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Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 31979
Related Special Issue: Functional Materials in Water and Wastewater Treatment/Soil Remediation

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Seong-Jik Park

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Guest Editor

Department of Bioresources and Rural System Engineering, Hankyong National University, Anseong 17579, Republic of Korea
Interests: water; soil; sediment; environment; nutrient management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Chang-Gu Lee

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Department of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
Interests: environmental functional materials; water treatment; fiber
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Eun Hea Jho

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Department of Environmental Science, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Korea
Interests: water and soil treatment; heavy metal; ecotoxicity; risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Sanghyun Jeong

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea
Interests: desalination; pretreatment; water treatment; filtration; biofouling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Material science is an interdisciplinary research field, including interrelationships between composition, structure, process, and performance of various materials, and widely integrated with other disciplines to form many interdisciplinary subjects. Recently, environmental materials as a new field of material science have attracted much attention. Application of functional environmental materials, both natural and synthetic, is becoming increasingly popular in water purification and soil remediation. In our first Special Issue on “Functional Materials in Water and Wastewater Treatment/Soil Remediation”, we successfully gathered 10 excellent papers in this field. These 10 papers contributed significantly to solving a variety of environmental problems. Based on the success of this first issue, we have decided to launch this second edition of the same Special Issue, which will however not be limited to functional materials but include advanced processes for water treatment/soil remediation.

The research areas of functional environmental materials and advanced processes for water purification and soil remediation are as follows: (1) Adsorption with functional materials, (2) advanced oxidation processes with catalytic oxidation materials, (3) advanced equipment for water and soil remediation, and (4) soil and sediment remediation using stabilizing agents. These materials include natural clay minerals with and/or without treatment, synthetic materials such as activated carbon, ferric hydroxide, activated alumina, biochars, photocatalysts, synthetic fiber mats, and their composites. The advanced process either includes such functional materials or not. In this Special Issue, we invite you to submit manuscripts on various functional environmental materials and advanced processes for water/wastewater treatment and soil remediation.

Prof. Dr. Seong-Jik Park
Prof. Dr. Chang-Gu Lee
Prof. Dr. Eun Hea Jho
Prof. Dr. Sanghyun Jeong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

water treatment
soil
process
adsorption
stabilization
membrane
ion exchange

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2562 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Degradation of Oxytetracycline by Persulfate Activation Using a Magnetic Separable Iron Oxide Catalyst Derived from Hand-Warmer Waste

by Youn-Jun Lee, Chang-Gu Lee, Seong-Jik Park and Eun Hea Jho

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10447; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110447 - 7 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2392

Abstract

Oxytetracycline (OTC) is a tetracycline antibiotic that is widely used in the drug therapy and livestock industry and may threaten human health and ecosystems when released into the environment. In this study, a catalyst was prepared from hand-warmer waste using a simple magnetic separation method. The prepared hand-warmer waste catalyst (HWWC) was used as a persulfate (PS) activator for OTC removal. Characterization methods, such as X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, were used to investigate the crystal structure, surface morphology, and weight ratios of the elements in the HWWC. The degradation efficiency of OTC in the presence of the catalyst and PS was studied, and the radical generation mechanism of the catalyst was investigated. The removal ratio of OTC by PS activation was greater than 99% for a reaction time of 24 min at a pH of 6. The effects of the HWWC dosage, PS concentration, and solution pH on OTC degradation were also investigated. The reuse test revealed that HWWC can be reused for eight cycles with great stability. These results suggest that PS activation using hand-warmer waste can be an efficient strategy for the degradation of antibiotics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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14 pages, 2824 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Potassium Recovery from Potassium Solution and Seawater Using Different Adsorbents

by Sora Shin, Eun Hea Jho, HyunJu Park, Sungjong Lee and Joon Ha Kim

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8660; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188660 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3257

