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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2020) | Viewed by 32135
Related Special Issue: Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability, Volume II

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yeojoon Yoon

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Guest Editor

Division of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Yonsei University Mirae Campus, Wonju 26493, Korea
Interests: environmental nanotechnology; functional nanomaterials; advanced oxidation processes; water treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ingyu Lee

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Guest Editor

Advanced Material Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
Interests: integrated watershed management; ecological engineering; waste-to-resource technology; emerging contaminants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last two decades, worldwide accessibility to safe water has dramatically improved. However, water pollution issues are still common not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. Especially in many developing countries, people consume unsafe drinking water often containing pathogens, mainly due to insufficient control or management of water and sewerage. Simply, they cannot afford to build infrastructure to manage them.

On the other hand, developed countries, which have good infrastructure to control disease-causing microbes, are facing new contaminants emerging from industrialization or urbanization, for example: pharmaceuticals, perfluorinated compounds, plasticizers, and microplastics. For some pollutants, only few environmental or health risks are known.

We now agree that we need to address these issues encountered both by developing and developed countries to achieve a sustainable water environment for mankind. Thus, this Special Issue plans to explore innovative water treatment technologies that can address water pollution issues for both developing and developed countries in a cost-effective way.

This Special Issue collects original research and critical reviews about scientific and technical information. The primary areas of interest of this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

(1) cost-effective water treatment technologies for rural areas that can be easily implemented in developing countries, such as wetland technologies, on-site treatment technologies, and so on;

(2) water treatment technologies for urban areas that can address contaminants of emerging concern, such as membrane technologies and advanced oxidation processes; and

(3) sustainable water and wastewater policies.

Prof. Yeojoon Yoon
Dr. Ingyu Lee
Guest Editors

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Keywords

water purification
wastewater treatment
water reuse
desalination
sustainability

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1692 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Approach of Metals Removal from Acid Mine Drainage

by Radmila Markovic, Masahiko Bessho, Nobuyuki Masuda, Zoran Stevanovic, Dragana Bozic, Tatjana Apostolovski Trujic and Vojka Gardic

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(17), 5925; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10175925 - 27 Aug 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3277

Abstract

The possibility of metal removal from the real acid mine drainage (AMD) in the area of copper ore mines in the southeast Serbia, was investigated through a combination of neutralization and adsorption methods. This approach of metal removal from AMD includes a two-step neutralization method in the first phase, aiming to separate metals as sludge. The results of laboratory test revealed that more than 99 mass % of Fe is removed up to pH 4 and more than 99 mass % of Cu up to pH 7. Based on the results obtained in laboratory conditions, a test on a semi industrial plant was carried out. The two-step neutralization separately removed Fe and Cu at pH 4 and 7, respectively. Especially, the obtained sludge at pH 7 included 1.24 mass % of Cu, much higher than usual Cu ore. Chitosan was applied for dissolved Mn removal from treated AMD. After 24 h incubation, 70 mass % of Mn is removed from the treated AMD at pH 7.4. Mn concentration was reduced from approx. 35 mg L⁻¹ to 5 mg L⁻¹. These results have indicated that a combination of neutralization and adsorption methods could be used effectively for metal removal from real AMD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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13 pages, 3550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Magnesium Ion Concentration on the Scale Inhibition of Heat Exchanger in Circulating Cooling Water under Alternating Electric Field

by Zhihao Zhang, Yun Jia and Judong Zhao

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(16), 5491; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10165491 - 08 Aug 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2966

