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The Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Water

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 9644

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Dr. Petros Kokkinos

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Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Caratheodory 1, University Campus, GR-26504, Patras, Greece
Interests: wastewater reuse; wastewater microbiology; wastewater management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanotechnology can support effective strategies for the treatment, use, and reuse of water and the development of next-generation water supply systems. Nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes/graphitic carbon nitride composites, graphene-based composites, metal oxides and composites, metal-organic frameworks, etc. have been used for the removal of different categories of pollutants, including pharmaceutically active compounds, personal care products, organic micropollutants, as well as for the disinfection of microbial targets (bacteria, viruses, protozoa, etc.), in water and wastewater matrices. The present Special Issue will focus on the application of nanomaterials for the removal of emerging pollutants from water. The characteristics and efficacy of nanoengineered materials, as well as performance limitation issues (e.g., toxicity, operating conditions, and reuse) for their practical application in water and wastewater treatment on large scale will be covered. Contributions are welcome.

Dr. Petros Kokkinos
Guest Editor

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Keywords

nanomaterials
carbon-based
graphene
metal-organic frameworks
metal oxides
composites
catalytic processes
emerging pollutants
degradation
disinfection
microorganisms
pharmaceuticals
personal care products
organic micropollutants

Published Papers (4 papers)

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14 pages, 3391 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Short-Term Toxicity of ZnO Nanoparticles on Microalgae at Different Initial Nutrient Concentrations

by Nikolaos Tzanakis, Andriana F. Aravantinou and Ioannis D. Manariotis

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 7853; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107853 - 11 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1305

Abstract

The aim of this work was to investigate the combined short-term toxic effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) and nitrate concentration of the medium on freshwater microalgae. For this purpose, freshwater microalgae Chlorococcum sp. was cultivated in modified Blue-Green medium (BG-11) containing nitrate concentrations ranging from 0 to 300 mg/L, and exposed to ZnO NPs in different concentrations (0.081 to 810 mg/L) for a period up to 96 h. The experimental results revealed that algal growth was affected by the exposure time, NPs concentrations, and mainly the initial nitrate concentration. Differences in microalgae growth rates were observed. The toxic effect of ZnO NPs was higher on microalgae cultured in modified BG-11 with low and high nitrate concentrations. During the 4-day exposure, the highest growth rates were observed at 24 h at an initial nitrate concentration of 50 mg/L; 1.94 d⁻¹ and 0.22 d⁻¹ for 0 and 810 mg/L ZnO NPs, respectively. Nitrate uptake by algal biomass reached up to 40.1% after 96 h of operation in the control culture with an initial nitrate concentration of 50 mg/L. Finally, the results of this study showed the need for the investigation of ZnO NPs toxicity on microalgae under optimum and stressful nutrient conditions for microalgae growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Water)

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11 pages, 2113 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Nano Zero-Valent Iron Supported on Diatomite to Remove Acid Blue Dye: Synthesis, Characterization, and Toxicology Test

by Ernesto Flores-Rojas, Denhi Schnabel, Erick Justo-Cabrera, Omar Solorza-Feria, Héctor M. Poggi-Varaldo and Luz Breton-Deval

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13899; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413899 - 16 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2144

Abstract

This work aimed to synthesize and characterize nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), supported on diatomaceous earth (DE) at two different molar concentrations, 3 and 4 M (nZVI-DE-1 nZVI-DE-2), to test the decolorization treatment of acid blue dye (AB) and perform a toxicological test using zebrafish. The synthesis of the nanoparticles was obtained using the chemical reduction method. The material was fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy and specific surface area (BET). The results showed spherical forms in clusters between 20 and 40 nm of zero-valent iron supported on diatomaceous earth. The removal of 1 g/L of AB from water treated with nZVI-DE-1 and nZVI-DE-2 reached the decolorization of 90% and 98% of all dye. By contrast, controls such as nZVI and DE-1 and DE-2 removed 40%, 37%, and 24% of the dye. Toxicological analysis using zebrafish showed that AB causes a severe defect in development, and embryos die after exposure. However, the water samples treated with nZVI-DE-1 and nZVI-DE-2 are not harmful to the zebrafish embryos during the first 24 h. However, all embryos exposed to the new material for more than 48 hpf had cardiac edema, smaller eyes, and curved and smaller bodies with less pigmentation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Water)

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15 pages, 2779 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using Zinc Oxide Nanorods Grown on Activated Carbon Fibers

by Borhan Albiss and Muna Abu-Dalo

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4729; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094729 - 23 Apr 2021

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 4266

Abstract

In this work, the synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic performance of zinc oxide/activated carbon fiber nanocomposites prepared by hydrothermal method were investigated. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) were deposited as seeds on porous activated carbon fiber (ACF) substrates. Then, zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO-NR) were successfully grown on the seeds and assembled on the fibers’ surface in various patterns to form ZnO-NR/ACF nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis. SEM images showed that brush-like and flower-like ZnO-NR patterns were grown uniformly on the ACF surface with sizes depending on the ZnO-NP concentration, growth time, and temperature. The FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of the major vibration bands, especially the absorption peaks representing the vibration modes of the COOH (C = O and C = C) functional group. Adsorption and photocatalytic activities of the synthesized catalytic adsorbents were compared using methylene blue (MB) as the model pollutant under UV irradiation. ZnO-NR/ACF nanocomposites showed excellent photocatalytic activity (~99% degradation of MB in 2 h) compared with that of bare ZnO-NR and ACF. Additionally, a recycling experiment demonstrated the stability of the catalyst; the catalytic degradation ratio of ZnO-NR/ACF reached more than 90% after five successive runs and possessed strong adsorption capacity and high photocatalytic ability. The enhanced photocatalytic activities may be related to the effects of the relatively high surface area, enhanced UV-light absorption, and decrease of charge carrier recombination resulting from the synergetic adsorption–photocatalytic degradation effect of ZnO and ACF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Water)

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25 pages, 7502 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Potential of Biosynthesized Silver and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles from Carissa opaca Extracts for Antimicrobial Activity and Wastewater Treatment

by Malvika Mehta, Chitrakshi Chopra, Srinivas Sistla and Indu Bhushan

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8911; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118911 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1163

Abstract

The present study focus on biosynthesis of stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from the leaf and stem extract of a therapeutic plant Carissa opaca. The visual observation, Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Inductively Coupled Plasma analysis (ICP), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were used to characterize and confirm the synthesized AgNPs and ZnO NPs. Afterwards; the synthesized nanoparticles were used to analyze their antimicrobial activity via in-vitro disk diffusion method against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, and Candida albican. Both the nanoparticles showed maximum zone of inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (bacterial strain), whereas in the case of fungi, higher zone of inhibition was observed using ZnONPs against Candida albican and AgNPs against Aspergillus niger. The biosynthesized AgNPs was also used for degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation and found dye removal efficiency of. 97.4% within 1 h. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Water)

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