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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 22896

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Dr. Lee D. Wilson

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Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, Canada
Interests: polymers; host–guest chemistry; hydration effects; adsorption phenomena; molecular recognition
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is focused on current state-of-the-art research related to “Environmental Applications of Polymers”. The use of polymeric materials in environmental remediation is widespread, with applications that include filtration, coagulation, flocculation, dispersion, solubilization, and adsorption/absorption-based processes. The removal of chemical and biological contaminants from soil, water, and atmospheric compartments of the environment is an issue of increasing concern due to the buildup of pollutants in the environment.

Papers are sought that describe experimental and theoretical advances in the fields of the science, engineering, and technology of polymers relevant to “Environmental Applications of Polymers”, in line with the scope of this journal. The scope of this Special Issue encompasses the development of polymer materials for environmental applications, such as the immobilization, separation, or removal of environmental contaminants of a chemical or biological origin.

Of particular interest is the development new polymer materials with improved structure and function that result from the synthesis and processing of natural/synthetic polymer materials (and modified forms) that provide new insights into the structure–property relationships that lead to enhanced functionality for a diverse range of applications.

Prof. Dr. Lee D. Wilson
Guest Editor

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Keywords

environmental remediation
polymer materials
structure and physicochemical properties

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4300 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biosorbents from Plant Fibers of Hemp and Flax for Metal Removal: Comparison of Their Biosorption Properties

by Chiara Mongioví, Nadia Morin-Crini, Dario Lacalamita, Corina Bradu, Marina Raschetti, Vincent Placet, Ana Rita Lado Ribeiro, Aleksandra Ivanovska, Mirjana Kostić and Grégorio Crini

Molecules 2021, 26(14), 4199; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26144199 - 10 Jul 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3429

Abstract

Lignocellulosic fibers extracted from plants are considered an interesting raw material for environmentally friendly products with multiple applications. This work investigated the feasibility of using hemp- and flax-based materials in the form of felts as biosorbents for the removal of metals present in aqueous solutions. Biosorption of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn from a single solution by the two lignocellulosic-based felts was examined using a batch mode. The parameters studied were initial metal concentration, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and pH. In controlled conditions, the results showed that: (i) the flax-based felt had higher biosorption capacities with respect to the metals studied than the hemp-based felt; (ii) the highest removal efficiency was always obtained for Cu ions, and the following order of Cu > Cd > Zn > Ni > Co > Al > Mn was found for both examined biosorbents; (iii) the process was rapid and 10 min were sufficient to attain the equilibrium; (iv) the efficiency improved with the increase of the adsorbent dosage; and (v) the biosorption capacities were independent of pH between 4 and 6. Based on the obtained results, it can be considered that plant-based felts are new, efficient materials for metal removal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Polymers)

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17 pages, 5522 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Floating ZnO QDs-Modified TiO₂/LLDPE Hybrid Polymer Film for the Effective Photodegradation of Tetracycline under Fluorescent Light Irradiation: Synthesis and Characterisation

by Anwar Iqbal, Usman Saidu, Farook Adam, Srimala Sreekantan, Noorfatimah Yahaya, Mohammad Norazmi Ahmad, Rajabathar Jothi Ramalingam and Lee D. Wilson

Molecules 2021, 26(9), 2509; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092509 - 25 Apr 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3250

Abstract

In this work, mesoporous TiO₂-modified ZnO quantum dots (QDs) were immobilised on a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) polymer using a solution casting method for the photodegradation of tetracycline (TC) antibiotics under fluorescent light irradiation. Various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques were used to investigate the physicochemical properties of the floating hybrid polymer film catalyst (8%-ZT@LLDPE). The highest removal (89.5%) of TC (40 mg/L) was achieved within 90 min at pH 9 due to enhanced water uptake by the LDDPE film and the surface roughness of the hybrid film. The formation of heterojunctions increased the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The QDs size-dependent quantum confinement effect leads to the displacement of the conduction band potential of ZnO QDs to more negative energy values than TiO₂. The displacement generates more reactive species with higher oxidation ability. The highly stable film photocatalyst can be separated easily and can be repeatedly used up to 8 cycles without significant loss in the photocatalytic ability. The scavenging test indicates that the main species responsible for the photodegradation was O₂^●⁻. The proposed photodegradation mechanism of TC was demonstrated in further detail based on the intermediates detected by LC-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (LC/TOF-MS). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Polymers)