Abstract

This work investigated the effect of magnesium ion concentration on the formation of mineral scale in circulating cooling water under alternating electric field treatment (AEFT) by using a self-made power plant circulating cooling water simulator. In this experiment, the circulating cooling water used was artificial hard water. Three experimental groups with different magnesium ion concentrations and three corresponding control groups were studied. Scale inhibition rate, fouling resistance, calcium ion concentration, crystal phase, and crystal morphology were discussed. Results showed that 4 mmol/L magnesium chloride promoted the formation of scale on the copper tube wall, and the average scale inhibition rate was −107.86%. When the magnesium chloride concentration was 6 mmol/L, the situation was reversed, and the average scale inhibition rate reached 59.11%. The changes in calcium ion concentration supported the scale inhibition rate. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photos showed the change in the composition of calcium carbonate crystals. The results showed that the effect of AEFT on fouling resistance is nonlinearly related to the concentration of magnesium ions in circulating cooling water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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14 pages, 3413 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biomass-Based Cellulose Functionalized by Phosphonic Acid with High Selectivity and Capacity for Capturing U(VI) in Aqueous Solution

by Zhipeng Huo, Sheng Zhao, Jinxin Yi, Hong Zhang and Jiaxing Li

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(16), 5455; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10165455 - 07 Aug 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1935

Abstract

Uranium could be released into the aquatic ecological environment through various sorts of nuclear-related procedures, which has high toxicity and carcinogenicity even with a trace amount. A novel phosphonic acid functionalized cellulose adsorbent (PVKAP) with a simple synthesis strategy is developed based on pumpkin vine cellulose (PVK) as the substrate material for efficient and selective capturing U(VI). Because of the strong coordination between phosphonic acid groups and U(VI), the adsorption efficiency and adsorption selectivity of modified cellulose to U(VI) are greatly improved. The adsorption behavior follows the Langmuir adsorption model and pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The maximum adsorption capacities (pH = 5, T = 293 K) of PVK and PVKAP obtained from Langmuir isotherm are 57.2 and 714.3 mg∙g⁻¹, and the adsorption equilibrium are reached in 240 and 35 min, respectively. Additionally, PVKAP has a high adsorption selectivity which reached 70.36% for U(VI) in multi-ion condition, and recycling studies have shown that PVKAP has good recyclability. Furthermore, batch adsorption experiments and spectral analysis reveal that the efficient enrichment of U(VI) on PVKAP could mainly attribute to the inner layer complexation. Therefore, this environmentally friendly and simple route prepared PVKAP has good a potential application value for U(VI) enrichment in aqueous media related to nuclear waste. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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18 pages, 3723 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Ammonia-Based Aeration Control (ABAC) on Energy Consumption

by Victoria R. Medinilla, Travis Sprague, Jason Marseilles, Jerry Burke, Shivaji Deshmukh, Saied Delagah and Mohamadali Sharbatmaleki

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(15), 5227; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10155227 - 29 Jul 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3111

Abstract

An Ammonia-Based Aeration Control (ABAC) system is installed in the primary aeration basins of a regional wastewater treatment facility. The energy consumption of the system of air blowers, measured in kilowatts per hour by an existing meter, is analyzed for seven months after the installation of the ABAC system and compared to system performance prior to commissioning of the ABAC system. Processed data, including volume flow rate, ammonia loading, and treatment equipment efficiency, are evaluated for periods before and after the ABAC system installation. Ammonia mass loading and air transfer ratio in the aeration basins are determined to be the leading factors affecting the performance of the ABAC system and thus impacting the metered energy consumption. The metered energy consumption data are normalized by the two calculated ratios, which reflect the change in ammonia loading and air transfer ratio. The normalized and metered energy consumption data are compared, and the results show a reduction in energy consumption since the installation of the ABAC system. A yearly savings of approximately 9 ± 1% in energy costs is estimated with the installation of the ABAC system. The savings in energy consumption calculated as well as the improvements in nitrification efficiency confirm the benefit of an ABAC system in reducing operation costs and enhancing process control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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13 pages, 2459 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Oxidation of Florfenicol and Oxolinic Acid in Seawater by Ozonation

by Homin Kye, Heegun Oh, Youmi Jung, Minhwan Kwon, Yeojoon Yoon, Joon-Wun Kang and Tae-Mun Hwang

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(14), 4944; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10144944 - 18 Jul 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2771

