Submit to Applied Sciences Review for Applied Sciences Edit a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "New Frontiers in Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewaters and Contaminated Soil"

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

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 April 2023) | Viewed by 5374

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qingzhu Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, China
Interests: wastewater treatment; heavy metals; sludge mineralization; Arsenic behaviors; pollution control technologies; aqueous; soil

Prof. Dr. Weizhen Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Interests: pollution control; heavy metal; solid waste; recycling; resource utilization; waste residues; wastewater

Prof. Dr. Zhenhua Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
Interests: rice (Oryza sativa); oilseed rape; Brassica napus; crop physiology; nutrient; Plant Physiology; Plant Cell and Environment; Environmental Pollution; Soil Biology; Biochemistry;genomics; genome sequencing and mapping; quantitative genetics; plant physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the development of modern industry, the demand for heavy metal resources is also gradually increasing. At present, the most widely used heavy metals are mercury, arsenic, copper, zinc, chromium, nickel, and cobalt. As a consequence, heavy metal pollution of industrial wastewater and the soil has become a serious environmental problem. Therefore, the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater and the development of feasible remediation technologies for soil contaminated with heavy metals are urgently needed.

This Special Issue of the journal Applied Sciences, “New Frontiers in the Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewater and Contaminated Soil”, aims to attract novel contributions covering a wide range of applications in separating heavy metals from wastewater and soil.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Development of new methods for analyses and/or the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater and contaminated soil
Separation of heavy metals from industrial wastewater and resourceful utilization
Remediation for heavy metal contaminated soil and mechanisms
Microbial remediation for industrial wastewater and the contaminated soil

Prof. Dr. Qingzhu Li
Prof. Dr. Zhenhua Zhang
Prof. Dr. Weizhen Liu
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. Applied Sciences 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 2300 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

heavy metals
pollution
separation
removal
immobilization
industrial wastewater
contaminated soil
remediation method
microbial

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Performance of nZVI/MXene@CNTs for Rapid As(III) Removal from Aqueous Solutions

and

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(16), 8206; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12168206 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 756

Abstract

Transition metal compounds demonstrated good performance in the removal of environmentally harmful contaminants, such as arsenic, while the aggregation propensity and poor chemical stability should be noticed. In this study, the nZVI/MXene@CNTs was adequately prepared by liquid reduction precipitation method for adsorption and oxidation of As(III) from the aqueous solution. The results of batch removal experiments showed that the maximum removal capacity of the nZVI/MXene@CNTs for As(III) was 443.32 mg/g with the pH = 3.0 at 25 °C. The effects of initial pH, dosage of materials and ionic strength on As(III) removal were explored. According to the various characterization analyses, the most plausible mechanisms of As(III) removal were the surface complexation, solid phase precipitation and the catalytic oxidation by the •OH. Furthermore, the nZVI/MXene@CNTs could be readily activated and reused via leaching with 0.1 M NaOH solution, due to the three-dimensional mesh intercalation structure. Therefore, it is a potential nanocomplex for removing and recovering As(III) from water with excellent capacity and environmental friendliness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewaters and Contaminated Soil)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Yeast Extract Affecting the Transformation of Biogenic Tooeleite and Its Stability

and

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3290; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073290 - 24 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 894

Abstract

Highly toxic As(III) is the main form of As in wastewater. The retention of As by tooeleite has gradually attracted attention in recent years due to its great potential for the direct removal of As(III). The existence of natural As-bearing minerals is closely related to microorganisms and organic matters. In this study, yeast extract was found to enhance the stability of biogenic tooeleite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans). The effects of pH, Fe/As and yeast extract concentration were systematically studied, and the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) was conducted to evaluate the short-term stability of tooeleite. The mineral synthesized in the presence of yeast extract showed that the As leaching concentration decreased from 13.78 mg/L to 7.23 mg/L and the stability increased by more than 40%. In addition, various characteristics confirmed that the precursor was changed from amorphous schwertmannite to basic ferric sulfate in the presence of yeast extract, and then transformed to relatively purer tooeleite with less hollow structure and excellent dispersion, which is favorable for the stability of tooeleite. This result indicated that yeast extract resulted in the formation of different precursors and thus affected the transformation and stability of tooeleite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewaters and Contaminated Soil)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Electrodesorption Performance via Cathode Potential Extension during Capacitive Deionization

and

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2874; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062874 - 10 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1133