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16 pages, 23476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sliding Water Droplet on Oil Impregnated Surface and Dust Particle Mitigation

by Saeed Bahatab, Bekir Sami Yilbas, Abba Abdulhamid Abubakar, Ghassan Hassan, Anwaruddin Siddiqui Mohammed, Hussain Al-Qahtani, Ahmet Z. Sahin and Abdullah Al-Sharafi

Molecules 2021, 26(4), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26040789 - 3 Feb 2021

Viewed by 2353

Abstract

Self-cleaning of surfaces becomes challenging for energy harvesting devices because of the requirements of high optical transmittance of device surfaces. Surface texturing towards hydrophobizing can improve the self-cleaning ability of surfaces, yet lowers the optical transmittance. Introducing optical matching fluid, such as silicon oil, over the hydrophobized surface improves the optical transmittance. However, self-cleaning ability, such as dust mitigation, of the oil-impregnated hydrophobic surfaces needs to be investigated. Hence, solution crystallization of the polycarbonate surface towards creating hydrophobic texture is considered and silicon oil impregnation of the crystallized surface is explored for improved optical transmittance and self-cleaning ability. The condition for silicon oil spreading over the solution treated surface is assessed and silicon oil and water infusions on the dust particles are evaluated. The movement of the water droplet over the silicon oil-impregnated sample is examined utilizing the high-speed facility and the tracker program. The effect of oil film thickness and the tilting angle of the surface on the sliding droplet velocity is estimated for two droplet volumes. The mechanism for the dust particle mitigation from the oil film surface by the sliding water droplet is analyzed. The findings reveal that silicon oil impregnation of the crystallized sample surface improves the optical transmittance significantly. The sliding velocity of the water droplet over the thick film (~700 µm) remains higher than that of the small thickness oil film (~50 µm), which is attributed to the large interfacial resistance created between the moving droplet and the oil on the crystallized surface. The environmental dust particles can be mitigated from the oil film surface by the sliding water droplet. The droplet fluid infusion over the dust particle enables to reorient the particle inside the droplet fluid. As the dust particle settles at the trailing edge of the droplet, the sliding velocity decays on the oil-impregnated sample. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Polymers)

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25 pages, 7898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photocatalytic Decolorization and Biocidal Applications of Nonmetal Doped TiO₂: Isotherm, Kinetic Modeling and In Silico Molecular Docking Studies

by Muhammad Saqib Khan, Jehanzeb Ali Shah, Muhammad Arshad, Sobia Ahsan Halim, Ajmal Khan, Ahson Jabbar Shaikh, Nadia Riaz, Asim Jahangir Khan, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Shahid, Arshid Pervez, Ahmed Al-Harrasi and Muhammad Bilal

Molecules 2020, 25(19), 4468; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25194468 - 29 Sep 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3705

Abstract

Textile dyes and microbial contamination of surface water bodies have been recognized as emerging quality concerns around the globe. The simultaneous resolve of such impurities can pave the route for an amicable technological solution. This study reports the photocatalytic performance and the biocidal potential of nitrogen-doped TiO₂ against reactive black 5 (RB5), a double azo dye and E. coli. Molecular docking was performed to identify and quantify the interactions of the TiO₂ with β-lactamase enzyme and to predict the biocidal mechanism. The sol-gel technique was employed for the synthesis of different mol% nitrogen-doped TiO₂. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The effects of different synthesis and reaction parameters were studied. RB5 dye degradation was monitored by tracking shifts in the absorption spectrum and percent chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. The best nanomaterial depicted 5.57 nm crystallite size, 49.54 m² g⁻¹ specific surface area, 11–40 nm particle size with spherical morphologies, and uniform distribution. The RB5 decolorization data fits well with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, and the maximum monolayer coverage capacity for the Langmuir adsorption model was found to be 40 mg g⁻¹ with K_ads of 0.113 mg⁻¹. The LH model yielded a higher coefficient K_C (1.15 mg L⁻¹ h⁻¹) compared to the adsorption constant K_LH (0.3084 L mg⁻¹). 90% COD removal was achieved in 60 min of irradiation, confirmed by the disappearance of spectral peaks. The best-optimized photocatalysts showed a noticeable biocidal potential against human pathogenic strain E. coli in 150 min. The biocidal mechanism of best-optimized photocatalyst was predicted by molecular docking simulation against E. coli β-lactamase enzyme. The docking score (−7.6 kcal mol⁻¹) and the binding interaction with the active site residues (Lys315, Thr316, and Glu272) of β-lactamase further confirmed that inhibition of β-lactamase could be a most probable mechanism of biocidal activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Polymers)

