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Novel Sorbents for Water Treatment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 1688

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Technology and Environmental Analytics, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Krakow, Poland
Interests: sorbents; sorption; ion-exchange resins; removal of heavy metals; lithium recovery; water and wastewater treatment; oilfield brine
Faculty of Drilling, Oil and Gas, AGH University of Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: sorption; desalination; produced water; treatment; lithium recovery; oilfield brine; critical elements

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water pollution resulting from industrialization, urbanization, and intensified agricultural practices is a growing problem facing communities worldwide. Ensuring access to clean water, which is essential for human health and ecosystem balance, requires innovative and sustainable water treatment solutions. Among the numerous techniques developed for water treatment, sorption is considered one of the most effective, environmentally friendly, and versatile methods. Its advantages include simplicity, cost-effectiveness, high efficiency, and the ability to remove a wide range of contaminants (e.g., heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and dyes). Although many sorbents are already available, the emergence of new pollutants and increasingly stringent discharge regulations drives the search for novel, more durable, effective, and selective solutions, as well as easily regenerable and sustainable sorbents.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent progress and innovations in the development, characterization, and application of sorption materials for water treatment. We welcome the submission of original research and review articles on topics related to novel sorbents, such as waste-derived sorbents, biomass-based sorbents, carbon nanotubes and graphene-based sorbents, functionalized sorbents, modified sorbents, sustainable sorbents, and composite sorbent materials designed for removing heavy metals, organic pollutants, dyes, nutrients, and emerging pollutants from water. Studies exploring innovative synthesis routes, surface modification strategies, adsorption mechanisms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and isotherm modeling, as well as research focused on regeneration, large-scale applications, and environmental impact, are encouraged.

Dr. Marta Marszałek
Dr. Ewa Knapik
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • novel sorbent materials
  • sustainable sorbents
  • functionalized sorbents
  • composite sorbent materials
  • adsorption mechanisms, kinetics, and isotherm modeling
  • water treatment
  • emerging pollutants
  • heavy metal removal
  • organic pollutants removal