Abstract

There has been an increase in the use of antibiotics by the aquaculture industry in marine aquaculture for the prevention of diseases in fish. Antibiotics in the water discharged into the sea without treatment can cause disturbances to the marine ecosystem. Therefore, there is a need for research on how the removal of antibiotics used in aquaculture can be achieved. In this study, the removal of two types of antibiotics (florfenicol, FF, and oxolinic acid, OA) used in the aquaculture industry, by ozonation, was evaluated. Currently, there is a lack of research studies on FF and OA removal from seawater by ozonation. Seawater ozonation shows a significantly different oxidation mechanism as compared to that of freshwater. The high amount of Br⁻ in seawater (60 mg/L) allows for a rapid reaction with ozone to produce bromine (HOBr/OBr⁻) at a rate of 160 M⁻¹s⁻¹. To predict the removal efficiency of antibiotics by ozone and bromine, the species-specific rate constants for the reaction of FF and OA with ozone and bromine were determined. The predicted removal efficiencies of FF and OA using measured rate constants were verified by the ozonation process in water containing bromide ions in similar concentrations as in seawater. The result for FF indicated less than 10% removal during 20 min, with the rate constants of FF with ozone and bromine being 3.2 M⁻¹s⁻¹ and 3.5 M⁻¹s⁻¹, respectively. However, the removal of OA using ozonation was approximately 99% or higher within 90 s. In the presence of bromide ions, approximately 60% of OA was removed by trace ozone within 15 s, and approximately 30% of OA was removed by the generated bromine after 15 s. Comparing the removability of FF and OA used in aquaculture by ozone, it was observed that FF was more difficult to remove because of its low reaction rate constant. Meanwhile, the reaction rates of OA with ozone and bromine were 2.4 × 10³ M⁻¹s⁻¹ and 4.0 × 10² M⁻¹s⁻¹, respectively. At the beginning of the reaction, OA was removed by the trace ozone. Subsequently, OA was removed by the generated bromine after the ozone was decomposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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10 pages, 4156 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Comparing Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide as Blending Materials for Polysulfone and Polyvinylidene Difluoride Membranes

by Yeojoon Yoon, Homin Kye, Woo Seok Yang and Joon-Wun Kang

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 2015; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10062015 - 16 Mar 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3414

Abstract

Graphene is a single atomic plane of graphite, and it exhibits unique electronic, thermal, and mechanical properties. Exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) contains various hydrophilic functional groups, such as hydroxyl, epoxide, and carboxyl groups, that can modify the hydrophobic characteristics of a membrane surface. Though reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has fewer functional groups than GO, its associated sp² structures and physical properties can be recovered. A considerable amount of research has focused on the use of GO to obtain a pristine graphene material via reduction processes. In this study, polysulfone (PSf) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes that were blended with GO and rGO, respectively, were fabricated by using the immersion phase inversion method and an n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solvent. Results showed that the graphene nanomaterials, GO and rGO, can change the pore morphology (size and structure) of both PSf and PVDF membranes. The optimum content of both was then investigated, and the highest flux enhancement was observed with the 0.10 wt% GO-blended PSf membrane. The presence of functional groups in GO within prepared PSf and PVDF membranes alters the membrane characteristics to hydrophilic. An antifouling test and rejection efficiency evaluation also showed that the 0.10 wt% membrane provided the best performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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12 pages, 1781 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Hydrophilicity of Activated Carbon Electrodes on Desalination Performance in Membrane Capacitive Deionization

by Kyusik Jo, Youngbin Baek, Changha Lee and Jeyong Yoon

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(23), 5055; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9235055 - 23 Nov 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3179

