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Advances in Polymers and Functionalized Materials in the Environment

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2024 | Viewed by 1250

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
2. Department of Mineralogy, Petrography and Geochemistry, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: polymer materials; composting; biochar; fertilization; silica materials; heavy metals; chemical and biological soil properties
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, various functionalized materials, including silica materials, zeolite–carbon composites, zeolite–vermiculite composites and polymeric materials, have been added to soil with increasing frequency. However, due to numerous modifications, their impact on the environment is not fully understood. Due to the developed porosity and adjustable surface chemistry of functionalized mesoporous silica materials, attempts to use them as adsorbents of various types of pollutants are often reported in the literature. In the case of polymeric materials, they are increasingly used to stabilize soil or are added to compost. These materials can affect the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil to varying degrees.

The following are some of the major areas in which papers are solicited:

  • Modification/functionalization of polymeric materials;
  • Modification/functionalization of silica materials;
  • Circular economy in waste management;
  • Monitoring of soil pollution with trace elements and organic contaminants after the application of functionalized materials;
  • Reclamation and revitalization of contaminated soil;
  • Ecotoxicity assessments and ecological risk assessments after the use of functionalized materials.

Dr. Monika Mierzwa-Hersztek
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. Materials 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 2600 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

  • zeolites
  • polymer materials
  • compost
  • soil
  • functionalized materials

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2141 KiB  
Article
Modified Natural Diatomite with Various Additives and Its Environmental Potential
by Krzysztof Gondek, Piotr Micek, Agnieszka Baran, Tomasz Bajda, Jerzy Kowal, Marcin Lis, Anna Wyrobisz-Papiewska, Dorota Wojtysiak and Krzysztof Smoroń
Materials 2023, 16(12), 4494; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16124494 - 20 Jun 2023
Viewed by 983
Abstract
Diatomite has recently been the subject of intensive scientific research aimed at its extensive use in industry, breeding and agriculture. The only active diatomite mine is in Jawornik Ruski, in the Podkarpacie region of Poland. Chemical pollution in the environment, including that from [...] Read more.
Diatomite has recently been the subject of intensive scientific research aimed at its extensive use in industry, breeding and agriculture. The only active diatomite mine is in Jawornik Ruski, in the Podkarpacie region of Poland. Chemical pollution in the environment, including that from heavy metals, poses a threat to living organisms. Reducing the mobility of heavy metals in the environment through the use of diatomite (DT) has recently gained much interest. More effective immobilisation of heavy metals in the environment with DT, mainly through the modification of its physical and chemical properties by various methods, should be applied. The aim of this research was to develop a simple and inexpensive material showing more favourable chemical and physical properties compared with unenriched DT in terms of metal immobilisation. Diatomite (DT), after calcination, was used in the study, considering three grain fractions, i.e., 0–1 mm (DT1); 0–0.5 mm (DT2) and 5–100 µm (DT3). Biochar (BC), dolomite (DL) and bentonite (BN) were used as additives. The proportion of DTs in the mixtures amounted to 75%, and of the additive, 25%. The use of unenriched DTs after calcination poses the risk of releasing heavy metals into the environment. Enrichment of the DTs with BC and DL resulted in a reduction or absence of Cd, Zn, Pb and Ni in aqueous extracts. It was found that for the specific surface area values obtained, the additive used for the DTs was of crucial importance. The reduction in DT toxicity has been proven under the influence of various additives. The mixtures of the DTs with DL and BN had the least toxicity. The obtained results have economic importance, as the production of the best quality sorbents from locally available raw materials reduces transport costs and thus the environmental impact. In addition, the production of highly efficient sorbents reduces the consumption of critical raw materials. It is estimated that the savings from producing sorbents with the parameters described in the article can be significant in comparison with popular competitive materials of other origins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymers and Functionalized Materials in the Environment)
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