Abstract

The potassium (K) sorption characteristics with three adsorbents, natural zeolite, ammonium acetate-treated zeolite, and manganese nodule, were studied and compared to see the potential use of manganese nodule as an alternative K adsorbent. In general, the Langmuir isotherm could fit the K sorption in the KCl solutions at different pH conditions better than the Freundlich isotherm. Based on the Langmuir parameters, the maximum K sorption was greater for the zeolite-based adsorbents (i.e., 40–42 mg g⁻¹) than the manganese nodule (i.e., 2.0 mg g⁻¹) at acidic conditions, while the manganese nodule (i.e., 9.7 mg g⁻¹) showed better K sorption at neutral conditions. With the seawater samples, the zeolite-based adsorbents showed higher K recovery (4–14%) than the manganese nodule (0–8.8%). The K sorption on the zeolite-based adsorbents followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the K sorption rates were higher for the treated zeolite than the natural zeolite. The repeated sorption tests showed that the natural zeolite could potentially be reused up to three times without any significant loss of K sorption capacity, while the ammonium acetate-treated zeolite lost its K sorption capacity after the single sorption test. Overall, the results show that the manganese nodule may potentially be the alternative to zeolite for K recovery under certain conditions, yet the zeolite-based adsorbents are generally better than the manganese nodule. Thus, more studies to enhance the K recovery using zeolite, including surface modified zeolite, are recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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14 pages, 1848 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Heavy Metals (Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺) from Aqueous Solution Using Hizikia fusiformis as an Algae-Based Bioadsorbent

by Bich Ngoc Pham, Jin-Kyu Kang, Chang-Gu Lee and Seong-Jik Park

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8604; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188604 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 3035

Abstract

This study investigated the applicability of algae (Hizikia fusiformis, Green gracilaria, and Codium fragile) for removing heavy metals (Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Pb²⁺) from aqueous solutions. Among the algae, H. fusiformis was chosen as a bioadsorbent and modified with NaOH and HCl. The results showed that the biosorption capacity of H. fusiformis improved significantly after treatment with NaOH; however, H. fusiformis modified with HCl did not achieve the expected value. The NaOH treatment enhanced the biosorption of metals on the treated H. fusiformis because of the hydrolysis reaction producing carboxylic (–COOH) and hydroxyl groups (–OH). The kinetics for Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Pb²⁺ biosorption well fitted to pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich models, with R² of >0.994. The Freundlich model provided a good fit for the equilibrium biosorption of Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ni²⁺ by both algae and the Langmuir model for Pb²⁺. The maximum biosorption of metals was in the order Pb²⁺ >> Cu²⁺ ≈ Ni²⁺ > Cd²⁺, with q_max of 167.73, 45.09, 44.38, and 42.08 mg/g, respectively. With an increase in the solution pH, metal biosorption was enhanced, and considerable enhancement was observed in the pH range of 2–4. Thus, H. fusiformis is expected to be considered a superior candidate for metal biosorption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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13 pages, 2844 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Remediation Characteristics of Heavy Metals (Copper and Lead) on Applying Recycled Food Waste Ash and Electrokinetic Remediation Techniques

by Sounghyun Lee, Jung-Mann Yun, Jong-Young Lee, Gigwon Hong, Ji-Sun Kim, Dongchan Kim and Jung-Geun Han

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(16), 7437; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167437 - 13 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2697

Abstract

Most food waste is incinerated and reclaimed in Korea. Due to the development of industry, soil and groundwater pollution are serious. The purpose of this study was to study recycled materials and eco-friendly remediation methods to prevent secondary pollution after remediation. In this study, recycled food waste ash was filled in a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) and used as a heavy metal adsorption material. In situ remediation electrokinetic techniques (EK) and acetic acid were used. Electrokinetic remediation is a technology that can remove various polluted soils and pollutants, and is an economical and highly useful remediation technique. Thereafter, the current density increased constantly over time, and it was confirmed that it increased after electrode exchange and then decreased. Based on this result, the acetic acid was constantly injected and it was reconfirmed through the water content after the end of the experiment. In the case of both heavy metals, the removal efficiency was good after 10 days of operation and 8 days after electrode exchange, but, in the case of lead, it was confirmed that experiments are needed by increasing the operation date before electrode exchange. It was confirmed that the copper removal rate was about 74% to 87%, and the lead removal rate was about 11% to 43%. After the end of the experiment, a low pH was confirmed at x/L = 0.9, and it was also confirmed that there was no precipitation of heavy metals and there was a smooth movement by the enhancer and electrolysis after electrode exchange. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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11 pages, 3442 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Efficient Removal of Azo Dye from Wastewater Using the Non-Toxic Potassium Ferrate Oxidation–Coagulation Process

by Munkhtsooj Jargalsaikhan, Jieun Lee, Am Jang and Sanghyun Jeong

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(15), 6825; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11156825 - 25 Jul 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3192

