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Application of Nanomaterials in Soil and Aquatic Environment Remediation

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 July 2026 | Viewed by 443

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
CESAM (Centre for environmental and marine studies) and Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: sustainability assessment; environmental engineering; environmental application of engineered nanomaterials; sustainability; wastewater treatment

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Process and Environmental Technology Lab, KU Leuven, Campus De Nayer, 2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
Interests: development of engineered materials for advanced catalytic wastewater treatment systems; optimization of biological treatment technologies using sustainable materials; valorisation of industrial and municipal solid wastes; sustainability assessment and life-cycle analysis of advanced technologies; development of the environmental quality standards
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As human activity continues to degrade natural ecosystems, specifically soil and water resources, there is an increased demand for novel and sustainable approaches to environmental remediation. One of the most promising methods is nanotechnology, which offers advanced substances with unique properties, including large surface areas and tunable reactivity that make them excellent for treating a wide range of environmental contaminants.

This Special Issue brings together recent advancements in the application of nanomaterials (NMs) for the remediation of both terrestrial and aquatic media. Specific attention is given to the development and characterisation of sustainable NMs as catalysts and photocatalysts for the degradation of organic contaminants, especially emerging pollutants, as well as adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals. Studies that discover the degradation mechanisms are also emphasised, as they keep informed the development of safer and more effective NMs.

Sustainability underpins the whole issue. It assists the green synthesis of NMs, aiming to reduce environmental impacts while improving practical performance. In addition, comprehensive characterisation of NMs is encouraged to confirm reproducibility and environmental compatibility. Case studies and pilot projects promote the shift from lab-scale to real-world application, offering insight into the implementation's practical, economic, and regulatory aspects.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable synthesis and development of NMs for environmental applications.
  • Advanced characterisation of NMs and their environmental interactions.
  • Catalytic, including photocatalytic, degradation mechanisms.
  • Remediation approaches based on adsorption and redox reactions.
  • Degradation pathways and transformation byproducts.
  • Fate, transport, and long-term behaviour of NMs.
  • Risk assessment, ecotoxicology, and regulatory challenges.
  • Field-scale applications and real-world case studies.
  • Techno-economic and sustainability assessment of NMs-based technology.

This Special Issue will encourage the development of nanotechnologies in soil and water treatment for a sustainable future, and we look forward to your valuable contributions.

Dr. Mohammadreza Khalaj
Dr. Mohammadreza Kamali
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Water 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 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

  • sustainable nanomaterials
  • wastewater treatment
  • soil remediation
  • degradation mechanisms
  • sustainability assessment
  • characterisation of NMs
  • adsorption
  • advanced oxidation process (AOPs)
  • fate of NMs
  • photocatalyst

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 3350 KB  
Article
Catalytic Degradation of Ciprofloxacin Using CuO Persulfate Oxidation System—Kinetics and Mechanisms
by Mohammadreza Khalaj, M. Elisabete V. Costa, Jonas Deuermeier and Isabel Capela
Water 2025, 17(24), 3550; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17243550 - 15 Dec 2025
Viewed by 199
Abstract
In this study, CuO nanoparticles were synthesised by chemical precipitation assisted by ultrasonic irradiation (UI), a rapid and environmentally friendly procedure without high temperature that enhances the sustainability of the synthesis process. They were also employed as a catalyst to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) [...] Read more.
In this study, CuO nanoparticles were synthesised by chemical precipitation assisted by ultrasonic irradiation (UI), a rapid and environmentally friendly procedure without high temperature that enhances the sustainability of the synthesis process. They were also employed as a catalyst to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) in the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP) from a polluted solution. The effects of various factors, such as CIP concentration, catalyst dosage, PDS concentration, and initial pH, on the efficiency of this contaminant treatment were investigated. Under optimal conditions, CIP and TOC removal reached 100% and 49%, respectively, after only 30 min of reaction time and using high initial concentrations of CIP (20 mg/L), PDS (0.5 mM), and CuO (0.5 g/L) in pH (10). For the best set of processing conditions, pseudo-first-order reaction rate kinetics can be assumed and characterised. The possible degradation pathway of CIP is also suggested. Furthermore, by quenching experiment, the presence of O2*, *OH, and SO4* were identified, with O2* being a radical species with great impact on CIP removal. This study demonstrates that, in alkaline environments, ultrasonically synthesised CuO can effectively activate PDS for the degradation of CIP, achieving total removal within 30 min. The results indicate that UI-synthesised CuO is a very promising catalyst for the removal of emerging organic pollutants. Full article
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