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Advanced Oxidation Processes and Biodegradation for Emerging Contaminants Treatment

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 7890

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Guilong Peng

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Guest Editor

College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: advanced oxidation processes; analytical chemistry; biochar

Dr. Chengdu Qi

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Guest Editor

School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: advanced oxidation processes; control of emerging contaminants
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the industrial revolution, persistent organic compounds in wastewater have become the core object of water pollution control due to their complexity, stability, and high toxicity. The treatment of emerging contaminants, including persistent organic pollutants, antibiotics, and environmental disrupting chemicals, in water/wastewater is still a challenge. Numerous methods have been adopted for emerging contaminants in water/wastewater treatment. However, the toxicity of intermediate products formed during emerging contaminants treatment is still unknown, which is a barrier for actual application. In this Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, we aim to publish high-quality research articles and reviews on the understanding of advanced oxidation processes and biodegradation for the treatment of emerging contaminants, especially for their toxicity assessment.

Dr. Guilong Peng
Dr. Chengdu Qi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

advanced oxidation processes
persistent organic compounds
water pollution control
biodegradation
emerging contaminants
water treatment
wastewater treatment
toxicity assessment

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2736 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Degradation of Diclofenac by Loaded Solid Superbase-Activated Persulfate

by Jiaqi Shi, Lei Wang, Shang Gao, Jianbo Huang, Hao Yang, Hao Lu and Shaohua Cao

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14313; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241814313 - 20 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 780

Abstract

Alkali-activated persulfate (PS) is widely used in situ in chemical oxidation processes; however, studies on the innovation of the alkali activation process are very limited. Two supported solid superbases, namely KNO₃/γ-Al₂O₃ (KAl) and KNO₃/SBA-15/MgO (KSM), respectively, were prepared and used to activate persulfate to degrade DCF in this work. The results showed that the superbases elevated the solution pH once added and thus could catalyze persulfate to degrade diclofenac efficiently above pH 10.5. The catalytic efficiency of KAl was close to that of sodium hydroxide, and that of KSM was the highest. The mechanism might be that, in addition to raising the solution pH, some potassium existed as K₂O₂, which had a strong oxidizing effect and was conducive to DCF removal. Hydroxyl, sulfate and superoxide radicals were all found in the reaction system, among which hydroxyl might play the most important role. The material composition ratio, common anion and humic acid all had some influences on the catalytic efficiency. A total of five intermediates were found in the KSM/PS oxidation system, and six oxidation pathways, which were hydroxylation, dehydrogen, dechlorination, dehydration, decarboxylation, and C-N bond breakage, might be involved in the reaction process. Several highly toxic oxidation products that should be paid attention to were also proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Biodegradation for Emerging Contaminants Treatment)

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13 pages, 5836 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Statistical Analysis of Methotrexate Degradation by UV-C Photolysis and UV-C/TiO₂ Photocatalysis

by Luis A. González-Burciaga, Juan C. García-Prieto, Cynthia M. Núñez-Núñez and José B. Proal-Nájera

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9595; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119595 - 31 May 2023

Viewed by 1324

Abstract

Methotrexate (MTX) is a folic acid analog and has been used to treat a wide variety of malignant and non-malignant diseases. The wide use of these substances has led to the continuous discharge of the parent compound and its metabolites in wastewater. In conventional wastewater treatment plants, the removal or degradation of drugs is not complete. In order to study the MTX degradation by photolysis and photocatalysis processes, two reactors were used with TiO₂ as a catalyst and UV-C lamps as a radiation source. H₂O₂ addition was also studied (absence and 3 mM/L), and different initial pHs (3.5, 7, and 9.5) were tested to define the best degradation parameters. Results were analyzed by means of ANOVA and the Tukey test. Results show that photolysis in acidic conditions with 3 mM of H₂O₂ added is the best condition for MTX degradation in these reactors, with a kinetic constant of 0.028 min⁻¹. According to the ANOVA test, all considered factors (process, pH, H₂O₂ addition, and experimentation time) caused statistically significant differences in the MTX degradation results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Biodegradation for Emerging Contaminants Treatment)

