molecules-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Nanomaterials for Bioremediation and Environmental Catalysis

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 6898

Special Issue Editor

Department of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: environmental biotechnology; wastewater biorremediation; waste valorization; anaerobic bioprocesses; micro and nanotechnology; nanomaterials engineering, photocatalysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the increased awareness of environmental problems, several pollutants are continuously released into the environment. Along with the harmful effects on the environment, chronic exposure to low doses of these pollutants is recognized as a major threat to individual and public health. Aiming at combating this issue, there is an urgent need to develop effective remediation processes. At the same time, given the high competitiveness in the global world, innovative ideas will have greater impact and potential for application.

Nanomaterials possess unique properties such as their high surface area, which enhance the interactions with the contaminant; their small size, enabling their penetration or diffusion in contaminated areas and bioreactors; and their high reactivity to redox-amenable contaminants, which make them very versatile for many applications in environmental bioremediation and catalysis.

As such, this Special Issue offers an opportunity for the publication of original research or review articles regarding the application of nanomaterials in bioremediation and environmental catalysis. It covers all branches and aspects stressing the development of new processes for removal and recovery organic and inorganic pollutants from environmental matrices, as well as their applications. We intend for this issue to reflect the infinite possibilities of developing new nanomaterials to be applied in the building up of innovative processes that can combat the urgent problems of environmental pollution.

Dr. Luciana Pereira
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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • Nanomaterials 
  • Bioremediation
  • Environmental Catalysis 
  • Pollutants

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

14 pages, 4528 KiB  
Article
A Cyclen-Functionalized Cobalt-Substituted Sandwich-Type Tungstoarsenate with Versatility in Removal of Methylene Blue and Anti-ROS-Sensitive Tumor Cells
by Jiai Hua, Xueman Wei, Yifeng Li, Lingzhi Li, Hui Zhang, Feng Wang, Changli Zhang and Xiang Ma
Molecules 2022, 27(19), 6451; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27196451 - 30 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1359
Abstract
Oxidative degradation by using reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an effective method to treat pollutants. The synthesis of artificial oxidase for the degradation of dyes is a hot spot in molecular science. In this study, a nanoscale sandwich-type polyoxometalate (POM) on the basis [...] Read more.
Oxidative degradation by using reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an effective method to treat pollutants. The synthesis of artificial oxidase for the degradation of dyes is a hot spot in molecular science. In this study, a nanoscale sandwich-type polyoxometalate (POM) on the basis of a tetra-nuclear cobalt cluster and trivacant B-α-Keggin-type tungstoarsenate {[Co(C8H20N4)]4}{Co4(H2O)2[HAsW9O34]2}∙4H2O (abbreviated as CAW, C8H20N4 = cyclen) has been synthesized and structurally examined by infrared (IR) spectrum, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrum, X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS), single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD), and bond valence sum (Σs) calculation. According to the structural analysis, the principal element of the CAW is derived from modifying sandwich-type polyanion {Co4(H2O)2 [HAsW9O34]2}8 with four [Co(Cyclen)]2+, in which 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (cyclen) is firstly applied to modify POM. It is also demonstrated that CAW is capable of efficiently catalyzing the production of ROS by the synergistic effects of POM fragments and Co–cyclen complexes. Moreover, CAW can interfere with the morphology and proliferation of sensitive cells by producing ROS and exhibits ability in specifically eliminating methylene blue (MB) dyes from the solution system by both adsorption and catalytic oxidation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Bioremediation and Environmental Catalysis)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1281 KiB  
Article
Bioremediation of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) by Anaerobic Digestion: Effect of PFAS on Different Trophic Groups and Methane Production Accelerated by Carbon Materials
by Ana Rita Silva, Maria Salomé Duarte, Maria Madalena Alves and Luciana Pereira
Molecules 2022, 27(6), 1895; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27061895 - 15 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3109
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are recalcitrant pollutants which tend to persist in soils and aquatic environments and their remediation is among the most challenging with respect to organic pollutants. Anaerobic digestion (AD) supplemented with low amounts of carbon materials (CM), acting as [...] Read more.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are recalcitrant pollutants which tend to persist in soils and aquatic environments and their remediation is among the most challenging with respect to organic pollutants. Anaerobic digestion (AD) supplemented with low amounts of carbon materials (CM), acting as electron drivers, has proved to be an efficient process for the removal of organic compounds from wastewater. This work explores the impact of PFAS on different trophic groups in anaerobic communities, and the effect of carbon nanotubes (CNT), activated carbon (AC), and oxidized AC (AC-HNO3), as electron shuttles on the anaerobic bioremoval of these compounds, based on CH4 production. The inhibition of the specific methanogenic activity (SMA) exerted by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), at a concentration of 0.1 mg L−1, was below 10% for acetoclastic and below 15%, for acetogenic communities. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens were not affected by the presence of PFAS. All CM reduced the negative impact of PFAS on the CH4 production rate, but AC was the best. Moreover, the methanization percentage (MP) of sewage sludge (SS) increased 41% in the presence of PFOS (1.2 g L−1) and AC. In addition, AC fostered an increase of 11% in the MP of SS+PFOS, relative to the condition without AC. AC promoted detoxification of PFOA- and PFOS-treated samples by 51% and 35%, respectively, as assessed by Vibrio fischeri assays, demonstrating the advantage of bringing AD and CM together for PFAS remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Bioremediation and Environmental Catalysis)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 1555 KiB  
Review
Immobilized Nanomaterials for Environmental Applications
by Francisco J. Cervantes and Luis A. Ramírez-Montoya
Molecules 2022, 27(19), 6659; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27196659 - 07 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1851
Abstract
Nanomaterials (NMs) have been extensively used in several environmental applications; however, their widespread dissemination at full scale is hindered by difficulties keeping them active in engineered systems. Thus, several strategies to immobilize NMs for their environmental utilization have been established and are described [...] Read more.
Nanomaterials (NMs) have been extensively used in several environmental applications; however, their widespread dissemination at full scale is hindered by difficulties keeping them active in engineered systems. Thus, several strategies to immobilize NMs for their environmental utilization have been established and are described in the present review, emphasizing their role in the production of renewable energies, the removal of priority pollutants, as well as greenhouse gases, from industrial streams, by both biological and physicochemical processes. The challenges to optimize the application of immobilized NMs and the relevant research topics to consider in future research are also presented to encourage the scientific community to respond to current needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Bioremediation and Environmental Catalysis)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop