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Sustainable Strategies for Remediation of Contaminated Water and Soil

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 August 2022) | Viewed by 18833

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Angeles Sanroman Braga

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidade de Vigo. Isaac Newton Building. Campus Lagoas-Marcosende s/n, E-36310 Vigo, Spain
Interests: advanced oxidation processes; electrochemical treatments; soil remediation

Dr. Emilio Rosales Villanueva

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Guest Editor

CINTECX, Universidade de Vigo, Department of Chemical Engineering, Campus Lagoas– Marcosende, E-36310 Vigo, Spain
Interests: nanoparticles and catalysts; bioremediation; advanced oxidation processes; adsorption

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human activities and the advancements in modern technologies—mainly those related to industrial processes—are causing significant pollution due to the release of pollutants into the environment (soil, water). Thus, the development of sustainable strategies for their treatment is a societal demand that needs to be met.

This Special Issue aims to cover any topics related to the design, implementation, and development of traditional or innovative treatments of contaminated soil and/or water, such as bioremediation, physicochemical or advanced oxidation processes, and combined techniques. This Special Issue also intends to gather multidisciplinary approaches covering well-documented techniques, experiments, or modelling approaches to quantify or validate the effectiveness of the developed treatments, from laboratory to larger scales. The primary areas of interest to this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

(1) Sustainable and cost-effective water treatment technologies;

(2) Soil treatment technologies that can be easily implemented;

(3) Combined treatment technologies for soil and/or water.

In this Special Issue, we invite submissions exploring cutting-edge research and recent advances in the remediation of water and contaminated soils. Both original research (research articles as well as short communications) and critical reviews about scientific and technical information are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Angeles Sanroman Braga
Dr. Emilio Rosales Villanueva
Guest Editors

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Keywords

adsorption
advanced oxidation processes
bioremediation
electroremediation membranes
ultrasound

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 245 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) Results for an Environmental Assessment at a Mercury Site in Kyrgyzstan

by Sandra Spearman, Casey Bartrem, Ainash A. Sharshenova, Kasiet S. Salymbekova, Makhmud B. Isirailov, Saparbai A. Gaynazarov, Roman Gilmanov, Ian H. von Lindern, Margrit von Braun and Gregory Möller

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 1943; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12041943 - 12 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3119

Abstract

Khaidarkan, Batken Province, Kyrgyzstan is home to one of the world’s largest and last primary mercury mines. Doctors without Borders (MSF) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Kyrgyzstan have found that the Batken region has an elevated rate of non-communicable diseases (NCD) within the country. NCD can be caused by environmental pollution. A human health risk assessment was conducted to investigate heavy metal exposure. Using a hand-held X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer for soil screening is faster and less expensive than reliance on bench-scale methods. To establish a site-specific mercury conversion factor between XRF and the local MOH lab’s Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) with a Pyrolyzer attachment, soil samples were collected in Khaidarkan and surrounding villages. Samples were analyzed by XRF in three stages: in situ, ex situ-bulk, and ex situ-sieved. The ex situ-sieved samples were analyzed by AAS. Analysis results indicate that in situ readings can be used as a qualitative tool for screening, and a conversion factor of 1.7 was most appropriate for converting ex situ-bulk/ex situ-sieved and AAS results. This analysis enables the MOH laboratory and others to use XRF as a quick and cost-effective monitoring tool for Hg contamination in soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Remediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

12 pages, 2328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Fe-Impregnated Biochar from Cattle Manure for Removing Pentavalent Antimony from Aqueous Solution

by Seong-Jik Park, Yeon-Jin Lee, Jin-Kyu Kang, Je-Chan Lee and Chang-Gu Lee

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 9257; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11199257 - 05 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1553

Abstract

This study assessed the applicability of Fe-impregnated biochar derived from cattle manure (Fe-CMB) as an adsorbent for removing Sb(V) from aqueous solutions and investigated the Sb(V) adsorption mechanism. Fe-CMB was mainly composed of C, O, Cl, Fe, Ca, and P, and the adsorption of Sb(V) onto Fe-CMB was identified using an energy dispersive spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Sb(V) adsorption reached equilibrium within 6 h, and the Sb(V) adsorption data as a function of time were well described by the pseudo-second-order model. The Langmuir isotherm model fit the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacity of Fe-CMB for Sb(V) obtained from the Langmuir model was 58.3 mg/g. Thermodynamic analysis of Sb(V) adsorption by Fe-CMB indicated that the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous. The Sb(V) removal percentage increased with the Fe-CMB dose, which achieved a removal of 98.5% at 10.0 g/L Fe-CMB. Increasing the solution pH from 3 to 11 slightly reduced Sb(V) adsorption by 6.5%. The inhibitory effect of anions on Sb(V) adsorption followed the order: Cl⁻ ≈ NO₃⁻ < SO₄²⁻ < HCO₃⁻ < PO₄³⁻. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Remediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

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16 pages, 4152 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cr (III) Removal Capacity in Aqueous Solution in Relation to the Functional Groups Present in the Orange Peel (Citrus sinensis)

by Laura Patiño-Saldivar, José A. Hernández, Alba Ardila, Mercedes Salazar-Hernández, Alfonso Talavera and Rosa Hernández-Soto

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6346; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11146346 - 08 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2407

