Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters

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

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 August 2023) | Viewed by 20952

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Magdalena Balintova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute for Sustainable and Circular Construction, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, Košice, Slovakia
Interests: wastewater treatment; acid mine drainage; heavy metal removal; sorption methods; environmental impact assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Adriana Estokova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute for Sustainable and Circular Construction, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, Košice, Slovakia
Interests: heavy metals’ leachability from concrete; durability of materials; environmental evaluation of materials; environmental chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Removal of contaminants from wastewater, such as heavy metals, has become a severe problem around the world. Therefore, appropriate steps need to be taken to reduce heavy metal content in water to acceptable levels. Several methods have been used to remove heavy metals from contaminated water, including chemical precipitation, ion exchange, adsorption, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, solvent extraction, electrochemical treatment, and biosorption and bioaccumulation as the ecofriendly alternatives. Extensive research has also been carried out to introduce materials which can remove and alleviate heavy metal ions from wastewaters. However, these methods have several disadvantages, such as high reagent requirement, unpredictable metal ion removal, generation of toxic sludge, etc.

This Special Issue focuses on innovative trends in heavy metal removal using advanced materials, reagents, and technologies that respect the environmental and economic requirements over the world. Additionally, composition and properties of used materials, experimental conditions, mechanisms of the studied processes and efficiency of heavy metals removal are of interest.

Prof. Dr. Magdalena Balintova
Prof. Dr. Adriana Estokova
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. Materials 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

Wastewater
Heavy metal
Advanced materials
Physical chemical methods
Organic and inorganic agents
Sorbents
Wastes

Related Special Issue

Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters (2nd Edition) in Materials

Published Papers (10 papers)

Download All Papers

Editorial

Jump to: Research

5 pages, 178 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters

by Magdalena Balintova and Adriana Estokova

Materials 2024, 17(9), 1935; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma17091935 - 23 Apr 2024

Viewed by 205

Abstract

Although heavy metal ions are naturally present in the environment, their concentrations have significantly increased due to industrial activities [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

14 pages, 3648 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sorption Capacity of AlOOH/FeAl₂ Composites towards As(V)

by Sergey O. Kazantsev, Konstantin V. Suliz, Nikolay G. Rodkevich and Aleksandr S. Lozhkomoev

Materials 2023, 16(17), 6057; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16176057 - 04 Sep 2023

Viewed by 917

Abstract

The treatment of wastewater from arsenic compounds is an important and urgent problem. Composite nanostructures consisting of boehmite and iron compounds have a high adsorption capacity towards As(V) specie. In this work, the adsorption properties of nanostructured composites prepared by the oxidation of bimetallic Al/Fe nanoparticles with different iron contents were investigated. As a result of oxidation, boehmite AlOOH nanosheets are formed, with the resultant FeAl₂ nanoparticles being distributed on the surface of boehmite nanosheets. The nanostructured composites prepared from Al/Fe nanoparticles containing 20 wt% Fe have been found to show the highest adsorption capacity towards As(V) specie, being 248 mg/g. The adsorption isotherms are most accurately described by the Freundlich model, with the arsenic adsorption process obeying pseudo second order kinetics. As a result of the study, the optimal ratio of Al and Fe in Al/Fe nanoparticles has been determined to obtain an AlOOH/FeAl₂ composite adsorbent with a developed and accessible surface and a high sorption capacity towards As(V). This allows us to consider this material as a promising adsorbent for the removal of arsenic compounds from water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 4659 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Lignocellulosic-Based Activated Carbon-Loaded Silver Nanoparticles and Chitosan for Efficient Removal of Cadmium and Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology

by Sujata Mandal, Sreekar B. Marpu, Mohammad A. Omary, Catalin C. Dinulescu, Victor Prybutok and Sheldon Q. Shi

Materials 2022, 15(24), 8901; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15248901 - 13 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1827

