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Preparation and Application of Environmental Functional Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2023) | Viewed by 8439

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Zebin Yu

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Guest Editor

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-ferrous Metals and Featured Materials, School of Resources, Environment & Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: environmental functional materials; catalysts; adsorbents; stabilizers; preparation processing; reaction mechanism; performance evaluation; application

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solving the problems of environmental pollution and the energy crisis requires multidisciplinary integration, especially breakthroughs in innovative materials. Preparation and application of environmental functional materials are increasing, which benefits from the rapid improvement of the production process, quality control, cost reduction and demand from practice, etc.

This Special Issue aims to introduce the latest development of preparation and application of environmental functional materials. The focus is on the emerging trends of technological development and theoretical research of environmental functional materials. Original articles and review articles will deal with the following themes, without being limited to them: innovative environmental photocatalytic catalytic materials, high-performance environmental electrocatalytic materials, environmental remediation material, and novel environmental adsorption materials, including preparation processing and characterization, microstructure evaluation, physical and structural characterization and testing, optimization of properties and processes, theoretical calculations, and new application of environmental functional materials. Contributions on multiscale composites, advanced manufacturing processes, and novel applications are also encouraged. Research on life cycle assessment and the durability of these environmental functional materials is also welcome.

I kindly invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Zebin Yu
Guest Editor

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

environmental functional materials
catalysts
adsorbents
stabilizers
preparation processing
reaction mechanism
performance evaluation
application

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2518 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Temperature Effect on Ionic Polymers Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Activated Carbons Obtained from Biomass

by Marlena Gęca, Małgorzata Wiśniewska, Teresa Urban and Piotr Nowicki

Materials 2023, 16(1), 350; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16010350 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1252

Abstract

The main aim of this study was the determination of temperature influence on adsorption mechanisms of anionic poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and cationic polyethylenimine (PEI) on the surface of activated carbons (AC) obtained via chemical activation of nettle (NE) and sage (SA) herbs. All measurements were performed at pH 3 at three temperature values, i.e., 15, 25 and 35 °C. The adsorption/desorption of these polymers from single and mixed solution of adsorbates was also investigated. The viscosity studies were additionally performed to obtain hydrodynamic radius values characterizing polymeric macromolecules conformation in the solution. These data are very important for the explanation of changes of linear dimensions of polymer chains with the rise of temperature caused by the modification of polymer–solvent interactions. Moreover, the XPS studies for the systems showing the highest adsorbed amounts in the specific temperature conditions were carried out. These were the systems containing PEI, PAA and NE–AC activated carbon at 25 °C. In such a case, the maximum adsorption capacity towards PAA macromolecules from a single solution of adsorbate reaches the value of 198.12 mg/g. Additionally, the thermodynamic parameters including the free energies of adsorption, as well as changes in free enthalpy and entropy were calculated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of Environmental Functional Materials)

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10 pages, 1403 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bentonite as a Functional Material Enhancing Phytostabilization of Post-Industrial Contaminated Soils with Heavy Metals

by Barbara Klik, Jiri Holatko, Iwona Jaskulska, Mariusz Z. Gusiatin, Tereza Hammerschmiedt, Martin Brtnicky, Ernesta Liniauskienė, Tivadar Baltazar, Dariusz Jaskulski, Antonin Kintl and Maja Radziemska

Materials 2022, 15(23), 8331; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15238331 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1321

Abstract

Growing awareness of the risks posed by pollution of the soil environment is leading to the development of new remediation strategies. The technique of aided phytostabilization, which involves the evaluation of new heavy-metal (HM)-immobilizing amendments, together with appropriately selected plant species, is a challenge for environmental protection and remediation of the soil environment, and seems to be promising. In this study, the suitability of bentonite for the technique of aided phytostabilization of soils contaminated with high HM concentrations was determined, using a mixture of two grass species. The HM contents in the tested plants and in the soil were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The application of bentonite had a positive effect on the biomass of the tested plants, and resulted in an increase in soil pH. The concentrations of copper, nickel, cadmium, lead and chromium were higher in the roots than in the above-ground parts of the plants, especially when bentonite was applied to the soil. The addition of the analyzed soil additive contributed significantly to a decrease in the levels of zinc, copper, cadmium and nickel in the soil at the end of the experiment. In view of the above, it can be concluded that the use of bentonite in the aided phytostabilization of soils polluted with HMs, is appropriate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of Environmental Functional Materials)

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16 pages, 4648 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Date Seed Powder Derived Porous Graphene Oxide and Its Application as an Environmental Functional Material to Remove Dye from Aqueous Solutions

by Fatimah A. M. Al-Zahrani, Badria M. Al-Shehri, Reda M. El-Shishtawy, Nasser S. Awwad, Khalid Ali Khan, M. A. Sayed and Saifeldin M. Siddeeg

