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Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 27682

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Dr. Cybelle Futalan

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University Core Research Center for Disaster-free and Safe Ocean City Construction, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Korea
Interests: Adsorption; Heavy metal removal; Optimization; Removal mechanism; Wastewater Treatment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water scarcity and water pollution are the present key environmental concerns worldwide. To conserve water and extend the availability of water resources, several technologies on water and wastewater treatment have been employed, including membrane technology, ion exchange, biological treatment (aerobic and anaerobic), flocculation and coagulation, advanced oxidation processes, adsorption and phytoremediation. Current research has focused on the utilization of materials that are innovative, more affordable, inexpensive, renewable, and environment-friendly.

This Special Issue encourages the submission of papers that investigate wastewater remediation technologies using a wide range of materials such as innovative synthetic materials, agricultural wastes, industrial wastes and by-products. We aim to publish a collection of papers that examine the mechanism, removal efficiency, and transport of various contaminants in different remediation systems using empirical and/or statistical models. Optimization studies on laboratory and pilot scale work on water and wastewater remediation are welcome. Submissions that include pollution control technologies of various water contaminants are also encouraged. The main topics for the Special Issue are presented below:

Fate, transport, and removal mechanism of contaminants in water and wastewater systems
Treatment of wastewater contaminated with inorganic (heavy metal), organic (hydrocarbons, organo-phosphorous) and emerging contaminants
Experiments on water pollution control technologies on a laboratory scale and pilot scale
Optimization studies and fuzzy-logic case studies on wastewater remediation
Utilization of innovative materials, by-products, industrial wastes and agricultural wastes in various water and wastewater treatment technologies

Dr. Cybelle Futalan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Green and sustainable materials
Inorganic and organic contaminants
Optimization
Removal mechanism
Water and wastewater treatment

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1517 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fixed-Bed Adsorption of Lead from Aqueous Solution Using Chitosan-Coated Bentonite

by Cybelle Morales Futalan and Meng-Wei Wan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2597; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052597 - 23 Feb 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2893

Abstract

In this study, fixed-bed adsorption of Pb(II) from an aqueous solution using chitosan-coated bentonite (CCB) was investigated. Characterization of CCB was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of varying bed height (1.3 to 4.3 cm), flow rate (0.20 to 0.60 mL/min), and initial concentration (500 to 1500 mg/L) on the length of mass transfer zone (Z_m) and adsorption capacity at breakthrough (q_b) and exhaustion (q_e) were examined. Low flow rate and high bed height were determined to cause a longer time to reach breakthrough and exhaustion. Meanwhile, the fixed-bed system was observed to quickly attain breakthrough and exhaustion under high initial concentrations. Kinetic column models such as the Thomas, Yoon–Nelson, and Clark models were used to predict the breakthrough curves. High R² values (0.9758 ≤ R² ≤ 0.8087) were attained for the Thomas model, which indicates that there is good agreement between experimental data and linear plots generated by the Thomas model. Moreover, the Thomas model is best in describing the breakthrough curves of Pb(II) removal under a fixed-bed system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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11 pages, 2252 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electrochemical Disinfection of Simulated Ballast Water Using RuO₂-TiO₂/Ti Electrode

by Sivasankar Annamalai, Cybelle Concepcion Futalan and Yeonghee Ahn

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1835; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031835 - 6 Feb 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2204

Abstract

The present work investigated the treatment of ballast water via electrochemical disinfection using a RuO₂-TiO₂/Ti electrode. Batch tests were conducted with simulated ballast water containing Escherichia coli as an indicator organism. The effect of varying NaCl concentrations (1%, 2%, and 3%; w/v) and current densities (0.3, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mA/cm²) on the inactivation of E. coli was examined. Results showed higher disinfection efficiency of E. coli was obtained at higher NaCl concentration and current density. Complete inactivation of E. coli was attained within 2 and 1 min at 0.3 and 1 mA/cm², respectively, under 3% NaCl concentration. Meanwhile, complete disinfection at 1 and 2% NaCl concentrations was observed in 6 and 2 min, respectively, using a current density of 0.3 mA/cm². The 100% inactivation of E. coli was achieved with an energy consumption in the range of 2.8 to 2.9 Wh/m³ under the NaCl concentrations at 1 mA/cm² and 1 min of electrolysis time. The complete disinfection attained within 1 min meets the D-2 standard (<250 CFU E. coli/100 mL) of ballast water under the International Maritime Organization. The values of energy consumption of the present work are lower than previous reports on the inactivation of E. coli from simulated ballast water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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18 pages, 2857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Micro-Pollutants’ Removal from Wastewater Using Agricultural Waste-Derived Sustainable Adsorbent

by Areej Alhothali, Tahir Haneef, Muhammad Raza Ul Mustafa, Kawthar Mostafa Moria, Umer Rashid, Kashif Rasool and Omaimah Omar Bamasag

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11506; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111506 - 1 Nov 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2929