Abstract

The cadmium-contaminated water body is a worldwide concern for the environment and toxic to human beings and the removal of cadmium ions from drinking and groundwater sustainably and cost-effectively is important. A novel nano-biocomposite was obtained by impregnating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) within kenaf-based activated carbon (KAC) in the presence of chitosan matrix (CS) by a simple, facile photoirradiation method. The nano-biocomposite (CS-KAC-Ag) was characterized by an environmental scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (ESEM-EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. A Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the adsorption of Cd²⁺. It was found that 95.1% of Cd²⁺ (10 mg L⁻¹) was eliminated at pH 9, contact time of 120 min, and adsorbent dosage of 20 mg, respectively. The adsorption of Cd²⁺ by CS-KAC-Ag is also in agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with an R² (coefficient of determination) factor greater than 99%. The lab data were also corroborated by tests conducted using water samples collected from mining sites in Mexico. Along with Cd²⁺, the CS-KAC-Ag exhibited superior removal efficiency towards Cr⁶⁺ (91.7%) > Ni²⁺ (84.4%) > Co²⁺ (80.5%) at pH 6.5 and 0.2 g L⁻¹ dose of the nano-adsorbent. Moreover, the adsorbent was regenerated, and the adsorption capacity remained unaltered after five successive cycles. The results showed that synthesized CS-KAC-Ag was a biocompatible and versatile porous filtering material for the decontamination of different toxic metal ions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physicochemical Characterization of Cherry Pits-Derived Biochar

by Vladimír Frišták, Diana Bošanská, Martin Pipíška, Libor Ďuriška, Stephen M. Bell and Gerhard Soja

Materials 2022, 15(2), 408; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15020408 - 06 Jan 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2012

Abstract

Although the suitability of some biochars for contaminants’ sorption separation has been established, not all potential feedstocks have been explored and characterized. Here, we physicochemically characterized cherry pit biochar (CPB) pyrolyzed from cherry pit biomass (CP) at 500 °C, and we assessed their As and Hg sorption efficiencies in aqueous solutions in comparison to activated carbon (AC). The basic physicochemical and material characterization of the studied adsorbents was carried out using pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), concentration of surface functional groups (Boehm titration), and surface area (SA) analysis; elemental C, H, N analysis; and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX). AsO₄³⁻ anions and Hg²⁺ cations were selected as model contaminants used to test the sorption properties of the sorption materials. Characterization analyses confirmed a ninefold increase in SA in the case of CPB. The total C concentration increased by 26%, while decreases in the total H and N concentrations were observed. The values of carbonate and ash contents decreased by about half due to pyrolysis processes. The concentrations of surface functional groups of the analyzed biochar obtained by Boehm titration confirmed a decrease in carboxyl and lactone groups, while an increase in phenolic functional groups was observed. Changes in the morphology and surface functionality of the pyrolyzed material were confirmed by SEM–EDX and FTIR analyses. In sorption experiments, we found that the CPB showed better results in the sorption separation of Hg²⁺ than in the sorption separation of AsO₄³⁻. The sorption efficiency for the model cation increased in the order CP < CPB < AC and, for the model anion, it increased in the order CPB < CP < AC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 6406 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Adsorption of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solution by Mussel Shell-Based Adsorbent: Preparation, Characterization, and Adsorption Performance

by Quan Wang, Fangyuan Jiang, Xiao-Kun Ouyang, Li-Ye Yang and Yangguang Wang

Materials 2021, 14(4), 741; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14040741 - 05 Feb 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 2756

Abstract

As a natural biological adsorbent, shell powder is inexpensive, highly efficient, and does not leave any chemical residue; thus, it can be used to remove contaminants from water. In this study, we used mussel shells as a raw material to prepare an adsorbent. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the surface morphology of the mussel shell powder before and after calcination, and X-ray diffraction measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements were performed to analyze the structure and composition of calcined mussel shell powder. Characterization of the shell powder before and after calcination revealed a change from calcium carbonate to calcium oxide, as well as the formation of a surface porous structure. Using Pb(II) as a representative contaminant, various factors affecting the adsorption were explored, and the adsorption mechanism was analyzed. It was found that the adsorption is consistent with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm and the pseudo second-order model. The calcined mussel shell powder exhibits excellent adsorption for Pb(II), with an adsorption capacity reaching 102.04 mg/g. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2950 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Nickel from Aqueous Solutions by Natural Bentonites from Slovakia

by Matej Šuránek, Zuzana Melichová, Valéria Kureková, Ljiljana Kljajević and Snežana Nenadović