Materials 2022, 15(22), 8136; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15228136 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1500

Abstract

This study aims to prepare graphene oxide (GO) from raw date seeds (RDSs), considered one of the available agricultural wastes in Saudi Arabia. The preparation method is done by the conversion of date seeds to lignin and then to graphite which is used in a modified Hummer’s method to obtain GO. The adsorption of insoluble phenothiazine-derived dye (PTZS) over raw date Seeds (RDSs) as a low-cost adsorbent was investigated in this study. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize (RDSs). According to the calculations, Freundlich isotherms and pseudo-second-order accurately predicted the kinetic rate of adsorption. The adsorption ability was 4.889 mg/g, and the removal rate was 93.98% GO-date Seeds mass, 11 mg/L starting dye concentration, at a temperature of 328 K, pH 9, and contact length of 30 min by boosting the PTZS solution’s ionic strength. In addition, the computed free energies revealed that the adsorption process was physical. Thermodynamic calculations revealed that dye adsorption onto GO-date seeds was exothermic and spontaneous. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of Environmental Functional Materials)

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16 pages, 3067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isotherm, Kinetic, and Selectivity Studies for the Removal of ¹³³Ba and ¹³⁷Cs from Aqueous Solution Using Turkish Perlite

by Süleyman İnan, Vipul Vilas Kusumkar, Michal Galamboš, Eva Viglašová, Oľga Rosskopfová and Martin Daňo

Materials 2022, 15(21), 7816; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15217816 - 05 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1901

Abstract

The efficiency of

^{133} Ba

and

^{137} Cs

removal from aqueous solution is vital to mitigate ecological concerns over spreading these radionuclides in the environment. The present work focused on the use of Turkish perlite for the sorptive removal of [...] Read more.

The efficiency of

^{133} Ba

and

^{137} Cs

^{133} Ba

and

^{137} Cs

from aqueous solution by the radioindicator method. Perlite was characterized by XRF, XRD, FTIR, SEM–EDX, and BET analyses. The maximum percentage removals of 88.2% and 78.7% were obtained for

^{133} Ba

and

^{137} Cs

at pH 6 and pH 9, respectively. For both ions, the sorption equilibrium was attained relatively rapidly. Experimental kinetic data were well described with pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models. The uptake of both ions increased with the increase in metal concentration (1 × 10⁻⁵ to 5 × 10⁻² mol/L) in solution. The maximum uptake capacities of

^{133} Ba

and

^{137} Cs

were found to be 1.96 and 2.11 mmol/g, respectively. The effect of competing ions decreased in the order of

{Ca}^{2 +} > K^{+} > {Ni}^{2 +} > {Na}^{+}

for

^{133} Ba

sorption, whereas for

^{137} Cs

sorption, the order was determined as

{Ca}^{2 +} > {Ni}^{2 +} > K^{+} > {Na}^{+}

. Selectivity studies pointed out that sorption of

^{133} Ba

onto perlite is preferable to

^{137} Cs

. Therefore, Turkish perlite is a promising, cost-effective, and efficient natural material for the removal of

^{133} Ba

and

^{137} Cs

from relatively diluted aqueous solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of Environmental Functional Materials)

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19 pages, 5777 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fluidized ZnO@BCFPs Particle Electrodes for Efficient Degradation and Detoxification of Metronidazole in 3D Electro-Peroxone Process

by Dan Yuan, Shungang Wan, Rurong Liu, Mengmeng Wang and Lei Sun

Materials 2022, 15(10), 3731; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15103731 - 23 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1851

Abstract

A novel material of self-shaped ZnO-embedded biomass carbon foam pellets (ZnO@BCFPs) was successfully synthesized and used as fluidized particle electrodes in three-dimensional (3D) electro-peroxone systems for metronidazole degradation. Compared with 3D and 2D + O₃ systems, the energy consumption was greatly reduced and the removal efficiencies of metronidazole were improved in the 3D + O₃ system. The degradation rate constants increased from 0.0369 min⁻¹ and 0.0337 min⁻¹ to 0.0553 min⁻¹, respectively. The removal efficiencies of metronidazole and total organic carbon reached 100% and 50.5% within 60 min under optimal conditions. It indicated that adding ZnO@BCFPs particle electrodes was beneficial to simultaneous adsorption and degradation of metronidazole due to improving mass transfer of metronidazole and forming numerous tiny electrolytic cells. In addition, the process of metronidazole degradation in 3D electro-peroxone systems involved hydroxyethyl cleavage, hydroxylation, nitro-reduction, N-denitrification and ring-opening. The active species of ·OH and ·O₂⁻ played an important role. Furthermore, the acute toxicity LD₅₀ and the bioconcentration factor of intermediate products decreased with the increasing reaction time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of Environmental Functional Materials)

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