Abstract

Water pollution due to the discharge of untreated industrial effluents is a serious environmental and public health issue. The presence of organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) causes worldwide concern because of their mutagenic and carcinogenic effects on aquatic life, human beings, and the environment. PAHs are pervasive atmospheric compounds that cause nervous system damage, mental retardation, cancer, and renal kidney diseases. This research presents the first usage of palm kernel shell biochar (PKSB) (obtained from agricultural waste) for PAH removal from industrial wastewater (oil and gas wastewater/produced water). A batch scale study was conducted for the remediation of PAHs and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from produced water. The influence of operating parameters such as biochar dosage, pH, and contact time was optimized and validated using a response surface methodology (RSM). Under optimized conditions, i.e., biochar dosage 2.99 g L⁻¹, pH 4.0, and contact time 208.89 min, 93.16% of PAHs and 97.84% of COD were predicted. However, under optimized conditions of independent variables, 95.34% of PAH and 98.21% of COD removal was obtained in the laboratory. The experimental data were fitted to the empirical second-order model of a suitable degree for the maximum removal of PAHs and COD by the biochar. ANOVA analysis showed a high coefficient of determination value (R² = 0.97) and a reasonable second-order regression prediction. Additionally, the study also showed a comparative analysis of PKSB with previously used agricultural waste biochar for PAH and COD removal. The PKSB showed significantly higher removal efficiency than other types of biochar. The study also provides analysis on the reusability of PKSB for up to four cycles using two different methods. The methods reflected a significantly good performance for PAH and COD removal for up to two cycles. Hence, the study demonstrated a successful application of PKSB as a potential sustainable adsorbent for the removal of micro-pollutants from produced water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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21 pages, 4172 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of Na-Zeolites from Textile Waste Ash and Its Application for Removal of Lead (Pb) from Wastewater

by Tabassum Hussain, Abdullah Ijaz Hussain, Shahzad Ali Shahid Chatha, Adnan Ali, Muhammad Rizwan, Shafaqat Ali, Parvaiz Ahamd, Leonard Wijaya and Mohammed Nasser Alyemeni

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3373; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073373 - 24 Mar 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3564

Abstract

Massive production of carcinogenic fly ash waste poses severe threats to water bodies due to its disposal into drains and landfills. Fly ash can be a source of raw materials for the synthesis of adsorbents. Rag fly ash as a new class of raw materials could be a cheap source of Al and Si for the synthesis of Na-zeolites. In this work, NaOH activation, via a prefusion- and postfusion-based hydrothermal strategy, was practiced for the modification of rag fly ash into Na-zeolite. Morphology, surface porosity, chemical composition, functionality, mineral phases, and crystallinity, in conjunction with ion exchangeability of the tailored materials, were evaluated by SEM, ICP-OES, XRF, FTIR, XRD, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) techniques. Rag fly ash and the synthesized Na-zeolites were applied for the removal of Pb (II) from synthetic wastewater by varying the reaction conditions, such as initial metal ion concentration, mass of adsorbent, sorption time, and pH of the reaction medium. It was observed that Na-zeolite materials (1 g/100 mL) effectively removed up to 90–98% of Pb (II) ions from 100 mg/L synthetic solution within 30 min at pH ≈ 8. Freundlich adsorption isotherm favors the multilayer heterogeneous adsorption mechanism for the removal of Pb (II). It is reasonable to conclude that recycling of textile rag fly ash waste into value-added Na-zeolites for the treatment of industrial wastewater could be an emergent move toward achieving sustainable and green remediation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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13 pages, 2293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isotherm, Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Cu(II) and Pb(II) Adsorption on Groundwater Treatment Sludge-Derived Manganese Dioxide for Wastewater Treatment Applications

by Stephanie B. Tumampos, Benny Marie B. Ensano, Sheila Mae B. Pingul-Ong, Dennis C. Ong, Chi-Chuan Kan, Jurng-Jae Yee and Mark Daniel G. de Luna

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(6), 3050; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063050 - 16 Mar 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3651

Abstract

The ubiquitous occurrence of heavy metals in the aquatic environment remains a serious environmental and health issue. The recovery of metals from wastes and their use for the abatement of toxic heavy metals from contaminated waters appear to be practical approaches. In this study, manganese was recovered from groundwater treatment sludge via reductive acid leaching and converted into spherical aggregates of high-purity MnO₂. The as-synthesized MnO₂ was used to adsorb Cu(II) and Pb(II) from single-component metal solutions. High metal uptake of 119.90 mg g⁻¹ for Cu(II) and 177.89 mg g⁻¹ for Pb(II) was attained at initial metal ion concentration, solution pH, and temperature of 200 mg L⁻¹, 5.0, and 25 °C, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm model best described the equilibrium metal adsorption, indicating that a single layer of Cu(II) or Pb(II) was formed on the surface of the MnO₂ adsorbent. The pseudo-second-order model adequately fit the Cu(II) and Pb(II) kinetic data confirming that chemisorption was the rate-limiting step. Thermodynamic studies revealed that Cu(II) or Pb(II) adsorption onto MnO₂ was spontaneous, endothermic, and had increased randomness. Overall, the use of MnO₂ prepared from groundwater treatment sludge is an effective, economical, and environmentally sustainable substitute to expensive reagents for toxic metal ion removal from water matrices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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17 pages, 2630 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fuzzy Optimization for the Remediation of Ammonia: A Case Study Based on Electrochemical Oxidation

by Angelo Earvin Sy Choi, Benny Marie B. Ensano and Jurng-Jae Yee

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(6), 2986; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062986 - 14 Mar 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2898