Materials 2021, 14(2), 282; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14020282 - 07 Jan 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2199

Abstract

In this study, the removal of nickel (Ni(II)) by adsorption from synthetically prepared solutions using natural bentonites (Lieskovec (L), Hliník nad Hronom (S), Jelšový Potok (JP), and Stará Kremnička (SK)) was investigated. All experiments were carried out under batch processing conditions, with the concentration of Ni(II), temperature, and time as the variables. The adsorption process was fast, approaching equilibrium within 30 min. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities of the four bentonite samples used were found to be 8.41, 12.24, 21.79, and 21.93 mg g^–1, respectively. The results best fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with constant rates in a range of 0.0948–0.3153 g mg^–1 min. The effect of temperature was investigated at temperatures of 20, 30, and 40 °C. Thermodynamic parameters, including standard enthalpy (ΔH⁰), Gibbs energy (ΔG⁰), and standard entropy (ΔS⁰), were calculated. The adsorption of Ni(II) by bentonite samples was an endothermic and spontaneous process. These results indicated that, of the bentonite samples used, the natural bentonites from JP and SK were most suitable for the removal of nickel from synthetically prepared solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 5042 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Metal Removal from Nickel-Containing Effluents Using Mineral–Organic Hybrid Adsorbent

by Inga Zinicovscaia, Nikita Yushin, Dmitrii Grozdov, Konstantin Vergel, Nadezhda Popova, Grigoriy Artemiev and Alexey Safonov

Materials 2020, 13(19), 4462; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13194462 - 08 Oct 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2203

Abstract

Nickel is one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants and its removal from wastewater is an important task. The capacity of a mineral–organic hybrid adsorbent, consisting of Shewanella xiamenensis biofilm and zeolite (clinoptilolite of the Chola deposit), to remove metal ions from nickel-containing batch systems under different experimental conditions was tested. The obtained biosorbent was characterized using neutron activation, SEM, and FTIR techniques. It was established that maximum removal of cations, up to 100%, was achieved at pH 6.0. Several mathematical models were applied to describe the equilibrium and kinetics data. The maximum adsorption capacity of the hybrid biosorbent, calculated using the Langmuir model, varied from 3.6 to 3.9 mg/g. Negative Gibbs energy values and positive ∆H° values indicate the spontaneous and endothermic character of the biosorption process. The effects of several parameters (pH and biosorbent dosage) on Ni(II) removal from real effluent, containing nickel with a concentration of 125 mg/L, were investigated. The optimal pH for Ni(II) removal was 5.0–6.0 and an increase of sorbent dosage from 0.5 to 2.0 led to an increase in Ni(II) removal from 17% to 27%. At two times effluent dilution, maximum Ni(II) removal of 26% was attained at pH 6.0 and sorbent dosage of 1.0 g. A 12-fold effluent dilution resulted in the removal of 72% of Ni(II) at the same pH and sorbent dosage values. The obtained hybrid biosorbent can be used for Ni(II) removal from industrial effluents with low Ni(II) concentrations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 1792 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Efficient Removal of Metals from Synthetic and Real Galvanic Zinc–Containing Effluents by Brewer’s Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

by Inga Zinicovscaia, Nikita Yushin, Daler Abdusamadzoda, Dmitrii Grozdov and Margarita Shvetsova

Materials 2020, 13(16), 3624; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13163624 - 16 Aug 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2344