Abstract

Complete desorption of contaminants from electrode materials is required for the efficient utilization and long service life of capacitive deionization (CDI) but remains a major challenge. The electrodesorption capacity of CDI in the conventional electrode configuration is limited by the narrow electrochemical stability window of water, which lowers the operating potential to approximately 1.2 V. Here, we report a graphite anode–titanium cathode electrode configuration that extends the cathode potential to −1.7 V and provides an excellent (100%) electrodesorption performance, which is maintained after five cycles. The improvement of the cathode potential depends on the redox property of the electrode. The stronger the oxidizability of the anode and reducibility of the cathode, the wider the cathode potential. The complete desorption potential of SO₄²⁻ predicted by theoretical electrochemistry was the foundation for optimizing the electrode configuration. The desorption efficiency of Cl⁻ depended on the ionic strength and was negligibly affected by circulating velocities above 112 mL min⁻¹. This work can direct the design optimizations of CDI devices, especially for reactors undergoing chemisorption during the electrosorption process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewaters and Contaminated Soil)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Complexation of Amino Acids with Cadmium and Their Application for Cadmium-Contaminated Soil Remediation

and

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1114; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031114 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1234

Abstract

The interaction of amino acids with toxic heavy metals influences their immobilization and bioavailability in soils. However, the complexation ability of amino acids with Cd has not been well studied. The complexes of amino acids and cadmium were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) analyses. The complex structures were found to be [COc, COc] for fatty amino-cadmium and PheCd²⁺, [COc, COc, COs] for GluCd2+ and ThrCd²⁺, respectively. The complex energy of these conformers followed the order PheCd²⁺> AlaCd²⁺ > LeuCd²⁺ > GluCd²⁺ > GlyCd²⁺ > ThrCd²⁺. Importantly, all of the complex energy values were less than zero, indicating that these complexes could be easily dissolved in water. The Cd²⁺ concentration decreased with increasing amino acid concentration in aqueous solution. The complex stability constants (logβ) followed the order PheCd²⁺> AlaCd²⁺ > LeuCd²⁺ > GluCd²⁺ > GlyCd²⁺ > ThrCd²⁺, consistent with the order of the calculated complex energy values. The Cd removal efficiencies by Thr, Glu, Gly, Ala, Leu, and Phe were 38.88%, 37.47%, 35.5%, 34.72%, 34.04%, and 31.99%, respectively. In soil batch tests, the total Cd concentration in soil decreased in the presence of amino acids, while the Cd concentration in water increased from 231.97 μg/L to 652.94~793.51 μg/L. The results of sequential extraction showed that the acid-extractable fraction and the reducible fraction of Cd sharply decreased. Consequently, the significant features of amino acids along with their biocompatibility make them potentially applicable chelators in Cd-contaminated soil remediation processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewaters and Contaminated Soil)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

Open AccessReview

Novel Materials for Heavy Metal Removal in Capacitive Deionization

and

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 5635; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13095635 - 03 May 2023

Viewed by 669

Abstract

Heavy metals are considered a class of contaminant that can accumulate in the food chain and thus must be removed from contaminated media. Heavy metals can be removed by electrocoagulation, electroflotation, electrodialysis, capacitive deionization, and so on. Among the methods to remove heavy metals, capacitive deionization is one of the most attractive methods that can remove heavy metal ions without using a large volume of chemicals and producing a high number of heavy metals containing solid wastes. In this study, after a brief introduction to the mechanism of capacitive deionization, we focus on materials that have been developed as electrodes for heavy metal removal in capacitive deionization and summarize the latest advancements. Finally, with particular emphasis on material design, we provide some further insights in this area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewaters and Contaminated Soil)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "New Frontiers in Separation of Heavy Metals: Removal from Industrial Wastewaters and Contaminated Soil"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI