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Advanced Oxidation Processes and Bioremediation Strategies for the Treatment of Polluted Environmental Matrices

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 11668

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Claudia Campanale

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Guest Editor

National Council of Research, Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, 70132 Bari, Italy
Interests: microplastics; plastic; marine debris; remediation strategies; pollutants; plant protection products; heavy metals; water and soil monitoring; analytical chemistry; GC-MS/MS; HPLC-MS/MS; ICP-MS; FTIR
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing number of pollutants in environmental matrices means that multiple remediation technologies are constantly required to evolve and also requires interdisciplinary collaboration among chemists, biologists, engineers, eco-toxicologists, and environmental scientists. There are no valid evaluation criteria for all cases; on the contrary, every situation must be examined to identify the appropriate initiatives to be taken. Based on the type of treatment, it is possible to distinguish chemical–physical treatments and biological treatments.

On the one hand, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) represent a class of procedures that are important in the effective removal of xenobiotics, as the majority are often refractory to biodegradation, have non-selective behaviour and lack solid waste formation. However, there are some knowledge gaps in scientific literature, such as current trends in environmental applications of AOPs for real environmental water and/or wastewater matrices.

On the other hand, biological processes for remediation based on the ability of living organisms to partially or completely transform/degrade contaminants involve the optimization of environmental conditions through the addition of nutrients, acceptors and/or donors of electrons and cofactors essential for the degradative activity of the microbial populations present in the environmental matrix (biostimulation) or the addition of microbial populations with specific activity (bioaugmentation).

This Special Issue invites the submission of original research papers, as well as reviews focused on various innovative and sustainable environmental applications for the remediation of contaminated environmental matrices through chemical or biological strategies. Potential topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, kinetics and degradation studies of pollutants, the identification of by-products, the environmental fate of pollutants, catalytic and photocatalytic materials, reactors, eco-toxicological assessments, lab-scale experiments and on-field studies.

Dr. Claudia Campanale
Guest Editor

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Keywords

advanced oxidation processes
pollutants removal
wastewater treatment
bioremediation
biostimulation
bioaugmentation
bioventing
biopiles

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 1775 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Integrated Approach to Assess Smart Passive Bioventing as a Sustainable Strategy for the Remediation of a Polluted Site by Persistent Organic Pollutants

by Mariangela Triozzi, Maria Silvia Binetti, Claudia Campanale, Vito Felice Uricchio and Carmine Massarelli

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3764; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15043764 - 18 Feb 2023

Viewed by 2777

Abstract

Recently modern methodologies allowed the improvement of conventional bioventing strategies in an engineering technology known as smart passive bioventing (S-PBv). The latter is an increasingly used application to reduce the concentrations of organic contaminants below the relative value of contamination threshold concentration (CSC). The S-PBv exploits the natural fluctuations of atmospheric pressure, which allow air to enter into the subsoil, to facilitate natural remediation processes. In this way, the efforts in terms of economics resources in the remediation process are minimised, the risk of pollutants volatilization is drastically reduced, and the degradation favoured by microorganisms is promoted. Our study aims to provide the essential information to plan a series of in situ tests (pilot test) to verify the applicability of this remediation technology, through the use of intelligent sensors designed and engineered using open-source hardware and software. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Bioremediation Strategies for the Treatment of Polluted Environmental Matrices)

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13 pages, 3466 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Evaluating the Influence of Nitrogen Fertilizers and Biochar on Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis by the Use of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy

by Daniela Losacco, Claudia Campanale, Marina Tumolo, Valeria Ancona, Carmine Massarelli and Vito Felice Uricchio

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 11985; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141911985 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2208

