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Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2022) | Viewed by 23522

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sneha Samal

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Guest Editor

FZU—Institute of Physics of Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 1999/2, 182 21 Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: polymer; functional materials; composite; interfacial adhesion; shape memory behavior; mechanical application
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Ignazio Blanco

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: materials; polymers; thermal properties; nanocomposites; composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Green technologies have recently become increasingly attractive to researchers, engineers, manufacturers, materials scientists, chemical engineers, and environmental scientists working in various areas. This Special Issue will covers advances in green technologies starting from basic topics, such as in the areas of waste reduction and utilization, leading to the advanced field of green manufacturing and products. Green technologies not only save energy but also minimize energy consumption with sustainable manufacturing of products in the construction industries – from the basic technology of red mud bricks with advanced porous thermal insulators of geopolymer bricks with modern technologies and ideas. Within the scope of this SI is the category of materials with green manufacturing and applications, considering that the attention toward minimizing energy consumption while factoring in environmental concerns and efficiency in manufacturing green technology will be a key issue in various areas from ceramics toward composites, with emphasis on the area of the biocomposites. Topics to be covered will include design and manufacturing processes, renewable energy, ecofriendly materials and structures, energy saving, waste reduction and utilization, and environmental management and policy within the scope of green technologies, manufacturing, and applications.

Dr. Sneha Samal
Prof. Dr. Ignazio Blanco
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

green technologies
waste reduction and utilization
new energy-saving technologies
energy consumption
alternative sustainable materials
sustainable manufacturing

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 5533 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Upcycling Glass Waste into Porous Microspheres for Wastewater Treatment Applications: Efficacy of Dye Removal

by Sabrin A. Samad, Abul Arafat, Edward Lester and Ifty Ahmed

Materials 2022, 15(17), 5809; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15175809 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1687

Abstract

Each year about 7.6 million tons of waste glasses are landfilled without recycling, reclaiming or upcycling. Herein we have developed a solvent free upcycling method for recycled glass waste (RG) by remanufacturing it into porous recycled glass microspheres (PRGMs) with a view to explore removal of organic pollutants such as organic dyes. PRGMs were prepared via flame spheroidisation process and characterised using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) analysis. PRGMs exhibited 69% porosity with overall pore volume and pore area of 0.84 cm³/g and 8.6 cm²/g, respectively (from MIP) and a surface area of 8 m²/g. Acid red 88 (AR88) and Methylene blue (MB) were explored as a model source of pollutants. Results showed that removal of AR88 and MB by PRGMs was influenced by pH of the dye solution, PRGMs doses, and dye concentrations. From the batch process experiments, adsorption and coagulation processes were observed for AR88 dye whilst MB dye removal was attributed only to adsorption process. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity (q_e) recorded for AR88, and MB were 78 mg/g and 20 mg/g, respectively. XPS and FTIR studies further confirmed that the adsorption process was due to electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bond formation. Furthermore, dye removal capacity of the PRGMs was also investigated for column adsorption process experiments. Based on the Thomas model, the calculated adsorption capacities at flow rates of 2.2 mL/min and 0.5 mL/min were 250 mg/g and 231 mg/g, respectively which were much higher than the batch scale Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity (q_e) values. It is suggested that a synergistic effect of adsorption/coagulation followed by filtration processes was responsible for the higher adsorption capacities observed from the column adsorption studies. This study also demonstrated that PRGMs produced from recycled glass waste could directly be applied to the next cyclic experiment with similar dye removal capability. Thus, highlighting the circular economy scope of using waste inorganic materials for alternate applications such as pre-screening materials in wastewater treatment applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas)

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18 pages, 8245 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CO Oxidation over Pd Catalyst Supported on Porous TiO₂ Prepared by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) of a Ti Metallic Carrier

by Payam Samadi, Michal J. Binczarski, Aleksandra Pawlaczyk, Jacek Rogowski, Malgorzata I. Szynkowska-Jozwik and Izabela A. Witonska

Materials 2022, 15(12), 4301; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15124301 - 17 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1492

Abstract

A porous TiO₂ layer was prepared with the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) of Ti. In a further step, Pd was deposited on the TiO₂ surface layer using the adsorption method. The activity of the Pd/TiO₂/Ti catalyst was investigated during the oxidation of CO to CO₂ in a mixture of air with 5% CO. The structure of the catalytic active layer was studied using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The PEO process provided a porous TiO₂ layer with a uniform thickness in the range of 5–10 µm, which is desirable for the production of Pd-supported catalysts. A TOF-SIMS analysis showed the formation of Pd nanoparticles after the adsorption treatment. The conversion of CO to CO₂ in all samples was achieved at 150–280 °C, depending on the concentration of Pd. The composition of Pd/ TiO₂/Ti was determined using ICP-MS. The optimum concentration of Pd on the surface of the catalyst was approximately 0.14% wt. This concentration was obtained when a 0.4% PdCl₂ solution was used in the adsorption process. Increasing the concentration of PdCl₂ did not lead to a further improvement in the activity of Pd/ TiO₂/Ti. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas)

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19 pages, 3539 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Reusability of a Polyurethane-Bound Noise-Absorbing Pavement in Terms of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

by Sabine Faßbender and Markus Oeser

Materials 2022, 15(9), 3040; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15093040 - 22 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1581