Abstract

The wastewater effluents from textile industries contain highly toxic metal complex dyes. For instance, azo dye has received significant attention owing to its toxicity and environmental stability. This study investigated the oxidation and coagulation processes to effectively remove azo dye from wastewater effluents. Potassium ferrate (K₂FeO₄) was selected as an oxidant because it has a high oxidation potential, is environmentally stable, and does not generate toxic byproducts. Moreover, it has a combination effect of coagulation and oxidation. Its performance was compared with a single oxidation process (using NaOCl) and a single coagulation process (using FeCl₃·6H₂O). Based on the jar test experiment, the optimized pH was estimated to be 3 and the optimal dosage was 56.4 mg/L for K₂FeO₄, and it removed nearly 100% of orange II azo dye (OD) and lissamine green B dye (LGB). However, its removal efficiency decreased when the pH increased to 12. In all processes, dye removal was completed in 5 min of the reaction. Overall, OD and LGB were effectively removed by K₂FeO₄, compared to the NaOCl and FeCl₃·6H₂O. This indicates that the combination of oxidation and coagulation of K₂FeO₄ outperformed the single treatment process without toxic byproduct production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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13 pages, 1724 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Remediation of Metribuzin Herbicide by Mesoporous Carbon—Rich from Wheat Straw

by Irina Gabriela Cara, Manuela Filip, Laura Bulgariu, Lucian Raus, Denis Topa and Gerard Jitareanu

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4935; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114935 - 27 May 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3557

Abstract

Contemporary farming practices and rapid industrialization over the last few decades, have raised significant soil and water pollution with extreme toxic effects to humans and ecosystems. The widespread and inefficient use of pesticides, which surpass the soil’s self purification capability, has accelerated soil pollution. In this study, wheat straw biochar was obtained using the traditional pyrolysis technique and its characterization; in addition, the adsorption efficiency of metribuzin was investigated. Biochars’ physical and chemical characteristics were qualified using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A batch sorption test and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry were also used to assess the biochar efficiency. SEM and FTIR confirmed the highly reactive surfaces of biochar, establishing efficient biomass conversion in low-oxygen conditions. The adsorption process showed best fit with pseudo second-order kinetic and Langmuir models, suggesting a chemisorption procedure and monolayer-type removal. Regarding its environmental and agricultural application, wheat straw biochar can be advanced as a recommendation solution for further research, which is fundamental for soil rehabilitation and the immobilization of contaminations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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16 pages, 3933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of the SWAT-EFDC Linkage Model for Assessing Water Quality Management in an Estuarine Reservoir Separated by Levees

by Soonho Hwang, Sang-Min Jun, Jung-Hun Song, Kyeung Kim, Hakkwan Kim and Moon-Seong Kang

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3911; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093911 - 26 Apr 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3168

Abstract

Estuarine reservoirs are available for use in various water resource systems. In agriculture, supplying irrigation water that meets water quality standards is essential for food safety. This study focused on the Ganwol estuarine reservoir in the midwestern region of South Korea, which suffers from water quality deterioration problems. To explore the water quality improvement in an estuarine reservoir, it is essential to understand the characteristics of water quality changes in the reservoir following water pollution control management. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of water quality management on the estuarine reservoir, which is separated by levees, using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT)-environmental fluid dynamics code (EFDC) linkage model. In this study, soil remediation by dredging the reservoir’s bottom soil and effluent control from public sewage treatment works were considered as the water management plans. The results of this study indicate that reducing the internal load of the reservoir increases internal resilience and reducing the external inflow load decreases the impact on the system. Hence, comprehensive measures are effective in improving water quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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13 pages, 1031 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermo-Chemical Treatment for Carcass Disposal and the Application of Treated Carcass as Compost

by Jae-In Lee, Eun-Ji Cho, Fritz Ndumbe Lyonga, Chang-Hee Lee, Sue-Yun Hwang, Dock-Hwan Kim, Chang-Gu Lee and Seong-Jik Park