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16 pages, 2394 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Catalytic Degradation of Ciprofloxacin in Aqueous Solution by Peroxymonosulfate Activated with a Magnetic CuFe₂O₄@Biochar Composite

by Youmei Zeng, Guangming Zhou, Dandan He and Guilong Peng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5702; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065702 - 16 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1491

Abstract

A magnetic copper ferrite and biochar composite (CuFe₂O₄@BC) catalyst was prepared by an improved sol-gel calcination method and initially used for the removal of antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) by activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Using CuFe₂O₄@BC as the activator, 97.8% CIP removal efficiency could be achieved in 30 min. After a continuous degradation cycle, CuFe₂O₄@BC catalyst still exhibited great stability and repeatability and could also be quickly recovered by an external magnetic field. Meanwhile, the CuFe₂O₄@BC/PMS system presented good stability for metal ion leaching, which was far less than the leaching of metal ions in the CuFe₂O₄/PMS system. Moreover, the effects of various influencing factors, such as initial solution pH, activator loading, PMS dosage, reaction temperature, humic acid (HA), and the inorganic anions were explored. The quenching experiments and the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis manifested that hydroxyl radical (•OH), sulfate radical (SO₄^•−), superoxide radical (O₂^•−), and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) were generated in the CuFe₂O₄@BC/PMS system, while ¹O₂ and O₂^•− are mainly involved in the degradation process. The synergistic effect between CuFe₂O₄ and BC enhanced the structural stability and electrical conductivity of the material, which promoted the bonding between the catalyst and PMS, resulting in the enhanced catalytic activity of CuFe₂O₄@BC. This indicates that CuFe₂O₄@BC activating PMS is a promising remediation technique for CIP-contaminated water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Biodegradation for Emerging Contaminants Treatment)

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18 pages, 3634 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of an Environmentally Friendly Modified Mulberry Branch-Derived Biochar Composite: High Degradation Efficiency of BPA and Mitigation of Toxicity in Silkworm Larvae

by Han Qu, Lin Chen, Fujian Yang, Jiangwei Zhu, Chengdu Qi and Guilong Peng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3609; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043609 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1136

Abstract

In the present study, mulberry branch-derived biochar CuO (MBC/CuO) composite was successfully synthesized and used as a catalyst to activate persulfate (PS) for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA). The MBC/CuO/PS system exhibited a high degradation efficiency (93%) of BPA, under the conditions of 0.1 g/L MBC/CuO, 1.0 mM PS, 10 mg/L BPA. Free radical quenching and electron spin-resonance spectroscopy (ESR) experiments confirmed that both free radicals ^•OH, SO₄^•− and O₂^•− and non-radicals ¹O₂ were involved in the MBC/CuO reaction system. Cl⁻ and NOM displayed negligible influence on the degradation of BPA, while HCO₃⁻ promoted the removal of BPA. In addition, the toxicity tests of BPA, MBC/CuO and the degraded BPA solution were conducted by the 5th instar silkworm larvae. The toxicity of BPA was reduced after the treatment in the MBC/CuO/PS system, and no obvious toxicity of the synthesized MBC/CuO composite was found in the toxicity evaluation experiments. This work provides a new value-added utilization of mulberry branches as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly PS activator. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Biodegradation for Emerging Contaminants Treatment)

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Review

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22 pages, 1123 KiB

Open AccessReview

Advances in Preparation and Properties of Regenerated Silk Fibroin

by Linlin Huang, Jifeng Shi, Wei Zhou and Qing Zhang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713153 - 24 Aug 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2342

Abstract

Over the years, silk fibroin (SF) has gained significant attention in various fields, such as biomedicine, tissue engineering, food processing, photochemistry, and biosensing, owing to its remarkable biocompatibility, machinability, and chemical modifiability. The process of obtaining regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) involves degumming, dissolving, dialysis, and centrifugation. RSF can be further fabricated into films, sponges, microspheres, gels, nanofibers, and other forms. It is now understood that the dissolution method selected greatly impacts the molecular weight distribution and structure of RSF, consequently influencing its subsequent processing and application. This study comprehensively explores and summarizes different dissolution methods of SF while examining their effects on the structure and performance of RSF. The findings presented herein aim to provide valuable insights and references for researchers and practitioners interested in utilizing RSF in diverse fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Oxidation Processes and Biodegradation for Emerging Contaminants Treatment)

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