Chemical Engineering in Wastewater Treatment

A special issue of ChemEngineering (ISSN 2305-7084).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 8398

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, I-80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: analytical chemistry; biotechnology; molecular biology; ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The wastewater, deriving from municipal, industrial, and agricultural activity, represents a serious environmental problem for the high concentration of their organic and inorganic pollutants.  In recent years, there has been an increased variety of emerging and persistent contaminants present in wastewater that conventional effluent treatments show a low efficiency in removing recalcitrant compounds. The increase of these compounds in wastewater and the concern about the unknown long-term effects of their accumulation in the environment brought researchers to a growing awareness about the need to improve existing technologies, to develop new strategies for the removal of this new class of pollutants from wastewaters.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the theory, modelling, application, and control of all wastewater treatment processes which improve the energy balance of WWTPs. Original submissions focusing on fundamental and/or practical issues related to all subfields of wastewater treatment are welcome.

Dr. Maria Toscanesi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • water remediation
  • advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
  • chemical processes
  • chemical reactors
  • resource recovery
  • eco-friendly treatment technologies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 11017 KiB  
Article
Environmental Win–Win Management: Using Aluminum-Based Solid Waste for Synozol Red-KHL Dye Oxidation
by Manasik M. Nour, Zahraa A. Elsayed and Maha A. Tony
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(3), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8030059 - 7 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1397
Abstract
The awareness of the concept of the “Circular Economy” is motivating scientists to convert drinking water treatment plant by-products, which are based on aluminum waste, into a valorized material for wastewater treatment. Alum sludge from a local waterworks plant in Egypt was collected [...] Read more.
The awareness of the concept of the “Circular Economy” is motivating scientists to convert drinking water treatment plant by-products, which are based on aluminum waste, into a valorized material for wastewater treatment. Alum sludge from a local waterworks plant in Egypt was collected and dewatered using chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles. The role of the conditioned sludge in wastewater treatment was then examined. Chitosan (Ch) augmented with magnetite nanoparticles (MNs), labeled as ChMNs, was prepared by means of a simple co-precipitation route with mixing ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 of chitosan and magnetite nanoparticles to form the ChMN catalyst. The ChMNs were shown to beneficially enhance alum sludge conditioning and dewaterability. The conditioned and dried aluminum-based sludge (AS) loaded with ChMNs was then used as a source of Fenton’s catalyst for Synozol Red-KHL textile dyeing wastewater. The characteristics of the AS-ChMN sample were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic activity of the AS-ChMN composite was assessed by examining its diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). Response surface methodological analysis was applied to optimize the operational parameters in order to reduce the use of chemicals and improve dye oxidation to form a complete (99%) dye oxidation strategy. The experiments demonstrated that the optimal operating parameters included doses of 1.5 g/L and 420 mg/L for AS-ChMNs and hydrogen peroxide, respectively, as a source of Fenton’s reaction at a working pH of 3.5. Kinetic and thermodynamic analyses for potential full-scale applications were conducted, showing the reaction to be exothermic and spontaneous in nature and following second-order reaction kinetics. Hence, the novelty of this work lies in the introduction of conditioned and dewatered alum sludge waste as a photocatalyst for textile dye effluent oxidation, which could be considered a “win–win” strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Engineering in Wastewater Treatment)
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16 pages, 6731 KiB  
Article
Integrated Process for High Phenol Removal from Wastewater Employing a ZnO Nanocatalyst in an Ozonation Reaction in a Packed Bubble Column Reactor
by Adnan K. Majhool, Khalid A. Sukkar, May A. Alsaffar and Hasan Shakir Majdi
ChemEngineering 2023, 7(6), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering7060112 - 28 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1963
Abstract
The use of an ozonized bubble column reactor (OBCR) in wastewater treatment is advantageous due to its efficient mixing and mass transfer characteristics. Among all high-performance features, the ozonation reaction in a BCR undergoes a low dissolution of O3 in the reactor [...] Read more.
