Submit to J. Compos. Sci. Review for J. Compos. Sci. Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Composite Materials for Environmental Applications

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Journal of Composites Science (ISSN 2504-477X). This special issue belongs to the section "Composites Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 6510

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesco Todaro

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Polytechnic University of Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: environmental technologies; sustainable materials for environmental remediation; waste and wastewater recovery and recycle; waste characterization and management; recycled waste in the building materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Andrea Petrella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry, Polytechnic University of Bari, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: material recycling; inorganic compounds; wastewater treatment; photocatalytic materials; biopersistent pollutants; nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Sabino De Gisi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Polytechnic University of Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: environmental engineering; waste treatment; life-cycle assessment; materials from waste; sludge treatment; recycling; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Michele Notarnicola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Polytechnic University of Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: air monitoring; health and environmental risk analysis; innovative materials for environmental applications; remediation of contaminated sites; waste management; wastewater reuse
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Composites are multiphase materials produced from a mixture of two or more elements that differ in physical and chemical properties, and which are bonded together but retain their characteristics and properties. The enhanced properties and effectiveness of composite materials make them particularly suitable for environmental applications. For example, the remediation issues may involve the use of composites for the adsorption of hazardous elements (e.g., polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, or radionuclides), photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, groundwater purification, and separation processes. Moreover, waste (or second raw materials) utilization in composite materials, on the one hand, lowers the dependency on natural resources and, on the other, provides an efficient waste management strategy, making the applications more sustainable. Sustainable composites, fabricated using cheap and readily available materials as the second raw materials, are currently the focus of extensive studies for providing affordable solutions to environmental pollution and waste management.

This Special Issue aims to collect various investigations focused on the environmental applications of composites materials, such as soil and water remediation, or the recycling and recovery of waste. In the form of original research or review articles, contributions to this Special Issue may cover all aspects of production, characterization, and laboratory- or field-scale applications of composites in the points mentioned above.

Dr. Francesco Todaro
Dr. Andrea Petrella
Dr. Sabino De Gisi
Prof. Dr. Michele Notarnicola
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 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. Journal of Composites Science 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 1800 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 composite materials
water purification
soil remediation
recycling
sustainability
environmental impact

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 4804 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Poly(Lactic Acid) (PLA)-Based Nanocomposites: Impact of Vermiculite, Silver, and Graphene Oxide on Thermal Stability, Isothermal Crystallization, and Local Mechanical Behavior

by Sabrine Khammassi, Mostapha Tarfaoui, Kateřina Škrlová, Dagmar Měřínská, Daniela Plachá and Fouad Erchiqui

J. Compos. Sci. 2022, 6(4), 112; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs6040112 - 08 Apr 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2716

Abstract

The structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of unreinforced and reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) were investigated. The PLA was a biopolymer that was reinforced with four fillers (i.e., graphene oxide (GO) and silver (Ag); vermiculite (VMT) and silver (Ag); and two organically modified vermiculites). The processing technique for the production of the composite materials were carefully planned. The PLA nanocomposites were investigated by examining their morphological aspects, changes in PLA phases and transitions and, most importantly, the effect on certain final properties. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis indicated that the sample was completely amorphous. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results indicated that the presence of reinforcing particles in the PLA matrix did not affect the thermal degradation of these composites. Furthermore, the local mechanical properties were investigated using the microindentation method to evaluate the effect of different nanofillers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a VHX-500 optical digital microscope (Keyence International, Mechelen, Belgium) were also used to examine the surface morphology of the PLA polymer composites. These results can help to select suitable fillers to enhance the PLA performance of biopolymers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composite Materials for Environmental Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 611 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Heavy Metal Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Biomaterials and/or Functional Composites: Recent Advances and the Way Forward in Wastewater Treatment Using Digitalization

by Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan, Wai-Hung Lo, Xue Liang, Hui Hwang Goh, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman, Kok-Keong Chong, Ayesha Mohyuddin, Axel Olaf Kern and Kit Wayne Chew

J. Compos. Sci. 2023, 7(2), 84; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs7020084 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 2988

Abstract

Due to its low cost, over the past decades, biosorption technology has been extensively carried out to treat heavy metal-laden wastewater using biosorbents. Recent studies on heavy metal biosorption mechanisms and the simulation of mathematical modeling on the biosorption process have enhanced scientific understanding about the binding between target metal cations and the functional group on different surfaces of biomasses as a biosorbent. However, so far, none have provided an overview of mechanistic studies on heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions using inexpensive biosorbents. To close this knowledge gap, this article discusses the applicability of the surface complexation (SC) model for biosorption of a target pollutant. Insightful ideas and directions of future research in wastewater treatment using digital technologies are also presented. It was conclusive from a literature survey of 115 articles (1987–2023) that Aspergillus niger, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Rhizopus nigricans represent biomaterials that have substantial adsorption capacities, up to 200 mg of Au(I)/g, 142 mg of Th/g, and 166 mg of Pb(II)/g, respectively. The metal-binding mechanisms involved include ion exchange, surface complexation, and micro-precipitation. Ion exchange is the only mechanisms that play key roles in sequestering heavy metal using fungal cells with chitin and chitosan. X-ray energy dispersion (XED) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to evaluate biosorption mechanisms of the inorganic pollutants using physico-chemical characterization on the cell surfaces of the biomass. As metal removal by the biosorbent is affected by its surface properties, surface complexation also occurs. The affinity of the surface complexation depends on the type of functional groups such as phosphate, carboxyl, and amine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composite Materials for Environmental Applications)

► Show Figures