Abstract

A key aspect of sustainable pavement construction is the use of environmentally-friendly designed pavement materials. These materials are characterized by the fact that they are renewable raw materials, require a low amount of energy during production and in the best case, are made from a high proportion of recyclable materials in order to reduce waste. A number of recent studies have demonstrated the recyclability of waste materials that can be very well utilized in road construction. This study describes the recycling of a new and innovative topcoat system that already contains recycled materials. However, the focus is on guaranteeing the mechanical performance of the innovative absorption layer where different portions of used material are added. Therefore, low-temperature behaviour, durability, fatigue and noise absorption are investigated in detail and it is concluded that their function is preserved. In order to investigate these characteristics, the impedance measuring tube, the uniaxial cyclic compression test (UCCT), the three point bending test (3PB), the uniaxial tension stress test (UTST) and the thermal stress restrained specimen test (TSRST) are used. However, the examined absorption material can be reused to build innovative roads. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas)

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14 pages, 4706 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rumen Inoculum Enhances Cathode Performance in Single-Chamber Air-Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells

by Ignacio T. Vargas, Natalia Tapia and John M. Regan

Materials 2022, 15(1), 379; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15010379 - 05 Jan 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1867

Abstract

During the last decade, bioprospecting for electrochemically active bacteria has included the search for new sources of inoculum for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, concerning power and current production, a Geobacter-dominated mixed microbial community derived from a wastewater inoculum remains the standard. On the other hand, cathode performance is still one of the main limitations for MFCs, and the enrichment of a beneficial cathodic biofilm emerges as an alternative to increase its performance. Glucose-fed air-cathode reactors inoculated with a rumen-fluid enrichment and wastewater showed higher power densities and soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) removal (Pmax = 824.5 mWm⁻²; ΔsCOD = 96.1%) than reactors inoculated only with wastewater (Pmax = 634.1 mWm⁻²; ΔsCOD = 91.7%). Identical anode but different cathode potentials suggest that differences in performance were due to the cathode. Pyrosequencing analysis showed no significant differences between the anodic community structures derived from both inocula but increased relative abundances of Azoarcus and Victivallis species in the cathodic rumen enrichment. Results suggest that this rarely used inoculum for single-chamber MFCs contributed to cathodic biofilm improvements with no anodic biofilm effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas)

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15 pages, 7358 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Obtention and Characterization of Ferrous Chloride FeCl₂·4H₂O from Water Pickling Liquors

by Lorena Alcaraz, Belén Sotillo, José F. Marco, Francisco J. Alguacil, Paloma Fernández and Félix A. López

Materials 2021, 14(17), 4840; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14174840 - 26 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 7360

Abstract

As a hazardous waste, water pickling liquors must be properly treated. An alternative consists of promoting the formation of ferrous salts from this residue due to their higher ferrous content. Since FeCl₂·4H₂O is widely used in several applications, obtaining pure crystals of this material appears to be an interesting prospect. However, this compound has scarcely been investigated. In the present work, FeCl₂·4H₂O crystals were obtained from water pickling liquors. Their structural and morphological characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy as well as Mössbauer spectroscopy. In addition, the photoluminescence study of the obtained samples was also assessed. It was observed that after some aging time, the obtained crystals changed in colour from green to more yellowish. As such, the aged sample was also evaluated, and their structural characteristics were compared with the original crystals. Despite this, the obtained crystals exhibit a FeCl₂·4H₂O structure, which is not modified with the aging of the sample. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas)

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Review

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18 pages, 7466 KiB

Open AccessReview

An Overview of Thermal Plasma Arc Systems for Treatment of Various Wastes in Recovery of Metals

by Sneha Samal and Ignazio Blanco

Materials 2022, 15(2), 683; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15020683 - 17 Jan 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3703

Abstract

Thermal plasma systems are being used for the recovery of metals from complex waste and minerals. The latter contain multiphase metals in various forms that are extremely tedious to separate. Thermal plasma arc melts the waste and minerals for qualitative plasma products for powder industries. In this overview, we briefly report a description of the various thermal plasma systems and their uses in recovering metal from metal-containing materials in the form of waste or minerals. Various plasma arc systems, such as transferred, nontransferred, and extended arc, have enabled the development of an efficient and environmentally friendly way to recover valuable metals from industrial wastes such as red mud and minerals such as ilmenite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas)

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22 pages, 9683 KiB

Open AccessReview

Utilization of Red Mud as a Source for Metal Ions—A Review

by Sneha Samal

Materials 2021, 14(9), 2211; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14092211 - 25 Apr 2021

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4883

Abstract

An overview is presented on the prospective use of red mud as a resource in this review. Various scopes are suggested for the utilization of red mud to maintain a sustainable environment. The potential use of red mud covers the valuable metal recovery that could emphasize the use of red mud as a resource. Red mud could act as reduced slag in the metallurgical field for the extraction of minerals and metals for upscale application. Although many studies have revealed the potential utilization of red mud, most of them are only limited to a lab-scale basis. Therefore, a large-scale investigation on recycling of red mud for the extraction in the area of the metal recovery section will draw attention to the extensive use of red mud. Metal ions of major elements Fe (44 wt.%), Al (18.2 wt.%), Si (14.3 wt.%), Ti (9.3 wt.%), Na (6.2 wt.%), Ca (4.4 wt.%) as major elements and of Mg, V, Mn, Cr, K as minor elements and rare earth elements such as Ce (102 mg/kg), La (56 mg/kg), Sc (47 mg/kg), Nd (45 mg/kg), Sm (9 mg/kg). Moreover, an appropriate in-house metal recovery facility with the alumina industry will come out as a cost–benefit analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Use of Green Technologies in Various Areas)

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