The use of an ozonized bubble column reactor (OBCR) in wastewater treatment is advantageous due to its efficient mixing and mass transfer characteristics. Among all high-performance features, the ozonation reaction in a BCR undergoes a low dissolution of O3 in the reactor with a limited reaction rate. In this study, the ozonation reaction of phenol in an OBCR was tested using a ZnO nanocatalyst and alumina balls as packing material. Three concentrations of O3 were evaluated (i.e., 10, 15, and 20 ppm), and 20 ppm was found to be the optimum concentration for phenol degradation. Also, two doses (i.e., 0.05 and 0.1 g/L) of ZnO nanocatalysts were applied in the reaction mixture, with the optimal dose found to be 0.1 g/L. Accordingly, three phenol concentrations were investigated in the OBCR (i.e., 15, 20, and 25 ppm) using four treatment methods (i.e., O3 alone, O3/Al2O3, O3/ZnO nanocatalyst, and O3/Al2O3/ZnO nanocatalyst). At a contact time of 60 min and phenol concentration of 15 ppm, the removal rate was 66.2, 73.1, 74.5, and 86.8% for each treatment method, respectively. The treatment experiment that applied the O3/Al2O3/ZnO nanocatalyst produced the highest phenol conversion into CO2 and H2O in the shortest contact time for all phenol concentrations. Thus, the OBCR employed with a ZnO nanocatalyst plus packing material is a promising technology for the rapid and active removal of phenol because it enhances the number of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) generated, which ultimately increases the oxidation activity in the OBCR. Also, the results showed efficient flow characteristics in the OBCR, with channeling problems averted due to appropriate gas movement resulting from the use of packing materials. Finally, it was found that the ozonation process in an OBCR is an efficient method for phenol conversion with good economic feasibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Engineering in Wastewater Treatment)
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19 pages, 6793 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Application of MnO-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites for the Removal of 137Cs and 60Co Radionuclides from Artificial Radioactive Aqueous Waste
by Hosam M. Saleh, Hazem H. Mahmoud, Refaat F. Aglan and Mohamed M. Shehata
ChemEngineering 2023, 7(6), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering7060106 - 3 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1699
Abstract
For innovative application in wastewater treatment techniques, MnO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites were successfully synthesized using the sol–gel auto-combustion method at different temperatures for the adsorption of 137Cs and 60Co radionuclides from aqueous solution. The characterization of these nanocomposites was carried [...] Read more.
For innovative application in wastewater treatment techniques, MnO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites were successfully synthesized using the sol–gel auto-combustion method at different temperatures for the adsorption of 137Cs and 60Co radionuclides from aqueous solution. The characterization of these nanocomposites was carried out through FT-IR, SEM-EDX, and X-ray diffraction. These nanocomposites were employed as adsorbent materials for the removal of 137Cs and 60Co radionuclides from simulated radioactive waste solutions. The study involved a series of experiments aiming to demonstrate the MnO-Fe2O3 nanoparticles’ exceptional adsorption potential concerning 137Cs and 60Co. Additionally, the investigation delved into how variations in temperature, dose amount, contact time, and pH value influence the adsorption dynamics. Due to their high specific surface area, the synthesized MnO-Fe2O3 nanoparticles had high adsorption capacity of more than 60% and 90% for 137Cs and 60Co, respectively. By investigation of kinetics and adsorption isotherms, pseudo-second-order reaction and the Langmuir model turned out to fit well for the adsorption of 137Cs and 60Co onto the MnO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites. Moreover, a thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous for both target metals and the adsorption of 60Co was endothermic, whereas the adsorption of 137Cs was exothermic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Engineering in Wastewater Treatment)
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16 pages, 2499 KiB  
Article
Using the Response Surface Methodology to Treat Tannery Wastewater with the Bicarbonate-Peroxide System
by Néstor A. Urbina-Suarez, Cristian J. Salcedo-Pabón, German L. López-Barrera, Janet B. García-Martínez, Andrés F. Barajas-Solano and Fiderman Machuca-Martínez
ChemEngineering 2023, 7(4), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering7040062 - 16 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2194
Abstract
A bicarbonate-peroxide (BAP) system was evaluated to improve the quality of industrial tannery wastewater using an I-optimal experimental design with four variables (temperature, initial pH, bicarbonate, and H2O2 concentration). The response variables were COD removal, ammonia nitrogen removal, and nitrate [...] Read more.
A bicarbonate-peroxide (BAP) system was evaluated to improve the quality of industrial tannery wastewater using an I-optimal experimental design with four variables (temperature, initial pH, bicarbonate, and H2O2 concentration). The response variables were COD removal, ammonia nitrogen removal, and nitrate concentration. The most critical variables were optimized using a The process was carried out in 500 mL reactors, the operational volume of 250 mL, and the agitation was at 550 rpm. A new I-optimal reaction surface design at two levels (bicarbonate concentration 0.01–0.3 mol/L and H2O2 0.05–0.35 mol/L) was used to obtain the optimal data of the experimental design. Optimal conditions were validated by one-way ANOVA statistical analysis using Prism software. Temperatures above 50 °C promote the efficiency of the BAP system, and slightly acidic initial pHs allow stabilization of the system upon inclusion of bicarbonate and peroxide in the concentration of bicarbonate, which is critical for the reaction with peroxide and formation of reactive oxygen species. With the validated optimal data, removal percentages above 78% were achieved for nitrites, ammonia nitrogen, chromium, TSS, BOD, conductivity, chromium, and chlorides; for COD and TOC, removal percentages were above 45%, these results being equal and even higher than other AOPs implemented for this type of water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Engineering in Wastewater Treatment)
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