Abstract

Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is a modification of capacitive deionization (CDI) using ion-exchange membranes (IEM) in front of the electrodes. Electrode properties, especially the specific surface area, are known to be strongly related with desalination performance in CDI, but the effects of other properties in MCDI are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of hydrophilicity in activated carbon electrodes on desalination performance in MCDI. Two types of activated carbon (P60 and YS-2) whose specific surface areas were similar were used as electrode materials, but they had different hydrophilicity (i.e., P60 was originally hydrophobic and YS-2 was relatively hydrophilic due to its nitrogen-containing surface chemistry). These hydrophilic electrodes (either the electrode itself or modified with polydopamine (PDA)) led to an increase in the salt adsorption capacity (SAC) in MCDI because they facilitated the access of both ions and water molecules into the electrode pores. In particular, the SAC of the P60 electrode displayed a large increase to almost reach that of the YS-2 electrode due to the improved hydrophilicity with PDA modification and the insignificant effects of PDA modification on an already hydrophilic YS-2 electrode. Additionally, PDA-modified IEM in MCDI reduced the SAC as a result of the additional insulating PDA layer with little changes in hydrophilicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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19 pages, 3563 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eco-Structured Biosorptive Removal of Basic Fuchsin Using Pistachio Nutshells: A Definitive Screening Design—Based Approach

by Marwa El-Azazy, Ahmed S. El-Shafie, Aya Ashraf and Ahmed A. Issa

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(22), 4855; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9224855 - 13 Nov 2019

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3004

Abstract

Biosorptive removal of basic fuchsin (BF) from wastewater samples was achieved using the recycled agro-wastes of pistachio nut shells (PNS). Seven adsorbents were developed; raw shells (RPNS) and the thermally activated biomasses at six different temperatures (250–500 °C). Two measures were implemented to assess the performance of utilized adsorbents; %removal (%R) and adsorption capacity (q_e). RPNS proved to be the best among the tested adsorbents. A smart approach, definitive-screening design (DSD) was operated to test the impact of independent variables on the adsorption capacity of RPNS. pH, adsorbent dose (AD), dye concentration (DC), and stirring time (ST), were the tested variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), control, and quality charts helped establishing regression model. Characterization was performed using Fourier- transform infrared (FT-IR)/Raman spectroscopies together with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. The surface area and other textural properties were determined using the Brunauer Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Removal of 99.71% of BF with an adsorption capacity of 118.2 mg/g could be achieved using a factorial blend of pH 12, 100 mg/50 mL of RPNS, and 250 ppm BF for 20 min. Equilibrium studies reveal that the adsorption is physisorption with adsorption energy of 7.45 kJ/mol as indicated by Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) and Langmuir isotherms. Moreover, adsorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetics with respect to BF and is controlled by the adsorption rate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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14 pages, 5572 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Short Review of Multichannel Membrane Capacitive Deionization: Principle, Current Status, and Future Prospect

by Nayeong Kim, Jiho Lee, Seonghwan Kim, Sung Pil Hong, Changha Lee, Jeyong Yoon and Choonsoo Kim

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(2), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10020683 - 18 Jan 2020

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 7777

Abstract

Capacitive deionization (CDI) has gained a lot of attention as a promising water desalination technology. Among several CDI architectures, multichannel membrane CDI (MC-MCDI) has recently emerged as one of the most innovative systems to enhance the ion removal capacity. The principal feature of MC-MCDI is the independently controllable electrode channels, providing a favorable environment for the electrodes and enhancing the desalination performance. Furthermore, MC-MCDI has been studied in various operational modes, such as concentration gradient, reverse voltage discharging for semi-continuous process, and increase of mass transfer. Furthermore, the system configuration of MC-MCDI has been benchmarked for the extension of the operation voltage and sustainable desalination. Given the increasing interest in MC-MCDI, a comprehensive review is necessary to provide recent research efforts and prospects for further development of MC-MCDI. Therefore, this review actively addresses the major principle and operational features of MC-MCDI along with conventional CDI for a better understanding of the MC-MCDI system. In addition, the innovative applications of MC-MCDI and their notable improvements are also discussed. Finally, this review briefly mentions the major challenges of MC-MCDI as well as proposes future research directions for further development of MC-MCDI as scientific and industrial desalination technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Water Treatment Technology for Sustainability)

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