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 431; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010431 - 4 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3863

Abstract

A mechanized thermo-chemical treatment system was developed to treat the undecomposed carcass and remediate livestock burial sites. Animal carcasses were thus processed via crushing, mixing, and treatment with quicklime treatment, heat treatment (200–500 °C), and mixing with sawdust. The machinery was applied to two sites where 16,000 chickens and 418 pigs had previously been buried in fiber-reinforced plastic storage bins. No dioxins were detected in the gas discharged during processing, and the concentration of total volatile organic compound, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene were 430.3, 139.0, 18.3, 21.4, and 10.4 μg/m³, respectively, which were below the air pollutant emission standards issued by the Korean Ministry of Environment. Korean standards stipulating the use of treated carcasses as compost (C, N, and P content, heavy metal concentration, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella) were met, but the germination index value was less than 70, not satisfying the criteria. Plant height, leaf length, leaf width, and dry weight of lettuce grown in soil amended with treated carcass product were significantly lower than those grown in low nutrient soil due to the poor germination index of the treated carcass. These results indicate that a composting process is required before the use of the treated carcass as a fertilizer. The addition of zeolite retarded the elution of ammonia from the carcasses and its efficiency was about 87.9%. It is expected that the mechanized thermo-chemical treatment process developed in this study could replace other technologies for the remediation of livestock burial sites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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16 pages, 5279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Artificial Neural Network Modeling for Prediction of Dynamic Changes in Solution from Bioleaching by Indigenous Acidophilic Bacteria

by Jin-Kyu Kang, Kang-Hee Cho, Song-Bae Kim and Nag-Choul Choi

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7569; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217569 - 27 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2018

Abstract

In this study, indigenous acidophilic bacteria living in mine drainage and hot acidic spring were collected and used for bioleaching experiments. The incubated indigenous acidophilic bacteria were inoculated on various minerals. The changes in pH, Eh, and heavy metal concentrations were examined with uninoculated controls to study bioleaching over time. As a result, the aspects of bioleaching varied greatly depending on the origin of microorganisms, the type of minerals, the temperature conditions, etc. We applied an ANN model to express and predict these complex bioleaching trends. Through the application of an ANN model, we developed the ANN models that can predict the changes in concentration of pH, Eh, and heavy metal ion concentrations and further evaluated predictability. Through this, the predictability of bioleaching using the ANN models can be confirmed. However, we also identified limitations, showing that further testing and application of the ANN models in more diverse experimental conditions are needed to improve the predictability of the ANN models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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12 pages, 2970 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of PANI/TiO₂ Composite for Photocatalytic Degradation of Contaminants from Aqueous Solution

by Youn-Jun Lee, Hae Su Lee, Chang-Gu Lee, Seong-Jik Park, Jechan Lee, Seungho Jung and Gwy-Am Shin

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(19), 6710; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10196710 - 25 Sep 2020

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3418

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANI) is a promising conducting polymer for surface modification of TiO₂ to achieve extended photoresponse to visible light and increased photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, we report the synthesis of a PANI/TiO₂ composite with different weight ratios of PANI, which was subsequently employed for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB), bisphenol A (BPA), and bacteriophage MS2 under visible-light irradiation. The functional groups, morphology, and light response of the composite were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission transmission electron microscopy, and diffuse reflectance UV–visible spectroscopy, respectively. The PANI/TiO₂ composite containing 4% by weight ratio of PANI was most suitable for MB degradation, and this photocatalyst was very stable even after repeated use (four cycles). The degradation of BPA and bacteriophage MS2 by PANI/TiO₂ composite reached 80% in 360 min and 96.2% in 120 min, respectively, under visible-light irradiation. Therefore, the PANI/TiO₂ composite with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic efficiency and stability can be widely used for the degradation of water contaminants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials and Advanced Processes in Water Treatment/Soil Remediation)

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