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Toxics
Special Issues
Technology and Principle of Removing Pollutants in Water
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Technology and Principle of Removing Pollutants in Water

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Toxicity Reduction and Environmental Remediation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2026) | Viewed by 1890

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhiwei Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Interests: solid waste treatment and resource utilization technology; pyrolysis and carbonization of municipal sludge, industrial sludge; solid (hazardous) waste harmless resource utilization, functional modification; application of biochar for removing pollutants in water and soil
Prof. Dr. Qing Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environment Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: safe waste disposal and high-value utilization; ecological recycling agriculture; ecological reconstruction of contaminated sites and safety risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on advanced technologies and fundamental principles for eliminating diverse pollutants (e.g., heavy metals, organic contaminants, and nutrients) from aqueous environments. We particularly emphasize sorbent-based approaches, especially utilizing biochar derived from the pyrolysis and carbonization of solid wastes such as municipal/industrial sludge and other hazardous wastes. Contributions are sought on (1) novel synthesis and functional modification techniques (e.g., chemical activation, doping, or composite formation) to enhance biochar's pollutant removal efficiency and selectivity; (2) investigation of removal mechanisms (adsorption, catalysis, or precipitation) and interfacial processes; (3) performance evaluation for targeted pollutant removal in water/wastewater treatment; (4) resource utilization strategies turning waste into value-added remediation materials; (5) scalability, regeneration, and environmental impact of these technologies. Studies integrating material science, process engineering, and environmental chemistry to advance sustainable water purification are especially welcome.

Dr. Zhiwei Li
Prof. Dr. Qing Huang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Toxics 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

  • biochar
  • water pollutant removal
  • solid waste pyrolysis
  • sludge carbonization
  • sorbent modification
  • adsorption mechanisms
  • wastewater treatment
  • resource recovery
  • hazardous waste utilization
  • aqueous contamination remediation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 3003 KB  
Article
Preparation of Biochar from Papermaking Sludge and Its Adsorption Characteristics for Tetracycline
by Jiayu Niu, Siyuan Fan and Zhenjun Wu
Toxics 2025, 13(12), 1050; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121050 - 4 Dec 2025
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 728
Abstract
Papermaking sludge, rich in intrinsic resource value, is effectively barred from direct deployment in environmental remediation, agriculture, or energy generation by its pronounced contaminant burden. Pyrolytic conversion into high-value paper sludge biochar, such as papermaking sludge biochar (PSBC) provides a green, efficient portal [...] Read more.
Papermaking sludge, rich in intrinsic resource value, is effectively barred from direct deployment in environmental remediation, agriculture, or energy generation by its pronounced contaminant burden. Pyrolytic conversion into high-value paper sludge biochar, such as papermaking sludge biochar (PSBC) provides a green, efficient portal for closing its resource loop. In this study, papermaking sludge was converted into a series of paper sludge biochars (PSBCs) via oxygen-limited pyrolysis at 500–900 °C. The porous architecture, surface physicochemical properties, and crystalline structure of the biochars were comprehensively characterized, and their performance for aqueous tetracycline (TC) removal was systematically quantified. Pyrolysis at 900 °C afforded PSBC 900 with the lowest yield (36.05%) yet the highest Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area (79.53 m2/g), an extensively developed mesopore network, and the greatest degree of graphitization. Across an initial tetracycline (TC) concentration window of 20–160 mg/L, PSBC 900 delivered an equilibrium capacity (qe) of 72.22 mg/g, outperforming PSBC 700 and PSBC 500 by factors of 1.3 and 1.8, respectively. Optimal uptake was achieved at a dosage of 1.0 g/L, pH 7, and 120 min contact time. Among the background cations examined, Mg2+ exerted a pronounced inhibitory effect, whereas Na+, K+, and Ca2+ exerted negligible interference. The adsorption process was accurately described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm (R2 > 0.999), yielding a theoretical maximum capacity (qm) of 76.39 mg/g for PSBC 900 at 313 K. Thermodynamic parameters (∆Gθ < 0, ∆Hθ > 0, ∆Sθ > 0) confirm a spontaneous, endothermic, and entropy-driven process. After five consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles, PSBC 900 retained >64.68% of its original efficiency, demonstrating excellent regenerability. Paper sludge biochar enables a “waste-to-treat-waste” strategy for the efficient abatement of tetracycline, offering an economically viable and high-performance technology that advances the remediation of tetracycline-laden wastewaters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology and Principle of Removing Pollutants in Water)
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15 pages, 5060 KB  
Article
A Fenton Oxidation-Based Integrated Strategy for the Treatment of Raw Gasoline Alkali Residue in Kashi
by Yucai Zhang, Xianghao Zha, Zhuo Zhang, Yangyang Guo, Shuying Yang, Haonan Qiu and Zhiwei Li
Toxics 2025, 13(10), 871; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13100871 - 13 Oct 2025
Viewed by 801
Abstract
Gasoline alkali residue raw liquid, a kind of highly toxicity containing organic waste generated during petroleum refining, is characterized by its complex composition, high pollutant levels, and significant emission volume. The effective treatment of this wastewater remains a considerable challenge in environmental engineering. [...] Read more.
Gasoline alkali residue raw liquid, a kind of highly toxicity containing organic waste generated during petroleum refining, is characterized by its complex composition, high pollutant levels, and significant emission volume. The effective treatment of this wastewater remains a considerable challenge in environmental engineering. This study systematically investigates the degradation efficiency and mechanism of Fenton oxidation in reducing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of raw gasoline alkali residue sourced from Kashi. The effects of H2O2 concentration and the H2O2/Fe2+ molar ratio on COD and TOC removal were examined. Results demonstrated that the COD and TOC removal efficiency exhibited an initial decrease followed by an increase with rising concentrations of Fe2+ and H2O2. Comparative assessment of different combined Fenton processes revealed distinct mechanistic differences among the composite oxidation systems. The integration of pretreatment with UV-Fenton oxidation was identified as the optimal strategy. Under optimal conditions (pH = 3.0, H2O2 concentration = 1.0 mol/L, H2O2/Fe2+ molar ratio = 5:0.10), the COD was reduced from 25,041 mg/L to 543 mg/L, achieving a COD removal rate of 97.8%. This study elucidates the reaction mechanism of the Fenton system in treating alkali residue and provides a theoretical foundation for the advanced treatment of high-concentration organic wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology and Principle of Removing Pollutants in Water)
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