zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO-NR) were successfully grown on the seeds and assembled on the fibers’ surface in various patterns to form ZnO-NR/ACF nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis. SEM images showed that brush-like and flower-like ZnO-NR patterns were grown uniformly on the ACF surface with sizes depending on the ZnO-NP concentration, growth time, and temperature. The FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of the major vibration bands, especially the absorption peaks representing the vibration modes of the COOH (C = O and C = C) functional group. Adsorption and photocatalytic activities of the synthesized catalytic adsorbents were compared using methylene blue (MB) as the model pollutant under UV irradiation. ZnO-NR/ACF nanocomposites showed excellent photocatalytic activity (~99% degradation of MB in 2 h) compared with that of bare ZnO-NR and ACF. Additionally, a recycling experiment demonstrated the stability of the catalyst; the catalytic degradation ratio of ZnO-NR/ACF reached more than 90% after five successive runs and possessed strong adsorption capacity and high photocatalytic ability. The enhanced photocatalytic activities may be related to the effects of the relatively high surface area, enhanced UV-light absorption, and decrease of charge carrier recombination resulting from the synergetic adsorption–photocatalytic degradation effect of ZnO and ACF. Full article
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