Abstract

This case study covers the application of the fuzzy optimization in simultaneously satisfying various constraints that include the compliance of ammonia and nitrate concentrations with stringent environmental standards. Essential components in the multi-criteria decision-making analysis is in the utilization of the Box-Behnken design (BBD) response equations, cost equations and the cumulative uncertainty of response towards the sodium chloride dosage, current density and electrolysis time parameters. The energy consumption in the electrochemical oxidation of ammonia plays an essential role in influencing the total operating cost analysis. The determination of boundary limits based on the global optimum resulted in the complete ammonia removal and USD 64.0 operating cost as its maximum boundary limits and the 40.6% ammonia removal and USD 17.1 as its minimum boundary limits. Based on the fuzzy optimal results, the overall satisfaction level incurred a decrease in adhering with a lower ammonia standard concentration (10 mg/L at 80.3% vs. 1.9 mg/L at 76.1%) due to a higher energy consumption requirement. Global optimal fuzzy results showed to be highly cost efficient (232.5% lower) as compared to using BBD alone. This demonstrates the practicality of fuzzy optimization applications in the electrochemical reactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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24 pages, 5693 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Predicting the Water Rebound Effect in China under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

by Aijun Guo, Rong Zhang, Xiaoyu Song, Fanglei Zhong, Daiwei Jiang and Yuan Song

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(3), 1326; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031326 - 1 Feb 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2821

Abstract

The rebound effect exists widely in the fields of energy, irrigation, and other resource utilizations. Previous studies have predicted the evolution of different resource utilizations under the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), but it is still unclear whether total water use has a rebound effect. This study uses the SSPs as the basic prediction framework and evaluates the water resources and economic status of the provinces in China using the hydro-economic (HE) classification method. Then, combined with the SSPs scenario setting parameters, the conditional convergence model and the method recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are used to simulate the changes in water use efficiency of the different provinces in China under different scenarios. Based on the future GDP forecast data of China’s provinces, combined with the forecast of water use efficiency changes, the total water use changes in China’s 31 provinces under different pathways from 2016 to 2030 are calculated. Among them, the future GDP data is predicted based on the Cobb–Douglas production function and SSPs scenario settings. Using a comprehensive evaluation of the evolution of the efficiency and the total amount, this study reveals whether there is a rebound effect. The results showed that with the continuous growth in the water use efficiency, the total water use had a “U” type trend, which indicated that there was a rebound effect in the total water use of China under the different SSPs. Based on this information, this study proposes some suggestions for irrigation water-saving technologies and policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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Review

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26 pages, 5174 KiB

Open AccessReview

Modification Strategies of Kapok Fiber Composites and Its Application in the Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions and Dyes from Aqueous Solutions: A Systematic Review

by Cybelle Morales Futalan, Angelo Earvin S. Choi, Hannah Georgia O. Soriano, Melbourne Klein B. Cabacungan and Jeremiah C. Millare

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2703; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052703 - 25 Feb 2022

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 5488

Abstract

Kapok fiber (Ceiba pentandra) belongs to a group of natural fibers that are mainly composed of cellulose, lignin, pectin, and small traces of inorganic compounds. These fibers are lightweight with hollow tubular structure that is easy to process and abundant in nature. Currently, kapok fibers are used in industry as filling material for beddings, upholstery, soft toys, and nonwoven materials. However, kapok fiber has also a potential application in the adsorptive removal of heavy metal ions and dyes from aqueous systems. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review about the recent developments on kapok fiber composites including its chemical properties, wettability, and surface morphology. Effective and innovative kapok fiber composites are analyzed with the help of characterization tools such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. Different pre-treatment methods such as alkali and acid pre-treatment, oxidation pre-treatment, and Fenton reaction are discussed. These techniques are applied to enhance the hydrophilicity and to generate rougher fiber surfaces. Moreover, surface modification and synthesis of kapok fiber-based composites and its environmental applications are examined. There are various methods in the fabrication of kapok fiber composites that include chemical modification and polymerization. These procedures allow the kapok fiber composites to have higher adsorption capacities for selective heavy metal and dye removal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Innovative Materials, Agricultural Wastes, Industrial Wastes and By-Products)

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