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24 pages, 4585 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phosphoric Acid Activated Carbon from Melia azedarach Waste Sawdust for Adsorptive Removal of Reactive Orange 16: Equilibrium Modelling and Thermodynamic Analysis

by Jehanzeb Ali Shah, Tayyab Ashfaq Butt, Cyrus Raza Mirza, Ahson Jabbar Shaikh, Muhammad Saqib Khan, Muhammad Arshad, Nadia Riaz, Hajira Haroon, Syed Mubashar Hussain Gardazi, Khurram Yaqoob and Muhammad Bilal

Molecules 2020, 25(9), 2118; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25092118 - 1 May 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5142

Abstract

Waste wood biomass as precursor for manufacturing activated carbon (AC) can provide a solution to ever increasing global water quality concerns. In our current work, Melia azedarach derived phosphoric acid-treated AC (MA-AC400) was manufactured at a laboratory scale. This novel MA-AC400 was tested for RO16 dye removal performance as a function of contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH, temperature and initial dye concentration in a batch scale arrangement. MA-AC400 was characterized via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescence spectroscopy. MA-AC400 is characterized as mesoporous with BET surface area of 293.13 m² g⁻¹ and average pore width of 20.33 Å. pH_PZC and Boehm titration confirm the acidic surface charges with dominance of phenolic functional groups. The average DLS particle size of MA-AC400 was found in the narrow range of 0.12 to 0.30 µm and this polydispersity was confirmed with multiple excitation fluorescence wavelengths. MA-AC400 showed equilibrium adsorption efficiency of 97.8% for RO16 dye at its initial concentration of 30 mg L⁻¹ and adsorbent dose of 1 g L⁻¹. Thermodynamic study endorsed the spontaneous, favorable, irreversible and exothermic process for RO16 adsorption onto MA-AC400. Equilibrium adsorption data was better explained by Langmuir with high goodness of fit (R², 0.9964) and this fitness was endorsed with lower error functions. The kinetics data was found well fitted to pseudo-second order (PSO), and intra-particle diffusion kinetic models. Increasing diffusion constant values confirm the intraparticle diffusion at higher RO16 initial concentration and reverse was true for PSO chemisorption kinetics. MA-AC400 exhibited low desorption with studied eluents and its cost was calculated to be $8.36/kg. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Polymers)

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16 pages, 2573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cu(II) Ion Adsorption by Aniline Grafted Chitosan and Its Responsive Fluorescence Properties

by Bahareh Vafakish and Lee D. Wilson

Molecules 2020, 25(5), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25051052 - 26 Feb 2020

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3678

Abstract

The detection and removal of heavy metal species in aquatic environments is of continued interest to address ongoing efforts in water security. This study was focused on the preparation and characterization of aniline grafted chitosan (CS-Ac-An), and evaluation of its adsorption properties with Cu(II) under variable conditions. Materials characterization provides support for the grafting of aniline onto chitosan, where the kinetic and thermodynamic adsorption properties reveal a notably greater uptake (>20-fold) of Cu(II) relative to chitosan, where the adsorption capacity (Q_m) of CS-Ac-An was 106.6 mg/g. Adsorbent regeneration was demonstrated over multiple adsorption-desorption cycles with good uptake efficiency. CS-Ac-An has a strong fluorescence emission that undergoes prominent quenching at part per billion levels in aqueous solution. The quenching process displays a linear response over variable Cu(II) concentration (0.05–5 mM) that affords reliable detection of low level Cu(II) levels by an in situ “turn-off” process. The tweezer-like chelation properties of CS-Ac-An with Cu(II) was characterized by complementary spectroscopic methods: IR, NMR, X-ray photoelectron (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The role of synergistic effects are inferred among two types of active adsorption sites: electron rich arene rings and amine groups of chitosan with Cu(II) species to afford a tweezer-like binding modality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Applications of Polymers)

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