Abstract

The performance of the brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to remove metal ions from four batch systems, namely Zn(II), Zn(II)-Sr(II)-Cu(II), Zn(II)-Ni(II)-Cu(II), and Zn(II)-Sr(II)-Cu(II)-Ba(II), and one real effluent was evaluated. Yeast biosorption capacity under different pH, temperature, initial zinc concentration, and contact time was investigated. The optimal pH for removal of metal ions present in the analyzed solution (Zn, Cu, Ni, Sr, and Ba) varied from 3.0 to 6.0. The biosorption process for zinc ions in all systems obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and, in some cases, the Freundlich model was applicable as well. The kinetics of metal ions biosorption was described by pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich models. Thermodynamic calculations showed that metal biosorption was a spontaneous process. The two-stage sequential scheme of zinc ions removal from real effluent by the addition of different dosages of new sorbent allowed us to achieve a high efficiency of Zn(II) ions removal from the effluent. FTIR revealed that OH, C=C, C=O, C–H, C–N, and NH groups were the main biosorption sites for metal ions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetically Functionalized Moss Biomass as Biosorbent for Efficient Co²⁺ Ions and Thioflavin T Removal

by Martin Pipíška, Simona Zarodňanská, Miroslav Horník, Libor Ďuriška, Marián Holub and Ivo Šafařík

Materials 2020, 13(16), 3619; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13163619 - 16 Aug 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2416

Abstract

Microwave synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles and microparticles were used to prepare a magnetically responsive biosorbent from Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus moss for the rapid and efficient removal of Co²⁺ ions and thioflavin T (TT). The biocomposite was extensively characterized using Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR), XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques. The magnetic biocomposite showed very good adsorption properties toward Co²⁺ ions and TT e.g., rapid kinetics, high adsorption capacity (218 μmol g⁻¹ for Co and 483 μmol g⁻¹ for TT), fast magnetic separation, and good reusability in four successive adsorption–desorption cycles. Besides the electrostatic attraction between the oxygen functional moieties of the biomass surface and both Co²⁺ and TT ions, synergistic interaction with the –FeOH groups of iron oxides also participates in adsorption. The obtained results indicate that the magnetically responsive biocomposite can be a suitable, easily separable, and recyclable biosorbent for water purification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Wooden Sawdust Treatments on Cu(II) and Zn(II) Removal from Water

by Zdenka Kovacova, Stefan Demcak, Magdalena Balintova, Cocencepcion Pla and Inga Zinicovscaia

Materials 2020, 13(16), 3575; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13163575 - 13 Aug 2020

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 2882

Abstract

Organic waste materials and semi-products containing cellulose are used as low-cost adsorbents that are able to compete with conventional sorbents. In addition, their capacity to bind heavy metal ions can be intensified by chemical treatments using mineral and organic acids, bases, oxidizing agents, and organic compounds. In this paper, we studied the biosorption capacity of natural and modified wooden sawdust of poplar, cherry, spruce, and hornbeam in order to remove heavy metals from acidic model solutions. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed changes of the functional groups due to the alkaline modification of sawdust, which manifested in the considerably increased intensity of the hydroxyl peaks. The adsorption isotherm models clearly indicated that the adsorptive behavior of metal ions in treated sawdust satisfied not only the Langmuir model, but also the Freundlich model. The adsorption data obtained for studied sorbents were better fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model for both metals, except for spruce sawdust. Surface complexation and ion exchange are the major mechanisms involved in metal ion removal. We investigated the efficiency of the alkaline modified sawdust for metal removal under various initial concentrations of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from model solutions. The highest adsorption efficiency values (copper 94.3% at pH 6.8 and zinc 98.2% at pH 7.3) were obtained for poplar modified by KOH. For all types of sawdust, we found that the sorption efficiency of modified sorbents was higher in comparison to untreated sawdust. The value of the pH initially increased more in the case of modified sawdust (8.2 for zinc removal with spruce NaOH) and then slowly decreased (7.0 for Zn(II) with spruce NaOH). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (10 papers)

Editorial

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI