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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2021) | Viewed by 12903

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Teresa Poerio

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Guest Editor

Institute on Membrane Technology (CNR-ITM), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Interests: membrane preparation and functionalization; catalytic membrane; catalytic membrane reactor development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Pietro Argurio

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 44/A, I-87036 Rende, CS, Italy
Interests: membrane processes coupled with specific interactions and photocatalytic membrane reactors in water treatment; catalytic and photocatalytic membrane reactors for partial oxidation or hydrogenation of organic molecules

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original research papers or reviews which report the recent efforts and progresses on membrane technologies that take into account the principles of sustainability and green chemistry.
The improvement of green-based initiatives, spreading new and improved technologies into the industry to protect the human health and the environment for the future is an important challenge. The goal of the sustainability formulated in the ‘‘Brundtland Report’’ is to “meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
In this view, membrane technologies can also play a central role aiming to maximize the (socioeconomic and environmental) value from renewable resources, including residues and side-stream, encouraging the reuse and recycling of products, aiming towards zero waste generation by developing sustainability processes.

Dr. Teresa Poerio
Dr. Argurio Pietro
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. Molecules 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 2700 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

Green processes
Sustainable membrane preparation
Sustainable membrane processes
Green solvents
Degradable materials
Wastes valorization
Renewable sources
Energy consumption

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3208 KiB

Open AccessArticle

GO-SWCNT Buckypapers as an Enhanced Technology for Water Decontamination from Lead

by Mariafrancesca Baratta, Antonio Tursi, Manuela Curcio, Giuseppe Cirillo, Fiore Pasquale Nicoletta and Giovanni De Filpo

Molecules 2022, 27(13), 4044; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134044 - 23 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1415

Abstract

Water decontamination is an important challenge resulting from the incorrect disposal of heavy metal waste into the environment. Among the different available techniques (e.g., filtration, coagulation, precipitation, and ion-exchange), adsorption is considered the cheapest and most effective procedure for the removal of water pollutants. In the last years, several materials have been tested for the removal of heavy metals from water, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and graphene oxide (GO). Nevertheless, their powder consistency, which makes the recovery and reuse after adsorption difficult, is the main drawback for these materials. More recently, SWCNT buckypapers (SWCNT BPs) have been proposed as self-standing porous membranes for filtration and adsorption processes. In this paper, the adsorption capacity and selectivity of Pb²⁺ (both from neat solutions and in the presence of other interferents) by SWCNT BPs were evaluated as a function of the increasing amount of GO used in their preparation (GO-SWCNT buckypapers). The highest adsorption capacity, 479 ± 25 mg g⁻¹, achieved for GO-SWCNT buckypapers with 75 wt.% of graphene oxide confirmed the effective application of such materials for cheap and fast water decontamination from lead. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards the Awareness of a Sustainable Progress in Membrane Technology Field)

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14 pages, 3757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reduction and Elimination of Humic Acid Fouling in Air Sparged Membrane Distillation Using Nanocarbon Immobilized Membrane

by Mitun Chandra Bhoumick, Sagar Roy and Somenath Mitra

Molecules 2022, 27(9), 2896; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27092896 - 01 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1562

Abstract

In this paper, we present the treatment of humic acid solution via carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (CNIM) distillation assisted by air sparging (AS). Carbon nanotubes offer excellent hydrophobicity to the modified membrane surface and actively transport water vapor molecules through the membrane to generate higher vapor flux and better rejection of humic acid. The introduction of air sparging in the membrane distillation (MD) system has changed the humic substance fouling by changing the colloidal behavior of the deposits. This modified MD system can sustain a higher run time of separation and has enhanced the evaporation efficiency by 20% more than the regular membrane distillation. The air sparging has reduced the deposition by 30% in weight and offered lesser fouling of membrane surface even after a longer operating cycle. The water vapor flux increased with temperature and decreased as the volumetric concentrating factor (VCF) increased. The mass transfer coefficient was found to be the highest for the air sparged—carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (AS-CNIM) integrated membrane distillation. While the highest change in mass transfer coefficient (MTC) was found for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane with air sparging at 70 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards the Awareness of a Sustainable Progress in Membrane Technology Field)

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11 pages, 2520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Production of α-Tocopherol–Chitosan Nanoparticles by Membrane Emulsification

by Sonia Trombino, Teresa Poerio, Federica Curcio, Emma Piacentini and Roberta Cassano

Molecules 2022, 27(7), 2319; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27072319 - 03 Apr 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2176

Abstract

α-tocopherol (α-T) has the highest biological activity with respect to the other components of vitamin E; however, conventional formulations of tocopherol often fail to provide satisfactory bioavailability due to its hydrophobic characteristics. In this work, α-tocopherol-loaded nanoparticles based on chitosan were produced by membrane emulsification (ME). A new derivative was obtained by the cross-linking reaction between α-T and chitosan (CH) to preserve its biological activity. ME was selected as a method for nanoparticle production because it is recognized as an innovative and sustainable technology for its uniform-particle production with tuned sizes and high encapsulation efficiency (EE%), and its ability to preserve the functional properties of bioactive ingredients operating in mild conditions. The reaction intermediates and the final product were characterized by ¹HNMR, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), while the morphological and dimensional properties of the nanoparticles were analyzed using electronic scanning microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results demonstrated that ME has high potential for the development of α-tocopherol-loaded nanoparticles with a high degree of uniformity (PDI lower than 0.2), an EE of almost 100% and good mechanical strength, resulting in good candidates for the production of functional nanostructured materials for drug delivery. In addition, the chemical bonding between chitosan and α-tocopherol allowed the preservation of the antioxidant properties of the bioactive molecule, as demonstrated by an enhanced antioxidant property and evaluated through in vitro tests, with respect to the starting materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards the Awareness of a Sustainable Progress in Membrane Technology Field)

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12 pages, 1685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Marine-Derived Biowaste Conversion into Bioceramic Membrane Materials: Contrasting of Hydroxyapatite Synthesis Methods

by Yusuf Wibisono, Alien Yala Pratiwi, Christine Ayu Octaviani, Cut Rifda Fadilla, Alfian Noviyanto, Epi Taufik, Muhammad K.H. Uddin, Fajri Anugroho and Nurul Taufiqu Rochman

Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6344; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216344 - 20 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2558

Abstract

Marine-derived biowaste increment is enormous, yet could be converted into valuable biomaterial, e.g., hydroxyapatite-based bioceramic. Bioceramic material possesses superiority in terms of thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties. Bioceramic material also has a high level of biocompatibility when projected into biological tissues. Tuning the porosity of bioceramic material could also provide benefits for bioseparation application, i.e., ultrafiltration ceramic membrane filtration for food and dairy separation processes. This work presents the investigation of hydroxyapatite conversion from crab-shells marine-based biowaste, by comparing three different methods, i.e., microwave, coprecipitation, and sol–gel. The dried crab-shells were milled and calcinated as calcium precursor, then synthesized into hydroxyapatite with the addition of phosphates precursors via microwave, coprecipitation, or sol–gel. The compound and elemental analysis, degree of crystallinity, and particle shape were compared. The chemical compounds and elements from three different methods were similar, yet the degree of crystallinity was different. Higher Ca/P ratio offer benefit in producing a bioceramic ultrafiltration membrane, due to low sintering temperature. The hydroxyapatite from coprecipitation and sol–gel methods showed a significant degree of crystallinity compared with that of the microwave route. However, due to the presence of Fe and Sr impurities, the secondary phase of Ca₉FeH(PO₄)₇ was found in the sol–gel method. The secondary phase compound has high absorbance capacity, an advantage for bioceramic ultrafiltration membranes. Furthermore, the sol–gel method could produce a snake-like shape, compared to the oval shape of the coprecipitation route, another benefit to fabricate porous bioceramic for a membrane filter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards the Awareness of a Sustainable Progress in Membrane Technology Field)

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14 pages, 18139 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Membrane-Supported Layered Coordination Polymer as an Advanced Sustainable Catalyst for Desulfurization

by Fátima Mirante, Ricardo F. Mendes, Rui G. Faria, Luís Cunha-Silva, Filipe A. Almeida Paz and Salete S. Balula

Molecules 2021, 26(9), 2404; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092404 - 21 Apr 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1759

Abstract

The application of a catalytic membrane in the oxidative desulfurization of a multicomponent model diesel formed by most refractory sulfur compounds present in fuel is reported here for the first time. The catalytic membrane was prepared by the impregnation of the active lamellar [Gd(H₄nmp)(H₂O)₂]Cl·2H₂O (UAV-59) coordination polymer (CP) into a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, acrylic glass) supporting membrane. The use of the catalytic membrane in the liquid–liquid system instead of a powder catalyst arises as an enormous advantage associated with the facility of catalyst handling while avoiding catalyst mass loss. The optimization of various parameters allowed to achieve a near complete desulfurization after 3 h under sustainable conditions, i.e., using an aqueous H₂O₂ as oxidant and an ionic liquid as extraction solvent ([BMIM]PF₆, 1:0.5 ratio diesel:[BMIM]PF₆). The performance of the catalytic membrane and of the powdered UAV-59 catalyst was comparable, with the advantage that the former could be recycled successfully for a higher number of desulfurization cycles without the need of washing and drying procedures between reaction cycles, turning the catalytic membrane process more cost-efficient and suitable for future industrial application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards the Awareness of a Sustainable Progress in Membrane Technology Field)

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16 pages, 3464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of NF Polymeric Membranes for Removal of Multicomponent Heat-Stable Salts (HSS) Ions from Methyl Diethanolamine (MDEA) Solutions

by Asma Ghorbani, Behrouz Bayati, Teresa Poerio, Pietro Argurio, Tavan Kikhavani, Marzieh Namdari and Licínio M. Ferreira

Molecules 2020, 25(21), 4911; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25214911 - 23 Oct 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2678

Abstract

This study presents an efficient and scalable process for removing the heat-stable salts (HSS) ions from amine solution while recovering methyl diethanolamine (MDEA) solution for its reuse in gas sweetening plants. The presence of HSS in the amine solution causes the loss of solvent capacity, foaming, fouling, and corrosion in gas sweetening units so their removal is crucial for a more well-performing process. Furthermore, the recovery of the amine solution can make the sweetening step a more sustainable process. In this study, for the first time, the removal of a multicomponent mixture of HSS from MDEA solution was investigated via a nanofiltration process using flat-sheet NF-3 membranes. The impact of operating parameters on salts and amine rejection, and flux, including the operating pressure, HSS ions concentration, and MDEA concentration in the feed solution was investigated. Results based on the nanofiltration of an amine stream with the same composition (45 wt.% MDEA solution) as that circulating in a local gas refinery (Ilam Gas refinery), demonstrated a removal efficiency of HSS ions in the range from 75 to 80% and a MDEA rejection of 0% indicating the possibility of reusing this stream in the new step of gas sweetening. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards the Awareness of a Sustainable Progress in Membrane Technology Field)

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