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1055 KB  
Communication
Peptidyl Resins as Efficient Adsorbents for Ag+ and Cd2+ Removal from Aqueous Solutions
by Rayssa Piton Rijo Costa, Lorenza Eivazian Brandão, Bianca Bueno Nogueira, Rafael Shoiti Souza Yokoo, Matheus Marchetti Melo, Lara Fábia Magalhães Oliveira, Weida Rodrigues Silva, João Flávio da Silveira Petruci and Eduardo Festozo Vicente
Water 2026, 18(11), 1296; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18111296 - 27 May 2026
Viewed by 304
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination of water by cadmium (Cd2+) and silver (Ag+) represents a significant environmental concern due to their toxicity and persistence. In this study, peptide-functionalized resins were evaluated as bio-inspired adsorbent materials for metal removal from aqueous solutions. [...] Read more.
Heavy metal contamination of water by cadmium (Cd2+) and silver (Ag+) represents a significant environmental concern due to their toxicity and persistence. In this study, peptide-functionalized resins were evaluated as bio-inspired adsorbent materials for metal removal from aqueous solutions. Glycine-based and histidine-containing peptide sequences were synthesized via solid-phase peptide synthesis and immobilized onto Wang and Rink amide resins, with and without N-terminal acetylation. Adsorption capacity (Q, mg g−1) was determined for each material. The results showed that adsorption performance strongly depends on both peptide structure and metal type. Higher adsorption capacities were consistently observed for Cd2+ (up to 7.9 mg g−1) compared to Ag+ (up to 2.4 mg g−1). Interestingly, histidine-containing resins exhibited superior performance, likely due to the presence of imidazole groups that enhance metal coordination. In contrast, the influence of resin type and N-terminal acetylation was less consistent, suggesting a secondary role of these factors. Overall, the findings provide an initial screening or proof-of-concept for peptide-functionalized resins and highlight the potential of these peptidyl resins as effective adsorbent materials for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Sorbents for Water Treatment)
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21 pages, 1275 KB  
Article
The Adsorption of Acetylsalicylic Acid on Carbon Black: The Influence of Adsorbent Porosity and Its Surface Chemistry
by Krzysztof Kuśmierek and Andrzej Świątkowski
Water 2026, 18(9), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18091070 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 548
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of physicochemical properties of carbon black (porosity and surface chemistry) on the adsorption of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) from aqueous solutions. Three unmodified carbon blacks (XC72, N220, and N550) with different specific surface areas, as well as two surface-modified [...] Read more.
This study investigated the influence of physicochemical properties of carbon black (porosity and surface chemistry) on the adsorption of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) from aqueous solutions. Three unmodified carbon blacks (XC72, N220, and N550) with different specific surface areas, as well as two surface-modified carbon blacks (oxidized carbon black (N220-Ox) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane-modified carbon black (N220-APTES)), were used in the study. The kinetics and equilibrium of adsorption were studied, along with the effects of the initial adsorbent mass, solution pH, and ionic strength on adsorption efficiency. The results showed that the adsorption equilibrium for acetylsalicylic acid was reached after 30–60 min, with the adsorption kinetics being well characterized by a pseudo-second-order equation. Under equilibrium conditions, the adsorption of acetylsalicylic acid on carbon blacks followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The best adsorption capacity was observed for XC72 carbon black, which has the highest BET area, while the lowest was observed for N550 carbon black. For unmodified carbon blacks, adsorption was found to be correlated with their porous structure. Functionalization of the surface with APTES increased the carbon black’s adsorption capacity, whereas surface oxidation reduced its effectiveness. Additionally, it was found that adsorption depended on solution pH: acetylsalicylic acid was adsorbed most efficiently in an acidic environment (pH ~3.5), and the solution ionic strength had no effect on its adsorption onto the tested carbon blacks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Sorbents for Water Treatment)
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20 pages, 3065 KB  
Article
Rapid Removal of Ibuprofen from Aqueous Solutions by Pyrolysed Rice-Husk Modified with Bacillus cereus Biocomposite
by Jarosław Chwastowski, Patrycja Nowak, Wiktoria Rupar, Julia Wikar and Paweł Staroń
Water 2026, 18(7), 824; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070824 - 30 Mar 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 493
Abstract
The presence of pharmaceutical residues, such as ibuprofen, in aquatic environments poses a growing environmental challenge due to their persistence and potential ecotoxicological effects. In this study, a novel biohybrid composite based on pyrolysed rice husk (biochar) modified with Bacillus cereus cells was [...] Read more.
The presence of pharmaceutical residues, such as ibuprofen, in aquatic environments poses a growing environmental challenge due to their persistence and potential ecotoxicological effects. In this study, a novel biohybrid composite based on pyrolysed rice husk (biochar) modified with Bacillus cereus cells was developed for the efficient removal of ibuprofen from aqueous solutions. The material was comprehensively characterised using SEM, BET, TGA, CHN analysis, and FTIR spectroscopy. Pyrolysis significantly increased the surface area (up to 300 m2 g−1) and porosity compared to raw rice husk, while bacterial immobilisation introduced additional functional groups, enhancing surface heterogeneity. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated a clear improvement in adsorption capacity in the order of rice husk < biochar < composite. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities were 4.86, 11.68, and 13.73 mg g−1 for rice husk, biochar, and the composite, respectively. Isotherm modelling indicated that ibuprofen adsorption was best described by the Langmuir and the Freundlich models, suggesting a combination of monolayer adsorption and heterogeneous surface interactions. Isotherm analyses (D–R energy values < 9 kJ mol−1) indicate that ibuprofen removal occurs predominantly through physisorption, governed by π–π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and surface heterogeneity rather than chemisorption. Kinetic studies revealed rapid adsorption behaviour, with pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models providing the best fit (R2 up to 0.997). The Weber–Morris model confirmed that intraparticle diffusion contributed to the process but was not the sole rate-limiting step. The enhanced performance of the composite is attributed to synergistic effects between physicochemical adsorption on the porous carbon matrix and interactions with bacterial cell wall functional groups. The developed composite represents a low-cost, sustainable, and highly effective material for ibuprofen removal from contaminated water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Sorbents for Water Treatment)
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