Abstract

The exponential growth of the human population requires an increasing application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers, causing environmental pollution. Biochar (B) amended soil has been suggested as a sustainable agricultural practice to improve crop yield and mitigate agricultural pollutants’ contamination. Evaluating the effect of fertilization on Brassica crops, in combination with spectral analysis, may specify changes in the chemical composition of the vegetable as a result of N fertilization. This study characterized cauliflower tissues treated with N fertilizer and biochar, employing Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. The experiment was conducted in cauliflower mesocosms treated with two doses of N fertilizer (130 and 260 kg N ha⁻¹) with or without B. Attenuated total reflectance fractions were used to characterize fractions of curds, leaves, stems, and roots in the infrared using a Fourier transform. Principal component analysis was performed to classify the main differences among cauliflower tissues concerning treatments. FTIR spectra of Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis tissues were related to nitrogen-based agricultural practices. The specific molecules associated with functional groups in cauliflower tissues were phenols, amides, proteins, amines, and glucosinolates. Biochar amended soil resulted in higher peaks that correspond to the stretching of phenols and proteins. The application of sustainable nitrogen fertilizers might influence the absorption bands characteristic of cauliflower’s typical metabolites. The research allows the identification of Brassicaceae’s functional molecules with a potential agronomic application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Bioremediation Strategies for the Treatment of Polluted Environmental Matrices)

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Review

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43 pages, 8616 KiB

Open AccessReview

Photocatalytic Degradation and Adsorptive Removal of Emerging Organic Pesticides Using Metal Oxide and Their Composites: Recent Trends and Future Perspectives

by Haneen H. Shanaah, Eman F. H. Alzaimoor, Suad Rashdan, Amina A. Abdalhafith and Ayman H. Kamel

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7336; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15097336 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2930

Abstract

For applications involving water cleanup, metal oxide nanoparticles are exceptionally successful. They are useful for the adsorption and photocatalytic destruction of organic pollutants due to their distinctive qualities, which include their wide surface/volume area, high number of active sites, porous structure, stability, recovery, and low toxicity. Metal oxide nanomaterials have drawn a lot of attention from researchers in the past ten years because of their various production pathways, simplicity in surface modification, abundance, and inexpensive cost. A wide range of metal oxides, such as iron oxides, MgO, TiO₂, ZnO, WO₃, CuO, Cu₂O, metal oxides composites, and graphene–metal oxides composites, with variable structural, crystalline, and morphological features, are reviewed, emphasizing the recent development, challenges, and opportunities for adsorptive removal and photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants such as dyes, pesticides, phenolic compounds, and so on. In-depth study of the photocatalytic mechanism of metal oxides, their composites, and photocatalytically important characteristics is also covered in this paper. Metal oxides are particularly effective photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants due to their high photodegradation efficiency, economically sound methods for producing photo-catalytic materials, and precise band-gap engineering. Due to their detrimental effects on human health, pesticides—one of the highly hazardous organic pollutants—play a significant part in environmental contamination. Depending on where they come from and who they are targeting, they are categorized in various ways. Researchers focusing on metal oxides and their composites for the adsorptive and photocatalytic degradation of pesticides would find the review to be a beneficial resource. Detailed information on many pesticides, difficulties associated with pesticides, environmental concentration, and the necessity of degradation has been presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Bioremediation Strategies for the Treatment of Polluted Environmental Matrices)

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54 pages, 4328 KiB

Open AccessReview

Natural Source Zone Depletion (NSZD) Quantification Techniques: Innovations and Future Directions

by Roya Pishgar, Joseph Patrick Hettiaratchi and Angus Chu

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7027; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14127027 - 08 Jun 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3043

Abstract

Natural source zone depletion (NSZD) is an emerging technique for sustainable and cost-effective bioremediation of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) in oil spill sites. Depending on regulatory objectives, NSZD has the potential to be used as either the primary or sole LNAPL management technique. To achieve this goal, NSZD rate (i.e., rate of bulk LNAPL mass depletion) should be quantified accurately and precisely. NSZD has certain characteristic features that have been used as surrogates to quantify the NSZD rates. This review highlights the most recent trends in technology development for NSZD data collection and rate estimation, with a focus on the operational and technical advantages and limitations of the associated techniques. So far, four principal techniques are developed, including concentration gradient (CG), dynamic closed chamber (DCC), CO₂ trap and thermal monitoring. Discussions revolving around two techniques, “CO₂ trap” and “thermal monitoring”, are expanded due to the particular attention to them in the current industry. The gaps of knowledge relevant to the NSZD monitoring techniques are identified and the issues which merit further research are outlined. It is hoped that this review can provide researchers and practitioners with sufficient information to opt the best practice for the research and application of NSZD for the management of LNAPL impacted sites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Bioremediation Strategies for the Treatment of Polluted Environmental Matrices)

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