Abstract

Bioremediation is a pollutant removal method that has had a great boom due to the diversity of agroindustrial waste that can be used for this purpose, and that has shown having great efficiency and profitability in the adsorption of heavy metals, such as Pb, Cu, and Co. Based on the above, the present work carried out kinetic and equilibrium studies of bioadsorption of Cr (III) using orange peel (OP) as adsorbent, previously treated with methanol, water, and a water–methanol mixture at different pH (0.91, 1.78 and 2.72), and at 30 °C, finding that the adsorption capacity at equilibrium increases with increasing pH, having a maximum of 55 mg g⁻¹ at pH 2.72—under these conditions, lower adsorption energy was used to remove Cr (III). In addition, it was determined that there are no external mass transfer limitations. An isoelectric point analysis indicated that the adsorption is not carried out by electrostatic forces and a FTIR study of the functional groups of OP showed a decrease in the main functional groups (pectin, cellulose, and lignin, among others), which is directly related to the adsorption capacity of the bioadsorbent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Remediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

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24 pages, 6804 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biogeochemical Modelling of Uranium Immobilization and Aquifer Remediation Strategies Near NCCP Sludge Storage Facilities

by Alexey V. Safonov, Anatoly E. Boguslavsky, Olga L. Gaskova, Kirill A. Boldyrev, Olga S. Shvartseva, Albina A. Khvashchevskaya and Nadezhda M. Popova

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2875; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11062875 - 23 Mar 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2384

Abstract

Nitrate is a substance which influences the prevailing redox conditions in groundwater, and in turn the behaviour of U. The study of groundwater in an area with low-level radioactive sludge storage facilities has shown their contamination with sulphate and nitrate anions, uranium, and some associated metals. The uranyl ion content in the most contaminated NO₃–Cl–SO₄–Na borehole is 2000 times higher (1.58 mg/L) than that in the background water. At the same time, assessment of the main physiological groups of microorganisms showed a maximum number of denitrifying and sulphate-reducing bacteria (e.g., Sulfurimonas) in the water from the same borehole. Biogenic factors of radionuclide immobilization on sandy rocks of upper aquifers have been experimentally investigated. Different reduction rates of NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, Fe(III) and U(VI) with stimulated microbial activity were dependent on the pollution degree. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene analysis of the microbial community after whey addition revealed a significant decrease in microbial diversity and the activation of nonspecific nitrate-reducing bacteria (genera Rhodococcus and Rhodobacter). The second influential factor can be identified as the formation of microbial biofilms on the sandy loam samples, which has a positive effect on U sorption (an increase in Kd value is up to 35%). As PHREEQC physicochemical modelling numerically confirmed, the third most influential factor that drives U mobility is the biogenic-mediated formation of a sulphide redox buffer. This study brings important information, which helps to assess the long-term stability of U in the environment of radioactive sludge storage facilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Remediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

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13 pages, 3107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isolation, Degradation Performance and Field Application of the Metolachlor-Degrading Fungus Penicillium oxalicum MET-F-1

by Xingping Chang, Junfeng Liang, Yang Sun, Lixia Zhao, Bin Zhou, Xiaojing Li and Yongtao Li

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8556; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10238556 - 29 Nov 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2975

Abstract

Metolachlor is extensively used and the most persistent chloroacetamide herbicide, thereby which its metabolites have been frequently detected in soils and surface and groundwaters. Microbial degradation is predominantly responsible for the removal of metolachlor from soil and water. However, few microbial strains reported previously are highly efficient in degrading potentials for metolachlor. We isolated the fungal strain MET-F-1 from an activated sludge, characterized as Penicillium oxalicum, which could degrade 88.6% of 50 mg/L metolachlor coupled with 0.1% glucose plus 0.1% yeast extract within 384 h under optimal conditions. Compared with metabolites produced by previously isolated microorganisms, different degradation products, i.e., MOXA, M2H, and MDES, detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), were produced through hydrolytic and reductive dechlorination by MET-F-1. This is the first report on the degradation of metolachlor by Penicillium oxalicum sp. Furthermore, field plot experiments using the wheat bran inoculum method were performed and demonstrated good metolachlor-degrading activity of this strain. This study serves as a steppingstone to promote MET-F-1 strain usage as a promising agent for metolachlor-contaminated soil remediation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Remediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

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Review

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22 pages, 1268 KiB

Open AccessReview

Unravelling the Environmental Application of Biochar as Low-Cost Biosorbent: A Review

by Antía Fdez-Sanromán, Marta Pazos, Emilio Rosales and María Angeles Sanromán

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7810; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10217810 - 04 Nov 2020

Cited by 42 | Viewed by 5525

Abstract

In this age, a key target for enhancing the competitiveness of the chemical, environmental and biotechnology industries is to manufacture high-value products more efficiently and especially with significantly reduced environmental impact. Under this premise, the conversion of biomass waste to a high-value added product, biochar, is an interesting approach under the circular economy principles. Thus, the improvements in the biochar production and its new and innovative uses are hot points of interest, which are the focus of vast efforts of the scientific community. Biochar has been recognized as a material of great potential, and its use as an adsorbent is becoming a reliable strategy for the removal of pollutants of different streams, according to its high adsorption capacity and potential to eliminate recalcitrant compounds. In this review, a succinct overview of current actions developed to improve the adsorption capability of biochar, mainly of heavy metal and organic pollutants (dyes, pharmaceuticals and personal care products), is summarized and discussed, and the principal adsorption mechanisms are described. The feedstock and the production procedure are revealed as key factors that provide the appropriate physicochemical characteristics for the good performance of biochar as an adsorbent. In addition, the modification of the biochar by the different described approaches proved their feasibility and became a good strategy for the design of selective adsorbents. In the last part of this review, the novel prospects in the regeneration of the biochar are presented in order to achieve a clean technology for alleviating the water pollution challenge. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Remediation of Contaminated Water and Soil)

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